Ingredients
Beaver Tails
1/2 cup warm water
5 teaspoons dry yeast
1 pinch sugar
1 cup warm milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
5 cups self raising flour
Vegetable oil (for frying)
Cinnamon Sugar
Caramel
6 Tbl of butter
1/2 cup of cream
1 cup of brown sugar
Method
-In a large mixing bowl, stir together the yeast, warm water and pinch of sugar.
-Allow to stand a couple of minutes to allow yeast to swell or dissolve.
-Stir in remaining sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs, oil, salt, and most of flour to make soft dough.
-Knead 5-8 minutes (by hand or with a dough hook), adding flour as needed to form a firm, smooth, elastic dough.
-Place in a greased bowl. Place bowl in a plastic bag and seal. (If not using right away, you can refrigerate the dough at this point).
-Let rise in a covered, lightly greased bowl; about 30-40 minutes.
-Gently deflate dough. (If dough is coming out of the fridge, allow to warm up for about 40 minutes before proceeding).
-Pinch off a goofball-sized piece of dough. Roll out into an oval and let rest, covered with a tea towel, while you are preparing the remaining dough.
-Heat about 5cm of oil in fryer in a wok. After a few minutes, drop a little dough in the oil. If it sizzles and browns up, then the oil is ready.
-Add the dough pieces to the hot oil, about 1-2 at a time.
-BUT — before you do, stretch the ovals into a tail shape, like a beaver’s tail – thinning them out and enlarging them as you do.
-Turn once to fry until the undersides are deep brown. Do not walk away from the stove as the tails will quickly burn
-Lift the tails out with tongs and drain on paper towels.
-Immediately toss the tails in cinnamon sugar and shake off excess
-To make caramel, add butter and brown sugar to cream in a saucepan and stir continuously over a low heat until thick and all ingredients have dissolved into each other.
-SMOTHER your beaver tail with your favorite topping such as jam and cream, salted caramel, stewed apples and icecream, nutella or maple syrup.