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Sopapilla Recipe

Fluffy and sweet, this incredibly easy Sopapilla Recipe is one you're bound to love. With only 6 pantry staple ingredients and minutes to fry up, this is one recipe you'll be wanting over and over again.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time6 minutes
Rest Time30 minutes
Total Time51 minutes
Course: Bread, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 75kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon canola oil
  • ¾ cup warm milk
  • Oil for frying
  • Powdered sugar optional
  • Honey optional

Instructions

  • In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
  • In another container, combine the oil and the warm milk.  Now, make a well in the center of the flour and pour the milk mixture in.
  • Stir everything until combined.
  • Use your hands to form a ball of dough.
  • Knead the dough gently for a few seconds into a smooth ball then cut the dough into 4 pieces.  Place the dough pieces back in the bowl and cover it with a towel. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
  • In a heavy pan, pour 2 inches of oil and use a candy thermometer clipped to the side of the pan to heat the oil to 350°F.
  • On a floured surface, roll out the dough until it's about 1/4 inch thick.
  • Cut the dough into 2-3 inch squares depending on how large you want the pastries and how many you would like.
  • When the oil reaches 350°F carefully lower 5-6 pieces of dough into the pan. Do not overcrowd them in the pan. Spoon some hot oil over the top of the dough to help it puff up. When the dough has puffed up and the bottom side of the pastries are slightly browned, flip them over and cook the other side. Keep in mind the dough cooks quickly.
  • Drain on a paper towel. To keep the cooked sopapillas warm while finishing the rest of the batches, pop them in an oven at 200F to stay warm.
  • Serve these tasty treats with powdered sugar and honey.

Notes

  1. To ensure that your sopapillas get nice and fluffy, make sure to let the dough rest and you can drizzle just a tid bit of oil over the top of them while they cook.
  2. You may need to increase or decrease the oil temperature that you use if the sopapillas aren't puffing up nicely. 
  3. Both the dough and fried pastries can be frozen and reheated, follow the instructions above. 
  4. For best results, the dough will need to rest, do not forget to do this.
  5. Feel free to cut these into different shapes: square, triangle, rectangle, even cut them out with a cookie cutter.
  6. When frying, use a candy thermometer to make sure the oil is at 350°F and doesn’t change and get too hot or cold.  If the oil isn't warm enough, the dough will just soak it up. If it is too hot, the dough will burn quickly and won't cook properly.
  7. When you put the dough into the oil, scoop a bit on top, this will help it bubble in the middle.
  8. If your Sopapillas don’t rise, no worries, they are still good with powdered sugar and honey, or eat them with refried beans and cheese.
  9. When rolling out your sopapillas, you want them to be just a little bit thicker than a flour tortilla about 1/4-inch. If they are too thick, they won’t rise properly when they're resting. 
  10. The number of sopapillas you can make will vary on the size and shape that you cut them. 
  11. Easily double or triple this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 19IU | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg