Puff Puff is a popular West African street food enjoyed in many countries, each with its own unique name for this tasty treat. In Ghana, it's called Bofrot (togbei), while Cameroonians and Nigerians refer to it as Puff-Puff or beignet in French. This recipe, which has been perfected over the years, brings back fond memories of my hometown and is both easy and quick to make with a handful of simple ingredients.
Cooking these puff puffs is not only tasty but also mesmerizing. Trust me when I say that cooking these puff puffs is as mesmerizing as it is tasty. I was fascinated by this process and would go home and practice this act with any mixture I had on hand. But it never came out as proportional or as visually appealing as the women did it.
Puff-puffs are generally made of dough containing flour, yeast, sugar, butter, salt, water and eggs (which are optional), and deep-fried in vegetable oil to a golden-brown color. Like the French beignet and the Italian zeppole, puff-puffs can be rolled in any spice or flavoring such as cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg.
Puff Puff is the quintessential Central and West African street food that is fluffy on the inside, slightly crunchy on the outside, irresistible, and made with 4 simple ingredients! The palatability of Puff Puff is proof that there are few things that rival deep-fried batter or dough!
Here is the ultimate guide on How To Make Puff Puff. So here is the ultimate African Puff Puff recipe. It is the recipe that makes people request my Puff Puff over and over again. If my 10-year-old can make it, you can make it.
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Not to be confused with Puff Pastry, Puff Puff is an insanely delicious form of deep-fried batter that is eaten in a number of African countries. This “small chops” snack has different names in Central and West African countries. It is called Puff Puff in Cameroon and Nigeria. It is called Les Beignets in French. Ghanaians make something similar called Bofrot or Togbei. Liberians equally eat a form of Puff Puff called Kala, while the Congolese call it Mikale.
How to make PUFF PUFF----EASY
Authenticity: This is a childhood street food from my country of origin, Cameroon. Experience: I have made Puff Puff countless times. Before, I couldn’t scoop the batter properly into the oil with my hands, but with lots of practice, I finally mastered it.
I love making Puff Puff for breakfast, for a snack, as a meal together with Stewed Pinto Beans, or as a party food. We make Puff Puff every week in our home. You know, the hot ones straight off the oil are just irresistibly good.
Key Ingredients and Their Importance
- Flour: This pantry must-have isn’t just for baking.
- Warm Water: An essential part of making any dough. It’s the basis for forming our treat.
- Powder Milk: My secret ingredient for good flavor and taste.
Tips for Perfect Puff Puffs
- Activate the yeast: Mix salt, water, sugar, and yeast. Use warm water (not hot) to dissolve the yeast and sugar.
- Check the heat: Test to make sure the oil is hot enough by putting a drop of batter into the oil.
- Fry at the right temperature: Heat oil to 350°F-375°F for crispy puffs.
- Fry in small batches: Avoid overcrowding to maintain the right oil temperature.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Activate the yeast: Use warm water (not hot) to dissolve the yeast and sugar.
- Pour water into a large mixing bowl, add sugar and yeast, and mix well using a wooden spatula until it dissolves. Leave for 5 minutes until proof.
- Then add flour, powdered milk, salt, and nutmeg, and mix well until everything combines well and the mixture becomes soft and stretchy, cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel, and leave for 1 hour until double in volume.
- Pour oil into a large pot over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot enough, use a teaspoon or a tablespoon to scoop up the batter and a second spoon to push the batter into your hot oil. You are trying to achieve the shape of a ball.
- Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is golden brown and then turn over (if you can) to fry the other side.
- Hand Method: Using your hands, grab a little bit of mixture at a time and drop it into the oil.
- Spoon Method: When the oil is hot enough, use a spoon to dish up the batter and another spoon or spatula to drop it in the oil.
- Flip the puff puff: Turn the ball over for a few minutes until the underside is golden brown.
- Remove from oil: Use a large spoon or a slotted spoon to take it out of the oil.
Tips and Tricks
- Soft puff puff: For a softer puff puff, add about 1-2 tablespoons more water.
- Preheat the stove: If your house is too cold, turn on the stove for about 2-3 minutes until warm. Then turn it off and let the puff puff rise next to it.
- Use a spoon: Use a spoon instead to scoop the dough into the oil if you do not want to use your hands.
Serving Suggestions
Puff-puff is usually eaten for breakfast, as a snack, or as a side dish. Regardless of when you eat them, they are enjoyable with or without a side dish. A must-have for me - pepper sauce. The beauty of puff puffs is that you can eat them sweet or savory. They’re a great snack, appetizer, or dessert. I often eat it as a snack or appetizer. My son definitely loves it as a simple dessert with just a bit of powdered sugar. Another great dessert/snack is homemade bon bons.
Puff is great to eat as is or with some powdered sugar sprinkled on top. Powdered sugar and cinnamon! This is as easy as tossing them and you’re done!
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Recipe
Yields: 35-40 balls
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Ingredients:
- ▢ 2 cups Warm water
- ▢ ¼ cup Sugar
- ▢ 2 ½ tsp. Instant dry yeast
- ▢ 3 cups All-purpose flour
- ▢ ¼ cup Powdered milk my secret ingredient, important for extra flavor
- ▢ ½ tsp. Salt
- ▢ ½ tsp. Nutmeg
Instructions:
- Dissolve your yeast in the warm water.
- Mix together, flour, sugar, nutmeg, salt, and the water & yeast mixture with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth.
- The consistency of your batter should be slightly thicker than pancake batter and you should have no lumps. You may need to add a bit more flour if you find that your batter is too liquidy but remember this is not meant to be as thick a bread dough either!
- Cover your batter with a clean kitchen towel and place it in a warm place to rise. It should double in size - this will take about 2-2.5 hours depending on how warm it is.
- Put vegetable oil in a pot deep enough for frying. Unless you are an expert I would suggest you only fry 2 or 3 at a time. I like to use a wok for this job. If you use too little oil you will have flatter puff puff but they’ll be tasty too.
- Take the temperature of your oil (if you own a thermometer) should be about 170ºC (338ºF) or test if the oil is hot enough by dropping a tiny bit of your batter in. If the batter rises to the top, your oil is hot enough.
- When the oil is hot enough, use a teaspoon or a tablespoon to scoop up the batter and a second spoon to push the batter into your hot oil. You are trying to achieve the shape of a ball.
- Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is golden brown and then turn over (if you can) to fry the other side.
Variations and Flavors
Mash fruits like banana or plantain to make banana puff puff or plantain puff puff. For flavors, add nutmeg or use brown sugar for a caramel flavour, cinnamon, vanilla.
Tips for Storing and Reheating
Store leftover puff puff in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. To reheat, microwave them for a few seconds or warm them in an oven to restore some crispiness.
Common Questions
What is Puff Puff called in English? The English word for Puff Puff is Puff Puff. There is no other word in English for the snack.
How do you make Puff Puff mix? You make Puff Puff mix by combining flour, salt, sugar, and yeast and storing it in an airtight container.
Read also: How to Make Fried Rice
How do you get Puff Puff to be round? To get round Puff Puff, scoop the batter into the oil using your hands and shaping the batter as it drops into the oil. This technique requires practice. Watch the video to see how to do it.
Can I bake it? No, you will make something entirely different if you try baking it. Authentic puff puff must be fried.
Can I make puff puffs ahead of time? Yes. You can refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours before frying, or freeze the fried puff puff and reheat it in the oven.
Can I use self-raising flour instead of all-purpose flour? While self-raising flour can be used, it's best to stick with all-purpose flour and add your yeast to control the dough's rise and texture more precisely.
Why are my puff puffs greasy? Puff puff may turn out greasy if the oil is too cold or if the dough is fried in too many pieces at once. Make sure to fry in small batches and maintain the oil temperature.
Can I make puff puff gluten-free? Yes. Use 1:1 gluten-free flour, note texture changes
Why is my puff puff dense? Overproofing, dense dough, and low oil temperature can cause dense puffs.
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tags: #Cameroon
