Rollkuchen is a Mennonite Prairie fried-dough tradition, often paired with cold watermelon at summer meals. This version makes thin, slit strips from an egg, cream and milk dough. Families vary the dough, thickness and accompaniments, so this is one documented home-style version, not a universal formula.
Rollkuchen is a Mennonite Prairie fried-dough tradition, often paired with cold watermelon at summer meals. This version makes thin, slit strips from an egg, cream and milk dough. Families vary the dough, thickness and accompaniments, so this is one documented home-style version, not a universal formula.
Step 1Scrub the whole watermelon under cool running water with a clean produce brush. Cut it with a clean knife, cover and refrigerate the 600 g serving pieces while you make the dough.
Step 2Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Step 3Beat the eggs, cream and milk together. Stir them into the dry ingredients just until a soft dough forms. Use only enough of the reserved flour to keep it manageable. Cover and refrigerate for 60 minutes. Do not taste raw flour or egg dough.
Step 4On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough thin. Cut strips about 5 × 10 cm and make two lengthwise slits in the centre of each. Keep the pieces covered while you heat the oil.
Step 5For safer control, use a thermostatic fryer. If using a pot, add oil while the element is off, heat it slowly to 175°C and use a thermometer to maintain 170–180°C. Keep children away, lower dry pieces slowly and fry only a few at a time; stay beside the oil.
Step 6Turn the strips once and fry until evenly golden, about 2 minutes per side depending on thickness. Check a thicker sample with a clean thermometer; the centre must reach 74°C and contain no wet dough. Drain on a rack. Serve six with chilled watermelon. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours at 4°C or colder for 2–3 days, or freeze; reheat to 74°C. Never use water on an oil fire.
Raw flour and eggs are not ready to eat; do not taste the dough, and wash hands and tools after handling raw egg. A thermostatic fryer is safer than a pot. If using a pot, add oil with the element off, heat slowly, monitor it continuously with a thermometer and turn off heat before leaving; never leave it unattended. Lower dry pieces gently. For an oil fire, cover with a metal lid or use a suitable kitchen extinguisher, never water. Scrub watermelon rind before cutting; refrigerate cut melon at 4°C or colder and discard it if left out over 2 hours. Refrigerate cooked rollkuchen within 2 hours and use within 2–3 days or freeze; reheat to 74°C.
Rounded estimate for six pieces and 150 g watermelon. It uses generic values for flour, eggs, cream, milk, baking powder and melon, and assumes about 4 g oil absorbed per piece. Actual oil uptake varies with thickness and temperature; labels vary too. Not a laboratory analysis or product label.
Contains wheat, eggs and milk. Raw flour and eggs are not ready to eat: do not taste uncooked dough. Fry a representative thick piece until its centre reaches at least 74°C. Wash hands and tools after handling raw eggs.
The centre cuts help the dough fry through. This version uses two slits; other family versions use a single slit or leave the strips untwisted.
