Lángos

Lángos (Hungarian Fried Bread with Garlic, Sour Cream and Cheese)

A classic Hungarian street food: a yeasted dough disc, deep-fried until puffed and golden, rubbed with raw garlic, then topped with sour cream and grated cheese. Best eaten hot, standing up.

Prep

20 min

Cook

20 min

Total

40 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) plain flour, all-purpose, plus extra for dusting
• •7 g (2¼ tsp) instant dried yeast, or 20 g fresh yeast
• •10 g (2 tsp) sugar
• •10 g (2 tsp) salt
• •300 ml (1¼ cups) lukewarm milk, or half milk, half water
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) neutral oil, for the dough
• •1 l (4 cups) neutral oil, for deep-frying, e.g. sunflower or rapeseed
• •3 cloves garlic, halved, for rubbing
• •200 g (7 oz) sour cream, full-fat, Hungarian tejföl if available
• •150 g (5½ oz) hard cheese, traditionally trappista or eidam, grated

Steps

1. 1 In a large bowl, whisk together flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in the lukewarm milk and the 30 ml of oil. Mix to a soft, slightly sticky dough; it should hold together without being stiff.
2. 2 Knead on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm spot for 45–60 minutes, or until roughly doubled in size.
3. 3 Heat the frying oil in a deep, heavy pan to about 170–175°C / 340–350°F. If you do not have a thermometer, drop in a small cube of bread; it should rise to the surface and turn pale gold in about 60 seconds.
4. 4 Punch down the dough and divide into 6 equal pieces (about 130 g each). On a well-floured surface, flatten each piece with your hands into a round about 15 cm / 6 in across and 5–8 mm thick, with a slightly thicker centre, like a small pizza.
5. 5 Carefully lower one disc into the hot oil. Fry for about 1½–2 minutes per side; press gently with a slotted spoon so the top submerges and puffs up. The lángos is done when both sides are deep golden and the centre is cooked through, not doughy.
6. 6 Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. While still hot, rub the top surface all over with the cut side of a garlic clove so a thin, even layer of garlic juices and pulp covers it.
7. 7 Spread each lángos with a generous spoonful of sour cream and scatter with grated cheese. Serve immediately, while the bread is hot and the topping is just starting to melt. Fry and top remaining dough the same way.