Venetian fritters with raisins and pine nuts ''Frittelle''

...The carnival period is close by... Maybe unlike me you have already made many typical sweets (and fried!)...

This is the version with raisins, but if you do not like it you can make the variant with chocolate chips. Like all fried desserts, it is preferable to serve Venetian fritters shortly after cooking, but they keep for a few days. 

But don't put away the oil pot yet: the Venetian pancakes are missing to try! A soft leavened and fried dough, with lots of raisins and pine nuts inside. I do not know how faithful to tradition is the recipe that I found and that I propose... I only know that you will get soft, tasty, light pancakes, with a soft interior like that of a brioche! Delicious!

The original recipe for these pancakes calls for brewer's yeast. I made them instead with sourdough, both trying with a direct dough and with a preference made the night before. Both good, softer the one with direct dough but perhaps only because the leavening took place at a more constant temperature. For the version with brewer's yeast, use a total of 500 g of flour and 250 g of milk. 

I recommend a maximum of 10-12 g of yeast, as required by the original recipe. For the version with preference, the night before mix 20 g of sourdough (or 2-3 g of brewer's yeast) with 50 g of flour and 50 g of water, and leave at room temperature for 7-8 hours. Then use 450 g of flour and 200 g of milk.

For the version with sourdough and direct dough, use 120 g of sourdough, 420 g of flour and 210 g of milk. (recipe below) The dose of sugar in the dough is not very high: the Venetian pancakes after cooking should be rolled in granulated sugar (not icing). Pay attention to cooking: if the oil is too hot the pancakes will cook externally remaining raw inside, if instead the temperature of the oil is low the pancakes will be soaked in oil and be hot inside. I like them so much!

Ingredients

420 g flour 

120 g refreshed and mature sourdough (25 g fresh brewer's yeast) 210 g milk 

80 g soft butter

2 medium eggs 

80 g sugar

30 g vanilla alcohol extract (50 g grappa) 

150 g raisins

100 g pine nuts

2-3 g salt (1 pinch)

peanut oil for frying

granulated sugar (icing)

Procedure

Break up the sourdough and mix it with the milk trying to dissolve it a little. Add almost all the flour and knead making the mass take consistency. Insert eggs, sugar, the rest of the flour and knead for a long time. When the dough appears bound even if soft, add the butter twice. Insert the alcohol extract flush without losing rope to the dough. At the end, insert raisins and pine nuts and knead briefly to distribute them in the mass - Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. You can follow two ways: let rise immediately or put to mature in the fridge 10-12 hours (one night for example). If you put it to rest in the fridge, take out and put at room temperature to complete the leavening in any case, wait for the mass to double. Heat peanut oil.

Take small portions from the dough (about a tablespoon). Help yourself with two spoons and try to deflate the mass as little as possible. Fry a few at a time in hot oil, 170-180 ° C, turning the pancakes halfway through cooking. When they are swollen and golden brown, drain on absorbent paper. Roll in a plate full of granulated sugar to cover them abundantly.

Serve warm or cold.