Loukoumades (Donuts grecești cu miere)

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.

Next, add the lukewarm water and lukewarm milk as well as the olive oil.

Mix with a whisk until you get a slightly runny batter. The batter should look similar to a pancake batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in a warm place for about 1 to 2 hours.

While the dough is rising prepare the syrup. In a small saucepan combine honey, orange juice, orange zest, and cinnamon.

Stir and bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes. When the syrup is done, remove the saucepan from the heat and set it aside to cool.

Once the dough is ready (it should have noticeably increased in size), heat enough oil in a medium saucepan so that the balls of dough will not be touching the bottom of the pan while frying. The oil should be at approximately 320 degrees Fahrenheit. You can test it by dipping some of the dough in it. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough.

Dip a tablespoon in some oil in a little bowl or mug. Then dip your non-dominant, clean hand in the dough and grab some dough while making a fist (so the dough is inside your closed fist). Now gently squeeze out a small portion of dough between your thumb and index finger to make a small dough ball. Use the spoon that you dipped in oil earlier to grab the dough ball off your hand and let it drop in the hot oil in the saucepan right away. Repeat until you have enough donuts in the pan but don’t overcrowd the pan – you don’t want the donuts to stick to each other. Dip the spoon in the oil every time so that the batter doesn’t stick to it.

Cook the loukoumades until the bottom is golden brown (roughly 2-3 minutes), then flip them over with a slotted spoon and cook them until they are golden brown and cooked evenly on all sides.

Once the loukoumades are golden brown, transfer them to a paper-towel-lined plate or tray to catch some of the excess oil. Then dunk them in the prepared syrup. Repeat the frying process until you have used up all of the dough. You should end up with around 25 donuts.

Transfer the loukoumades to a serving plate and sprinkle with chopped pistachio and walnuts.