Recipe
Canadian Beaver Tails
Soft, yeasted pastries stretched into thin ovals, deep-fried until golden and finished with cinnamon sugar, lemon or maple syrup.
Ingredients
Dough
For frying
Cinnamon sugar
To serve (optional)
Method
25 mins prep20 mins cook145 mins total
Stir the lukewarm milk and water with the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Leave for 5–10 minutes, until the surface looks lightly foamy.
Whisk in the remaining sugar, egg, melted butter and vanilla. Add both flours and the salt, then mix to a soft dough.
Knead for 8–10 minutes by hand, or 6–7 minutes in a mixer, until smooth and elastic. Cover in a lightly oiled bowl and leave somewhere warm for 1–1½ hours, until doubled.
Mix the cinnamon sugar in a shallow dish. Knock back the dough, divide it into 8 pieces, shape each into a ball and rest for 10 minutes.
Roll and stretch each ball into a thin oval, about 20cm by 10cm. Narrow one end slightly and score a shallow criss-cross pattern across the top.
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-based saucepan to 180°C, keeping the oil below halfway up the pan. Fry one pastry at a time for 45–60 seconds per side, until puffed and deep golden.
Drain briefly on kitchen paper, then coat both sides in cinnamon sugar while warm. Serve with lemon or any chosen toppings.
Notes
Keep the oil no more than halfway up the pan and never leave it unattended. If it begins to smoke, remove the pan from the heat.
These are best freshly fried. If needed, rewarm leftovers briefly in a hot oven or air fryer.
About this recipe
These Canadian-style fried dough pastries are crisp at the edges, light in the middle and made for eating while they are still warm. A slow rise gives the dough its soft, chewy texture, while the thin oval shape puffs dramatically in the oil.
Keep the finish simple with cinnamon sugar and lemon, or add maple syrup, chocolate-hazelnut spread or sliced banana. Fry in small batches so the oil stays steady and the pastries cook evenly.
