Moroccan · Breakfast
Sfenj (Moroccan Doughnuts)
Sfenj are Morocco's craggy, chewy ring doughnuts — a wet, unsweetened yeast dough shaped by hand and fried until deeply golden and glossy. Sold by the ring on a loop of palm cord at street stalls each morning, they are torn hot and dunked in sugar or drizzled with honey, alongside mint tea.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Medium
Ingredients
- 500 g bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp instant yeast
- About 350–380 ml warm water (the dough should be very wet and sticky)
- Neutral oil, for the hands and deep-frying
- Granulated sugar or honey, to serve
Method
- 1
Make a wet dough
Dissolve the yeast in some of the warm water. Mix the flour and salt, then work in enough water to make a very sticky, slack dough — much wetter than bread dough. Beat and slap it in the bowl for a few minutes to develop stretch.
- 2
Rise
Cover and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled and bubbly, about 1–1.5 hours.
- 3
Shape rings
With well-oiled hands, pinch off a ball of the wet dough, poke a hole through the centre with your thumbs and stretch it into a ring. Wet, oiled hands are the whole trick.
- 4
Fry
Slip the rings into hot oil (about 180°C) and fry, flipping once, until deep golden and puffed, 2–3 minutes total. They will be craggy and irregular — that is correct.
- 5
Serve
Drain briefly, then toss in sugar or drizzle with honey and eat immediately with mint tea.
Chef's tips
- Do not add flour to firm up the dough — the wetness is what makes sfenj chewy and open inside. Manage it with oiled hands instead.
- Keep the oil hot enough that the rings puff quickly; cool oil makes them greasy.
- Sfenj are best eaten within the hour — they don't keep like enriched doughnuts.
Frequently asked questions
Why is sfenj dough so sticky?
The high hydration is deliberate. That wet dough fries up with the signature chewy, holey, elastic crumb. You shape it with oiled hands rather than flour so you keep the moisture in.
Are sfenj sweet?
The dough itself is unsweetened. The sweetness comes from the sugar you toss them in or the honey you drizzle over after frying.