Malasadas

Once on a long-ago trip to Honolulu, I made an excursion to Leonard’s Bakery to try their famous malasadas—a type of doughnut that originated in Portugal and later became popular in Hawaii. These treats are eaten all year round, but they’re especially associated with Mardi Gras, which some Portuguese and Hawaii residents call “Malasada Day.”

Malasada’s rich dough is made with milk, butter and eggs. The doughnuts have no holes, and in Portugal are traditionally served unfilled and rolled in granulated sugar. In Hawaii, however, malasadas are often filled with tropical treats such as coconut pudding, guava cream or passion fruit curd.

What are malasadas?

Although malasadas sound similar to New Orleans-style beignets, and both are served on Mardi Gras, the dough differs. Beignets are commonly made with choux pastry (the type of dough used to make eclairs) that’s cut into squares and fried. Malasadas, with their eggy, yeasted dough, are more similar to the German jelly-filled doughnuts known as Berliners. Who knew there were so many different kinds of doughnuts from around the world?

Ingredients for Malasadas

• Half-and-half: Part of the beauty of any malasada recipe is that the dough is enriched with dairy. Using half-and-half makes the texture lush without all of the fat you’d get from heavy cream.
• Butter: There’s already salt in this recipe, so reach for your unsalted butter. But in a pinch, go ahead and use whatever you’ve got!
• Instant yeast: Be warned, active dry yeast may be the most common type of yeast you’ll find at the store, but this recipe calls for instant yeast. What’s the difference? When you use the instant version, you can skip proofing the yeast and mix it right into the dry ingredients. Getting to skip a step saves you time!
• Sugar: Just the usual granulated sugar is required to make malasadas. You’ll be using some in the dough, and you’ll also roll the finished doughnuts in the rest.
• Flour: All-purpose flour is perfect for making malasadas. Here’s more about the different types of flour and when to use them.
• Salt: Salt helps round out the flavors of dessert recipes and prevents them from tasting too sweet, so don’t skip it.
• Eggs: Use your finest large, Grade A eggs. If you have farm eggs or organic eggs, the yolks will give your dough a deeper color.
• Oil for frying: The best oils for frying are neutral-tasting with a high smoke point, like canola oil or sunflower oil. After you’re done, strain the oil through a coffee filter and keep it in a cool, dark place. Provided you don’t keep it too long, it will be safe to reuse.

Directions

Step 1: Heat the dairy

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Heat the half-and-half cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the butter has melted and the mixture reaches 115°F.

Step 2: Make the dough

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast, 1/3 cup sugar, the flour and salt. Add the warm butter and cream, and continue mixing on medium speed until the wet ingredients are incorporated (about one to two minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each until the dough is smooth and elastic, two to three additional minutes.

Editor’s Tip: When cooking, it’s always a good practice to crack eggs one-by-one into a dish before combining them with other ingredients. This allows you to weed out the very rare “bad egg,” and lets you remove any stray pieces of eggshell.

Step 3: Let it rise

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball, then place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, 40 to 45 minutes.

Step 4: Cut out the doughnuts

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured surface and dust the top with flour. Roll the dough out until it’s 1/2-inch thick, then cut it into circles with a 2-1/2-inch cookie cutter. Cover and let them rise until they’repuffed, 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 5: Fry the malasadas

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven or deep skillet, heat one inch of oil to 350°F. Fry the malasadas until they’re golden brown, one to two minutes per side. Let them drain on wire racks. While still warm, toss the malasadas in the remaining cup of sugar. Serve them warm.

Editor’s Tip: When frying, it’s important to work in batches so that the oil temperature doesn’t drop too much at any one time. Frying six doughnuts at a time is probably ideal. Also, let the doughnuts slip gently into the hot oil so you don’t create dangerous splashes.

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Malasadas Variations

• Pipe in a filling: Malasadas are frequently served as-is, but they’re lovely with a filling. Some great options include your favorite jelly or jam, Nutella, a fruit curd or pastry cream. In Hawaii, coconut custard is the most popular filling.
• Change the coating: The easiest way to augment a malasada is to glam up the sugar in which you roll it. You could add cocoa powder, edible luster dust, cinnamon, nutmeg or another favorite spice. You could also dip malasadas in melted chocolate.
• Use up leftovers: If you have extra malasadas, you could turn them into a doughnut bread pudding. Chop up the pastries, pop them into a greased casserole dish, and pour a coconut custard over the top. Bake the pudding at 325° until the custard is set. Or, find inspiration in other bread pudding recipes.

How to Store Malasadas

Malasadas are meant to be eaten warm. If you need to save unfilled malasadas, you can store them in an airtight container on the counter. Reheat them briefly before eating them. Filled malasadas should be stored in the fridge and should not be reheated before eating.

How long do malasadas last?

Fresh is the name of the game here. Try to eat up your malasadas within a day or two, although they’ll be safe for up to four.

Can you freeze malasadas?

You can freeze them, but again, they won’t be as good as they were when they were fresh from the oil. Use frozen malasadas within two months.

Malasadas Tips

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Can you fill malasadas?

You can definitely fill malasadas. Spoon your filling into a pastry piping bag, and poke a hole in each malasada using a chopstick or similarly shaped object. Cut the end off of the pastry bag, insert it into the first doughnut, and squeeze slowly and gently until the malasada is filled. Repeat until all of the malasadas are filled.

What can you serve with malasadas?

Because malasadas have a shared Portuguese and Hawaii heritage, I like to serve them when I’m celebrating one of those cultures. Serve them after a meal of easy Portuguese-style bean soup with a side of kale, or after eating huli huli chicken and poi. If you want to make a whole spread of Hawaii desserts to accompany your malasadas, check out our recipes for pineapple pie with coconut cream and frozen fruit “shave ice”.