Sopaipillas
New Mexican Traditional Reservation Recipes
Sopaipillas are an incredibly light, puffy fry bread. To eat, poke or tear them open and spread with honey or honey butter. Though recipes vary, the one thing to keep in mind is that they must be eaten immediately while steaming hot! (One reason why it's rare to find a good sopaipilla in restaurants.)
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
1/2 cup lukewarm water
shortening or oil for frying
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Work the lard and water in to make a soft dough. Cover and leave in refrigerator until chilled. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness on a floured surface, then cut into 3-inch squares or similar-sized triangles (about a 4 1/2-inch square, cut diagonally). Deep fry a few at a time at 400F degrees until light golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels.
Note: Using lard in the recipe, and frying with shortening rather than oil will make the sopaipillas lighter, however, I'm vegetarian and use oil in the recipe and for frying. I also prefer unbleached flour, and use paper bags or whatever other waste paper I have on hand rather than paper towels.