Mekitsi
on Mar 28, 2023, Updated Aug 17, 2024
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Mekitsi, or Bulgarian fried dough, is a traditional breakfast found on every corner in my country. These fluffy donuts, called “buhti” in my language. are usually served with powdered sugar or other toppings like 🍓 jam and/or feta. Many countries have their own version of fried dough, so please let me know in the comments what these are called in your language. Our recipe uses yogurt in the batter, which gives these an incredibly fluffy and light texture. These are perfect in the morning with a hot cup of ☕ coffee or as an afternoon treat. I hope you give them a try.
Why You’ll Love Mekitsi
These Mekitsi are synonymous with family-style, home cooking in Bulgaria. They’re a traditional breakfast treat and are also delicious as a dessert. Nothing beats a homemade donut, and these are absolutely out-of-this-world good. They’re so fluffy and soft inside thanks to the addition of yogurt to the batter, and they crisp up to perfection. These are so good fresh, right out of the fryer, you’ll have the family lined up at the counter waiting for a 😋 bite.
How to Prepare
🥚 In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, egg, sugar, and salt and mix with a whisk or a fork.
🥣In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder.
🌀 With an electric mixer running on medium speed, gradually add the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture, adding just a little bit at a time, and allowing the flour to fully incorporate into the batter each time. Finally, mix in the vanilla.
🌡️ Heat the oil in a small pot over medium heat. Please use a kitchen thermometer to ensure the oil reaches 350F (177C), then reduce the heat to medium-low and try to maintain 350F (177C) throughout frying.
🥄 Using a tablespoon measure, scoop the batter, then use a second spoon to help gently release the batter into the hot oil.
⏲️ Fry the Mekitsi for about 30 seconds on each side, or until golden. I like to fry 2 to 3 donuts at a time so as not to overcrowd the pot. Once I see the bottom of the donuts getting golden, I flip them with a fork and fry the other side.
🥄 Once the Mekitsi are golden on both sides, remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
👩🍳 Continue this step until all of the batter has been used and you have about 15 donuts.
😋 Dust the warm Mekitsi with powdered sugar and enjoy! You can also enjoy them with feta, jam, honey, Nutella, or anything you like.
Nonna’s Tip 👩🍳
Make sure that the oil shimmers and is not overly hot. The batter should sizzle once placed into the hot oil.
Variations and Substitutions for Mekitsi
- I like using 🥑 avocado oil but you can use any oil of your choice with a high smoke point, such as canola oil, vegetable oil, or sunflower oil.
- You can use any plain yogurt you like in this Mekitski recipe. If the batter is too thick, add a splash of 🥛 milk to thin it out.
Similar Recipes
Best Served With
- These Mekitsi are sensational with a dusting of powdered sugar over top.
- You could serve these Mekitsi with a drizzle of jam, my homemade Nutella, 🍯 honey, or any topping of your choice.
- The combination of sweet and salty flavors is especially delightful with these Mekisti, so I love the combo of feta cheese and 🍓 jam with these. Nothing better!
Common Questions
When using baking powder, always check the expiration date. Expired baking powder will not help your recipe fluff up, and you’ll have dense dough. You can test if your baking powder has expired by adding ½ teaspoon baking powder to ¼ cup hot water. If the water bubbles up, it’s not expired; if it does not bubble, it’s expired and should be tossed.
The oil should be around 350F (177C), so use a thermometer if you are unsure. The donuts should get golden on each side, and if you see them getting darker really quickly that means the oil is way too hot and you need to reduce the heat.
You can enjoy Mekitsi fresh the same day or let them cool and store them in a container lined with a paper towel and closed tightly with a lid. These are always best fresh the same day.
It’s best to fry the Mekitsi immediately after preparing the batter. The baking powder may lose its effectiveness if the batter sits too long.
Mekitsi
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups avocado oil, or any oil with a high smoke point
- powdered sugar for dusting
- feta, jam, Nutella, or honey for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, egg, sugar, and salt and mix with a whisk or a fork.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder.
- With an electric mixer running on medium speed, gradually add the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture, adding just a little bit at a time, and allowing the flour to fully incorporate into the batter each time. Finally, mix in the vanilla.
- Heat the oil in a small pot over medium heat. Please use a kitchen thermometer to ensure the oil reaches 350F (177C). If the oil gets too hot, the donuts will get really dark way too quickly and fry unevenly.
- Once the oil reaches 350F (177C), reduce the heat to medium-low and try to maintain 350F (177C) throughout frying.
- Using a tablespoon measure, scoop the batter, then use a second spoon to help gently release the batter into the hot oil.
- Fry the donuts for about 30 seconds on each side, or until golden. I like to fry 2 to 3 donuts at a time so as not to overcrowd the pot. Once I see the bottom of the donuts getting golden, I flip them with a fork and fry the other side.
- Once the donuts are golden on both sides, remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. The paper towels will help drain the excess oil.
- Continue this step until all of the batter has been used and you have about 15 donuts.
- Dust the warm donuts with powdered sugar and enjoy! You can also enjoy them with feta, jam, honey, Nutella, or anything you like.
- I love the combination of sweet and salty so I eat these with feta on top and sometimes jam or honey as well (drooling).
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These were delicious !
Thank you for sharing❤️
Thank you, Janice!🫶
Very tasty and easy to make .I ate them all myself as my wife is away visiting her sisters.😄
Love it, William! 😃
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Hi Sneji loved your recipe it was sooo good.
Just a heads up on the grams and ml for 2x and 3 x, I think you forgot to change them.
Hi Rose,
so glad 🙂