Lokma

Lokma (Turkish Fried Dough in Syrup)

A classic Turkish street dessert of yeasted dough fried until golden, then briefly soaked in cold lemon-scented sugar syrup so the crust stays crisp and the middle turns pillowy and sweet. Best eaten warm, the same day.

Prep

20 min

Cook

25 min

Total

45 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) plain wheat flour, all-purpose; do not substitute with cake or self-raising flour
• •10 g (1 Tbsp) instant dried yeast, or 25 g fresh yeast
• •10 g (2 tsp) granulated sugar, for the batter
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine salt
• •600 ml (2½ cups) lukewarm water, around 35–40 °C / 95–104 °F
• •1 l (4 cups) neutral vegetable oil, for frying, sunflower or canola; needs to come 4–5 cm / ~2 in up the side of the pot
• •600 g (3 cups) granulated sugar, for the syrup
• •350 ml (1½ cups) water, for the syrup
• •1 whole lemon, juiced, about 2 Tbsp; the acid keeps the syrup from crystallising
• •1 small piece cinnamon stick, optional, removed before soaking
• •1 tsp rosewater, optional; a few drops, added off the heat
• •30 g (¼ cup) icing sugar, optional, for the saray lokması / dusted-style serving

Steps

1. 1 Make the syrup first so it is completely cold by the time the lokma are fried: combine 600 g sugar and 350 ml water in a small saucepan with the lemon juice and cinnamon stick. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring once, and cook 4–5 minutes until the sugar has fully dissolved and the syrup looks clear. Remove the cinnamon, stir in the rosewater if using, then pour into a wide bowl and chill in the refrigerator until cold (about 30 minutes, or speed-chill over an ice bath).
2. 2 Make the batter: whisk the yeast and 10 g sugar into 600 ml lukewarm water and leave 5–10 minutes until foamy. In a large bowl mix the flour and salt, pour in the yeast water and whisk to a smooth, loose, stretchy batter — it should fall in a thick ribbon from the whisk and be slightly softer than pancake batter. Cover and rest in a warm spot 30–45 minutes; the batter will puff slightly and look bubbly on top.
3. 3 Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pot over medium heat to 175 °C / 350 °F (use a thermometer; if you don't have one, a small drop of batter should rise, sizzle steadily and turn golden in about 1 minute — if it browns in under 30 seconds the oil is too hot and the lokma will burn outside and stay raw inside).
4. 4 Working in small batches so the oil temperature holds, scoop the batter with wet hands or two teaspoons and drop walnut-sized rounds (about 30 g / 1 oz each) into the oil. Fry 5–6 pieces at a time, turning them gently with a slotted spoon so they brown evenly, 3–4 minutes total, until deep golden on all sides.
5. 5 Lift each fried lokma out with a slotted spoon, let drain for 5–10 seconds over the pot, then drop it straight into the bowl of cold syrup. Let them soak 30–60 seconds — just long enough for the syrup to reach the centre — then lift out and arrange on a wide plate. Do not pile them up or leave them sitting in the syrup, or the crust will turn soggy.
6. 6 Keep the cooked lokma warm in a low oven (90 °C / 200 °F) on a rack (not a closed container) while you fry the rest, dipping each batch into the cold syrup and bringing them back out within 1 minute.
7. 7 Serve immediately. For the classic syrup-soaked style, eat as they are. For saray lokması (palace lokma), skip the syrup bath and toss the hot fried rounds in a bowl of icing sugar instead. Lokma are best within an hour of frying; they do not keep well once the crust has met the syrup.