P
Hawaiian
Malasadas: Portuguese Doughnuts
Malasadas — the Portuguese deep-fried doughnuts brought to Hawaii by workers from the Azores and Madeira in the 19th century — are the definitive Hawaiian sweet. At Leonard's Bakery in Honolulu (established 1952), the queue for fresh malasadas at 7am is a daily ritual. The technique: an enriched, yeast-leavened dough without a central hole, deep-fried and rolled immediately in sugar. The interior should be eggy, slightly custardy, and tender — the exterior should be thin, golden, and crispy.
‹Swipe for the next dish›
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
500 g
plain flour
plus extra for dusting
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
7 g
instant dried yeast
one standard sachet
Your own market
75 g
caster sugar
Your own market
1 tsp
fine salt
Your own market
3
eggs
beaten
Your own market
170 ml
evaporated milk
one standard tin, undiluted
Your own market
60 ml
warm water
Your own market
60 g
unsalted butter
softened, cut into pieces
Your own market
For frying and finishing
2 litres
neutral oil
such as vegetable or canola
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
200 g
caster sugar
spread on a tray for coating
Your own market
II
The Method
1
Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the beaten eggs, evaporated milk, and warm water. Mix to a shaggy dough, then incorporate the softened butter piece by piece, working the dough until it is smooth and elastic. The dough will be soft and slightly tacky — it should clear the sides of the bowl but remain supple to the touch.
2
Cover the bowl and leave the dough at room temperature until it has doubled in volume. Because the dough is heavily enriched with eggs and butter, this first proof will take longer than a lean dough; do not rush it. The surface should dome and the dough should hold the impression of a finger pressed lightly into it.
3
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into approximately 12 equal portions of roughly 80 g each. Roll each portion into a smooth ball. Set the shaped malasadas on lined trays, spaced generously apart. This second proof — until the balls are visibly puffed and the dough springs back slowly when pressed — is where the interior lightness that frying alone cannot produce is established. Do not advance to the oil until this proof is complete.
4
Heat the neutral oil in a deep, heavy pan to 175°C, confirmed with a thermometer. The oil is ready when a small piece of dough dropped in floats immediately to the surface and begins to colour within seconds. Fry the malasadas in uncrowded batches, 2–3 minutes per side, until deep golden on both faces. An internal temperature of 88–90°C confirms the dough is cooked through.
5
Lift the malasadas from the oil and transfer immediately — while still hot and slightly sticky with surface fat — directly into the tray of caster sugar. Roll to coat on all sides without delay. The sugar adheres to the hot fat and produces the characteristic slightly caramelised, slightly gritty exterior. Serve at once.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Eaten within two minutes of leaving the oil at Leonard's Bakery on Kapahulu Avenue, Honolulu — the standard against which all malasadas are measured.
02
Estate — Home-fried from Kysar's Aloha Kitchen recipe, using full-fat evaporated milk and good-quality butter, served immediately to guests standing at the kitchen counter.
03
Market — Correctly proofed and fried but allowed to cool before sugaring; the crust softens and the characteristic gritty caramel exterior is lost.
04
House — Made with fresh milk in place of evaporated milk; the crumb is lighter in colour and less custardy, and the dough lacks the richness the recipe is built upon.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. The dough has doubled in volume and its surface domes; a finger pressed in leaves a slow-filling impression.
◇Touch. Shaped balls spring back slowly but not entirely when lightly pressed — fully proofed and ready for the oil.
◇Sight. A piece of dough dropped into the oil floats immediately; the malasadas turn deep golden on both sides after 2–3 minutes per side.
◇Touch. The surface of the fried malasada feels slightly tacky while hot — the condition required for the sugar to adhere and caramelise.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies at the second proof: malasadas transferred to the oil before the shaped balls are fully puffed will fry to a dense, bread-like interior that no degree of heat or sugar can correct.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Buffalo Trace Distillery · Kentucky Bourbon Country
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
From British Columbia
Nothing from British Columbia holds against this yet.
Without alcohol
No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.
Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year