Thera's Canadian Fried Dough Recipe - Allrecipes.com
Thera's Canadian Fried Dough Recipe
  • READY IN ABOUT 2¼ hrs

Thera's Canadian Fried Dough

Read Reviews (16)

"If you have ever been in Canada, especially Ottawa, Ontario, we have a pastry called BeaverTails® -- a whole-wheat pastry, fried and covered in an assortment of goodies. The Indians originally made these, but they were called pigs' ears. Over the years I have perfected the recipe to the point where I and my friends no longer go out to get them. I just make 'em at home! Enjoy, EH!" —  

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Original recipe makes 20 pastries Change Servings
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Directions

  1. Mix warm water, yeast, and 1 pinch of sugar in a large bowl, and let stand until the yeast begins to foam and form a creamy layer, about 5 minutes. Stir in milk, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, vanilla extract, eggs, and 1/3 cup vegetable oil until the sugar has dissolved. Mix in about half the whole-wheat flour, and stir until the dough is too stiff to add more flour. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, place into an oiled bowl, and cover. Let rise until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  2. Punch down the dough, knead a few times to reshape it, and pinch off a piece of dough about the size of an egg. Roll the dough ball out into an oval shape about 1/4 inch thick. Place finished fried dough on a cloth and cover while you finish rolling out the pastries.
  3. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large, deep skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Oil should be at least 4 inches deep. Combine 2 cups of sugar with cinnamon to taste in a shallow dish or pie plate, and set aside.
  4. Gently lower the pastries, one at a time, into the hot oil, and fry 1 to 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Blot excess oil from fried pastries with paper towels; gently press each pastry into the cinnamon sugar while still warm. Shake off excess sugar.
Kitchen-Friendly View
  • PREP 30 mins
  • COOK 30 mins
  • READY IN 2 hrs 5 mins

Footnotes

  • Cook's Notes
  • A good trick to help the dough along is to place a hot tea towel on the top of the bowl while rising.
  • Don't forget to try a little lemon, or try spreading some garlic butter and shredded sharp cheese on top -- or if you can find it, get some maple spread and spread it on and then drizzle chocolate over the top!
  • Editor's Note
  • The nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of the sugar topping. The actual amount of the topping consumed will vary.
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Reviews More Reviews

Feb 22, 2010

These were fun to put together. They made a nice Sunday afternoon date for me and the hubster. He wanted donuts, but when we came across this recipe, well the name is kind of catch-ie! The first couple came out looking like mutant eggs! So we kind of rolled them more oval and flattened them a little, since the hubster insisted they should look like beaver tails... We did the sugar and cinnamon, yum! But then we noticed the cook's note on the bottom and went savory and experimented. Also nice for a change in flavor. I'd love to try it with the maple spread, but alas. Hell even maple syrup here in France is pretty pricey and kind of a hunt to find. So we went with homemade jams, like apricot, strawberry and blackberries. The hubster went for the Nutella. We used a blue cheese/creme fraiche dip. That is some mighty fine chomping! Thanks for the recipe share! Tasty and fun.

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Mar 03, 2010

These are delicious, and were enjoyed by everyone. Next time, I would use 2 eggs instead of 3 as I had to add quite a bit more flour. I should note that I used large eggs. I have also made them using 4 cups of white flour and 1 cup of whole wheat. Some family members preferred them that way - just a matter of taste. Thanks for the recipe.

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18 Ratings

Jan 04, 2011

We made these on New Years Day - my girls LOVED them. I was looking for a less 'pizza' dough and this hit the mark! Mmmmmmmm

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Jul 04, 2012

O.M.G. - I am from Albany, NY, and every year we would go to the Capital for the 4th of July e fireworks and would *always* get fried dough. Now that I live in Utah, you absolutely cannot get this *anywhere*. No one has ever heard of it. I found this recipe and tried today (July 4th) for the first time. My husband and kids were AMAZED. We all ate at least 4 pieces, covered in cinnamon and sugar and we all agreed it was BETTER than what you get from the 4th of July vendors. My one change was this: we shaped the dough as the recipe said and found it was too thick to cook properly, so we shaped it into ovals and then smooshed it out with our hands until the pieces looked more like thick tortillas and they cooked up *perfectly*. It has instantly become our new go-to 4th of July tradition.

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Feb 27, 2012

Love these pastries! Haven't made your recipe yet but can hardly wait! I'm a fan of the butter and cinnamon topping. Just a quick question. Have you ever frozen the remaining dough and then defrosted and made the "tail" at a later date? I gave you 5 stars as I know this is going to be awesome!

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Sep 12, 2011

Gosh, I used to drive from Montreal to Ottawa just to have these. Now that I live in New Hampshire - I can make them for myself & all my friends that I have bragged to for years about these tasty treats!!!

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Oct 19, 2011

I was so happy to find a fried dough/donut recipe with something healthier like wheat flour! Right off think I might try stevia instead of white sugar, and grape seed oil (ideal for deep frying-less money than olive oil, got at Costco) instead of vegetable oil. A winning recipe from Canada-thanks!

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May 04, 2011

These are called Beaver Tails! they are fabulous. Try a different topping; jam, caramel, etc.

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Nutrition

  • Calories
  • 284 kcal
  • 14%
  • Carbohydrates
  • 46.2 g
  • 15%
  • Cholesterol
  • 33 mg
  • 11%
  • Fat
  • 9.7 g
  • 15%
  • Fiber
  • 3.9 g
  • 16%
  • Protein
  • 5.8 g
  • 12%
  • Sodium
  • 192 mg
  • 8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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