Verhuny
Fried ribbons turn greasy when the oil is not hot enough — the dough drinks it in before it sets. At 175 degrees the opposite happens: the moisture inside flashes to steam, pushes the oil back out, and the pastry stays dry and crisp. The second condition is rolling the dough almost sheer.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 h 20 min
- Servings
- 8
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 310 kcal
Ingredients
The dough
To fry and finish
Makes: about 40 pieces, 8 portions
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Make a firm dough
Mix the eggs, sour cream, sugar, salt and vodka, add the flour and knead a stiff dough. It should be noticeably firmer than pasta dough — a soft one puffs instead of crisping.
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Step 2: Rest it
Wrap and leave 30 minutes. The gluten relaxes and the dough rolls out thin without fighting back or tearing.
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Step 3: Roll it almost sheer
Roll to 1–2 mm. You should be able to see the grain of the board through it: thicker dough stays raw inside.
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Step 4: Cut and twist
Cut 3×10 cm strips, make a lengthways slit in the middle of each and pull one end through it. That is the classic twisted shape.
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Step 5: Heat the oil to 175 °C
Without a thermometer: a scrap of dough should surface in 2 seconds and bubble at once. Sinking means too cool; instant browning means too hot.
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Step 6: Fry in batches
Four or five at a time, 40–50 seconds a side to pale gold. Crowd the pan and the temperature drops and the pastries drink oil.
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Step 7: Drain and dust
Lift them onto a rack rather than paper: on paper the underside steams and softens. Dust with icing sugar once cold.
Tips & variations
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Tip
The spoon of vodka is not for flavour: the alcohol evaporates in the fryer and leaves cavities that make the pastry brittle. Vinegar does the same.
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Tip
Strain the oil afterwards and use it again — frying oil is good for two or three rounds if it never smoked.
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Variation
Lviv-style verhuny use wine instead of vodka and are dusted with cinnamon sugar rather than icing sugar.
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Storage
Three days in a paper bag; in plastic they soften overnight. Dust just before serving, as icing sugar draws moisture.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 8 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 310 kcal | 2,480 kcal |
| Protein | 5 g | 40 g |
| Fat | 16 g | 128 g |
| Carbohydrates | 37 g | 296 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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