Golden Loukoumades with Thyme Honey, Cinnamon & Toasted Walnuts

⏱ 110 min · Serves 6

Crisp-shelled, cloud-light Greek honey puffs, fried until deep gold and drenched in warm thyme honey with cinnamon and crunchy walnuts. Best eaten standing over the pan, fingers sticky, straight from the fryer.

Per serving: 492 kcal · 8.0g protein · 72.0g carbs · 19.0g fat

Ingredients

• 300g strong white bread flour
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 300ml warm water (about 40C)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1.2 litres sunflower or vegetable oil, for frying
• 200g Greek thyme honey (or runny honey)
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 strip lemon peel
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra to dust
• 70g walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted (optional)

Method

1. Whisk the flour, salt, sugar, yeast and cornflour together in a large bowl.
2. Pour in the warm water and olive oil and beat hard with a wooden spoon or whisk for 2 minutes until you have a smooth, thick, sticky batter — much looser than bread dough.
3. Cover with cling film and leave somewhere warm for 60–90 minutes, until doubled, domed and full of bubbles. Do not knock it back.
4. Meanwhile, warm the honey with the water and lemon peel in a small pan over a low heat until runny and just steaming. Take off the heat, discard the peel and stir in 1 tsp of the cinnamon. Keep warm.
5. Heat the frying oil in a deep, heavy pan to 170–175C (a cube of bread should brown in about 45 seconds). Set a wire rack over a tray nearby.
6. Wet one hand and a teaspoon in a bowl of cold water. Scoop up a walnut-sized blob of batter and slide it into the oil, re-wetting the spoon each time. Fry 6–8 at a time so the oil stays hot.
7. Fry for 3–4 minutes, nudging them so they turn and colour evenly, until deep golden, puffed and hollow-sounding. Lift onto the rack.
8. Working in batches, tumble the hot loukoumades in a bowl with a good ladle of the warm honey syrup so they glaze without going soggy.
9. Pile onto a platter, scatter with walnuts, sesame seeds and the remaining cinnamon, drizzle with any leftover honey and serve immediately.