Drop donuts are popularly known as Puff puff in Nigeria or Bofrot in Ghana, depending on where in West Africa you hear about them. Puff puff or bofrot are an easy to make, versatile street snack that are quite popular in many West African homes, as small chops (Nigerian slang for appetizers) at parties or weddings, as breakfast or as a quick snack. It is not uncommon to see a plate of puff puff or bofrot laid beside a sumptuous Nigerian meal as a side or as a dessert. These African deep fried donuts are simplicity personified as they traditionally require only a few ingredients and can be put together in 15 minutes or less! You will however, see many variations of puff puff like this recipe that spice up their recipes with extra ingredients to add some more flavor and heat. This delicious treat is extra adaptable so enjoy the recipe and feel free to experiment!
Once upon a time, it was a cloudy day. I was home alone, and feeling kinda gloomy. I had run out of my emergency chocolate mood stabilizer, and I didn’t feel like stepping out into the bitter cold to pick up some chocolate refills. That day I thought of the next best thing, donuts! So I got up from bed and went into the kitchen…Alas, I could not find my donut cutter. Before I burst into tears for fear of not having my mood booster, I stared at my pantry for about 30 seconds… you know, contemplating life and such. Then Eureka!! The idea of making some puff puff came to mind. So I threw together this puff puff/bofrot recipe I had written in my heart, and out came these beautiful morsels of bliss. My mood stabilizer was amazingly tasty!
Like my dramatic story? Well these puff puff (bofrot) are definitely worth that level of drama, considering, just like any good soap opera, how hard they are to quit once you get started. Traditionally, puff puff is deep fried with only flour, yeast and sugar as its main ingredients but far be it from me to make a recipe without giving it my own extra touch! I tend to add nutmeg with cayenne pepper to my puff puff for some extra heat just to add a little bit of zing! I won’t say how many of these delicious puff puff I ate, but let’s just say when I was done, my mood improved significantly! Bofrot can be served and are normally eaten plain, but they go perfectly well with strawberry jam and even nutella.
How To Make Puff Puff (Bofrot)
Ingredients
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- Three-quarter to 1 cup of lukewarm water
- A quarter cup of sugar
- One and a half teaspoons of active dry yeast
- A quarter teaspoon of nutmeg
- A quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- A pinch of salt
- Oil for deep frying
Puff Puff Preparation
- In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients including the flour, sugar, yeast, nutmeg, cayenne pepper and salt. Most versions of this recipe are not spicy but I like mine with a bit of heat so I add the cayenne pepper just to give it that extra kick! Feel free to leave it off if you’re not into spicy.
- Pour in the lukewarm water about a quarter cup at a time until the consistency of the batter is like really thick cake batter. The dough should be fairly elastic. Depending on your flour, you might use a whole cup of water, but add the water little by little so you don’t end up adding too much.
- Set the mixture aside allowing it to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Once the donut mixture is almost double in size, heat up oil for deep frying up to about 350-355F.
- Using an ice cream scoop, or your hands if you are so skilled, drop the batter into the hot oil without overcrowding the pan.
- Once one side of the donuts are lightly browned, turn and continue to fry until the donuts are done. The whole frying process for each batch should take about 5 minutes.
- Drain the puff puff (bofrot) and serve warm with strawberry jam, or just on their own! You’ll find them to be quite addictive!
As you can see, these are quite simple to make and much easier to demolish! I usually prepare a dish of puff puff for breakfast especially on my way to work. They’re very portable and make for an easy snack.
How to Make Puff Puff without Yeast
Bofrot or puff puff without yeast are technically buns and are also quite the staple in West African countries. Since there is no yeast, there is no need for the dough mix to rise which reduces the prep time considerably so they’re much quicker to fix up. If you’re interested in a nice fluffy no-egg version without compromises, check out my Nigerian Buns Recipe (without Eggs or Dairy).
Bofrot Nutrition Info
The nutritional information for a serving of puff puff/bofrot (meaning one ball) is shown below with the assumption of 10% oil retention on deep fried foods.
If you’re looking for a place to try this out for free, get yourself a Nigerian or Ghanaian friend and find your way to any Nigerian or Ghanaian wedding! You’ll be sure to see some puff puff or bofrot represented on the menu especially during cocktail hour or sometimes just arranged on the reception table. Aside from the funfare and music (which is sure to be louder and more fun than you’ve ever had in a wedding), you’ll be sure to fall in love with this tasty snack! You can thank me for the hook up in the comments below!
Puff-Puff (Bofrot): African Drop Donuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 - 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1.5 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- pinch of salt
- oil for deep frying
Instructions
- in a bowl combine all the dry ingredients including the flour, sugar, yeast, nutmeg, cayenne pepper and salt.
- Pour in the lukewarm water about 1/4th cup at a time until the consistency of the batter is like really thick cake batter. The dough should be fairly elastic. Depending on your flour, you might use a whole cup of water, but add the water little by little so you don't end up adding too much.
- Set the mixture aside allowing it to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Once the donut mixture is almost double in size, heat up oil for deep frying up to about 350-355F.
- Using an ice cream scoop, or your hands of you are so skilled, drop the batter into the hot oil without overcrowding the pan.
- Once one side of the donuts are lightly browned, turn and continue to fry until the donuts are done. The whole frying process for each batch took about 5 minutes.
- Drain donuts and serve warm with strawberry jam.
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4 Comments
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer
January 29, 2020 at 12:40 pmOh these sounds positively scrumptious! I am loving the addition of cayenne to something normally sweet! Pinning to make later!
Lois
January 29, 2020 at 12:52 pmOh you’ll definitely love these! Let me know once you try them out!
Denisse Salinas
January 29, 2020 at 1:56 pmLoving the sound of that cayenne pepper combined with the nutmeg in this doughnuts recipe! Will defs try!
Lois
January 29, 2020 at 1:59 pmIt definitely adds something special! Let me know once you try it!