Traditional Luxembourgish doughnut knots, these verwuerelter are soft fried doughnuts which are covered in icing sugar. These knots are found all over Luxembourg during the carnival season.
As in most countries, carnival is also celebrated here in Luxembourg. During fuesent, carnival season, apart from people celebrating by attending festivities in costumes, the bakeries are all stocked up with verwuerelter!
What are verwuerelter?
Verwuerelter are deep fried doughnuts shaped as knots and dusted with plenty of icing sugar on top. Here in Luxembourg you can find them easily in every bakery and supermarket during this time of the year. Although I like to get some when I see them, for me nothing beats making them fresh yourself! The recipe for these doughnut knots is relatively easy, however, you will need some patience as you need to let these doughnuts rest twice.
Making these Luxembourgish doughnut knots
The first step in preparing these doughnuts is to activate the yeast. This is a crucial step for me, so that I’m sure that the yeast I’m using is alive. After preparing the yeast, knead all the ingredients together except for the butter. Once you have a dough formed, gently incorporate the butter piece by piece, until all the butter is used. Knead by hand or in a mixer, until you achieve a smooth dough. Let the dough rest in a warm place for about one hour until it doubles in size.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll the dough to about 1 cm thickness. Cut strips of about 8 x 2cm in length, twist and form a knot with each piece. Transfer the knots to a prepared tray, cover and let rest for at least 30 minutes, until they double in size. Fry these doughnuts in a sauce pan filled with oil that is heated to 170°C. Cook on each side for about 1 minute each, transfer to a plate with paper towels to drain any excess oil. Dust the verwuerelter generously with plenty of icing sugar!
FAQs
How to store the doughnut knots?
Ideally these verwuerelter are eaten the same day that they are made. They are quite delicate so to fully enjoy their deliciousness it’s best to not leave them hanging around. If you have leftovers, I recommend to heat them up slightly so that they gain back some of their moisture. However, I don’t recommend that you leave these doughnuts stored for more than a day as this will alter significantly their taste and texture. Additionally, the best way to store these doughnuts, if you are making more than you need, is to freeze them prior to dusting them with icing sugar. Once ready to, eat warm the doughnuts in a microwave and enjoy!
Other carnival treats?
Carnival brings with it several delicious treats to enjoy before lent is here! Check out these other traditional European Carnival recipes, directly from Malta:
Prinjolata – Maltese Carnival Dessert
Xkumvat tal-Karnival (Carnival Fritters)
Verwuerelter – Fried Luxembourgish Doughnut Knots
Ingredients
- 250 g plain flour
- 6 g active dry yeast
- 50 g sugar
- 65 ml milk lukewarm
- 20 ml rum
- 1 egg
- 40 g butter room temperature
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
- In a mixer bowl activate the yeast by adding the yeast, milk and sugar. Let the mixture foam for about 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, and salt. Set aside.
- Once the yeast is activated add the dry ingredients together with the egg and rum to the mixer bowl. With a hook attachment knead the dough for about 3 minutes, until a soft dough starts to take shape.
- Then gently add the diced butter one piece at a time until all the butter is incorporated. Let the dough knead for about 10 minutes.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for an hour in the warmest place in your kitchen until it doubles in size.
- Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and dust with flour. Set aside.
- Once the dough is doubled in size, transfer it to a well floured surface. Make sure that you flour also your rolling pin and the top of your dough.
- Roll the dough in a large rectangle of about 1cm thickness. Cut the dough in half and make vertical strips of about 8 x 2cm. Wrap each strip into a knot and place on the prepared baking tray.
- Once ready, cover the baking tray and let them rest for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, fill a large pot with vegetable oil. Pour enough oil so that the knots have enough space to cook in. Heat the oil to about 170°C/340°F.
- Gently add the doughnuts to the hot oil and let them cook for about 1 minute on each side. Transfer the cooked doughnuts to a plate lined with paper towels so that it will dry out any excess oil.
- While still warm dust the doughnut knots with plenty of icing sugar.
- Serve and enjoy! *
Notes
If you have any questions, feedback or comments on this recipe, please leave a comment below. Please also rate this recipe by double clicking on the stars below. If you did make this recipe, tag @apronandwhisk and hashtag #apronandwhisk, as I’m curious to see what you create!
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