The dough preparation for these sonhos is reminiscent of making choux pastry, which is something I stayed away from in the past because I was under the impression it’s difficult. And while this recipe is a little more involved than a basic dough, it’s definitely still possible for a beginner.
The dough began sticky but as I stirred but it tightened up until it became a fairly firm ball. There was a good deal of residual dough left on the sides and bottom of the pan and, after about a minute, this turned white as the dough continued to cook.
I actually made this recipe 3 times and believe that the difficulties I ran into were all because I didn’t cook the initial dough mixture long enough. Undercooking at this point virtually ensures that the dough isn’t smooth because the eggs won’t combine into the flour mixture, no matter how long or hard you beat it. By the third test, my timing was still a little short but I found that the eggs and dough mostly combined.
I found the deep frying to be the easiest part of the recipe and the timing was accurate. They fried quickly and easily, and I much preferred the “free form” shape of these doughnuts because of all the extra crunchy bits. They weren’t gooey on the inside and were still a nice golden brown on the outside.
I added Saigon cinnamon to my sugar in nearly a 1:1 ration but this is because we are big fans of cinnamon. I made one rolled in just sugar and it was alright but we all definitely preferred the cinnamon version. The final sonhos were fluffier and lighter and quickly devoured.
Overall, it’s a simple enough recipe with a lovely result. I mean, they are really delicious when they are warm and still a little crisp, but the whole thing depends on the integration of the fully cooked flour and butter mixture. I can’t emphasize enough the beating as the one thing that will make or break these lovely little cinnamon dreams.
These absolutely didn’t even last long enough to be eaten cold.