Sopapillas

Sopapillas are the puffy, golden fried pastries that end every Tex-Mex meal — squares of dough that balloon up like pillows in hot oil, served warm with honey drizzled over. They are light, airy, and faintly sweet, the perfect finish to a big plate of enchiladas, and a staple of New Mexico and Texas kitchens where they are sometimes stuffed with beans or meat as a meal in themselves.

Why this recipe works: Sopapillas are simply a soft flour dough — flour, baking powder, a little fat, and water — rolled thin, cut into squares, and fried in hot oil. The magic is the oil temperature: at 375°F, the dough puffs instantly into hollow pillows that are crisp outside and feathery inside. No yeast, no long rise, just 20 minutes from bowl to plate.

Key ingredients

• All-purpose flour and baking powder: the structure and the puff.
• Shortening, lard, or butter: a little fat for tenderness.
• Salt and warm water: the simple dough.
• Honey: the essential finish.

Tips for puffy sopapillas

Knead the dough briefly — just until smooth — then let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes so the gluten relaxes and the dough rolls out easily. Roll it to about 1/8-inch thick and cut into 3-inch squares. Fry a few at a time in oil at 375°F, flipping once, until golden and puffed, about 2 minutes total. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with honey — they deflate as they cool.

Variations and serving

Serve them plain with honey, dust with cinnamon sugar, or fill them with refried beans, beef, or chicken for savory sopapillas. In New Mexico, the classic order is ‘sopapillas and honey’ at the end of a chile-smothered meal. They are best eaten hot, straight from the oil, so fry them in batches as you go.

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