ROSQUILLAS DE L'EMPORDÀ (doughnuts of L'Empordà, Catalonia, Spain)

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 pounds of all purpose wheat flour
3.5 ounces grams of sugar
1.8 ounces grams of fresh yeast
5 eggs
1 / 4 cup milk

1 / 4 cup warm water
Lemon
Sweet liquor like anise (french pastis, greek ouzo, lebanese arak, spanish anis or similar). This is optional.
Salt
Virgin olive oil

METHOD:
Pour 7 ounces of flour through a sieve in a bowl with the yeast and the quarter-cup of warm water. Kneaded until it is flexible. If you need more water simply wet your fingertips cause the dough must be a bit 'dry'. Let it stand in one place at room temperature, covered by a cloth until the dough rises twice its original volume.
When that happens - with two hours should be more than enough - add the egg, the milk, grated skin of a lemon – whithout the white part cause it is bitter - and if you want a small shot of liquor. In addition add a pinch of salt. Knead the dough again. You will realize dough is quite sticky. While kneading we have to incorporate through the sieve the remaining 1.1 pounds of flour. Indeed you have to stop to ad flour when the dough is not sticking anymore in your fingers. Sometimes you should need a bit more than 1.1 pounds, be aware. What is more important is to stop adding flour exactly at the time that the dough does not adhere. After this we have to knead more – work hard the dough – and then leave to rest for two hours.
Now we're going to fry the donuts.
We get the dough and do some rounded strips of about 4 inches long. Press to close well the ends or the donut will open when frying. Meanwhile we will have to heat oil in a large pan. Oil must have enough depth to let donut float freely while frying without touch the pan. This is important because whe have to fry the maximun number of donuts as possible at the same time cause this dessert is taken always hot or warm. If we use small pan when finishing to fry the last donuts we would have cold the first ones.
As I said before we close the strip to shape the bagel and immediately put them to fry with a good bubbling oil. When they are golden we turn to fry the other side. We remove and leave on a kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil. Sprinkle sugar over – do not use caster sugar, simply the normal one - and they're ready to eat before they get cold.