Skip to content
Premium waitlist
Free recipe

Puff Puff

One proof, wet dough, and oil at exactly 170°C

Total time
35 min
Serves
8
Level
Beginner
Per serving
186 kcal

Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min

Save recipe
Puff Puff — One proof, wet dough, and oil at exactly 170°C

Puff puff dough should be too wet to handle — closer to a thick batter than a bread dough. If you can roll it into a ball with your hands, you have added too much flour and they will come out dense.

Method

  1. Mix to a thick batter

    Dry ingredients together, then beat in the warm water. It should ribbon off the spoon and fall back slowly. Beat it hard for 2 minutes.

    Why this matters

    Beating develops just enough gluten to trap the gas. Under-beaten batter collapses in the oil.

  2. One proof, in a warm place

    Cover and leave 60–90 minutes until doubled and visibly bubbling on the surface.

    ⏱ 75 minutes
    Why this matters

    A second proof does nothing here and starts to sour the dough.

  3. Oil at 170°C, and check it

    Use a thermometer. Too cool and they drink oil; too hot and the outside colours before the middle sets.

    ⏱ 5 minutes
    Why this matters

    This is the only number in the recipe that matters. 170°C, held.

  4. Squeeze, do not scoop

    Grab a handful, squeeze the dough up between thumb and forefinger, and flick the ball off into the oil with a spoon.

  5. Fry until deep gold, turning once

    4–5 minutes. They should turn themselves; if they do not, they are too heavy — the dough was too dry.

    ⏱ 5 minutes

Ingredients

Serves
8
Dough
To fry

Equipment

  • Deep pot or fryer
  • Thermometer
  • Slotted spoon

Mistakes to avoid

  1. Too much flour. Wet dough is correct dough. If it holds its shape in your hand, add water.
  2. Frying by eye without a thermometer. Every batch after the first runs hotter than you think.
  3. Crowding the pot. The oil temperature drops and they go greasy.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Sugar-dust while hot if you want them sweet; a pinch of cayenne in the dust is the version sold outside Lagos clubs.
  • The batter holds in the fridge overnight — bring it back to room temperature before frying.

Storage & reheating

Storage. Best within two hours. They do not keep well and they do not freeze.

Reheating. Oven at 160°C for 5 minutes. Never the microwave — they go leathery.

Nutrition · per serving

Energy186 kcal
Protein4 g
Carbohydrate31 g
Fat6 g

Estimated, and dependent on your exact ingredients.

Serve it with

Chin Chin — Cut small, fried low, and stirred constantlyChin ChinCut small, fried low, and stirred constantly55 minBeginner