Name: Greek Diples (Greek Christmas Pastry) Recipe
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Yield: 30
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 5 eggs; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1⁄2 lemon; 1.3 oz brandy; 1 tsp sugar; 1⁄3 tsp salt; ¼ tsp baking soda; 2 tbsp olive oil; frying oil; flour; 3 cups sugar; ¾ cup honey; 3⅓ oz fresh orange juice; 1 tsp fresh lemon juice; 5 oz water; 2 cinnamon sticks; 1 cup walnuts; ground cinnamon

How To Make Greek Diples (Greek Christmas Pastry)

Have a blessed celebration with this diples (Greek Christmas pastry) recipe. Crispy fried dough drizzled with sweet syrup and topped with ground walnuts and cinnamon.

Prep: 1 hr 30 mins

Cook: 45 mins

Total: 2 hrs 15 mins

Makes:

Ingredients

5 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1⁄2 lemon, juiced
1.3 oz brandy, or ouzo
1 tsp sugar
1⁄3 tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
2 tbsp olive oil
frying oil, plus ½ cup olive oil
flour, for rolling the dough

For The Syrup:

3 cups sugar
¾ cup honey
3⅓ oz fresh orange juice, from 1 large orange
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
5 oz water
2 cinnamon sticks

Garnish:

1 cup walnuts, finely ground
ground cinnamon

Instructions

To Make The Dough:

In a small bowl, add lemon juice, brandy, sugar, salt, baking soda, and olive oil. Mix until combined.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs lightly for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the baking soda mixture and whisk to combine.
Add flour into the egg mixture 1 cup at a time. After the first two cups are incorporated, start to mix the dough by hand. Until all the flour is mixed into the dough. Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes or until it stops sticking on the hands. If it still sticks add a bit of flour.
Shape the dough into a ball and rub olive oil all over it to prevent air drying. Place dough back in the bowl and cover with a tea towel. Let dough rest at room temperature for about 1½ hours.
Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Take the first piece of dough, and shape it into a disk. Place it on an even, floured working surface. Roll dough to 35x30 inches with a rolling pin. Dusting with flour as needed.
Place rolled dough on a tea towel or any fabric that doesn't leave threads. Cover the top as well with fabric. Rest for 15 to 20 minutes to help it maintain shape. Repeat for the rest of the dough.
Fill a frying pan with frying oil and heat it to 356 degrees F. Cut a piece of dough into 5 rectangles. Or any shape preferred. Take 3 or 4 rectangles and lay it flat into the oil. Fry for 8 seconds and flip. Fry for another 8 seconds.
Roll the dough into spirals in the hot oil using 2 forks. Cook and roll in the oil for 1 minute or until dough get an even, light golden color all over. Repeat for the rest of the dough.
Let the dough stand on the walls of the pan to drain excess oil and transfer them into a pan lined with paper towels.

To Make The Syrup:

In a pot, add sugar, honey, orange juice, lemon juice, water, and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil over medium heat. simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved. Do not stir. Turn the heat off.

To Assemble:

Take the diples one by one and add them to the hot syrup. Give each one a few turns in the syrup for an even coating and transfer them to a serving plate. Sprinkle with plenty of ground walnuts and cinnamon on top.
Another way is to drizzle the syrup over the diples. and sprinkle with walnuts and ground cinnamon on top.

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