Cole Cooks: New Mexico Sopapillas Recipe
We love the food of New Mexico. Sopapillas are a form of fried bread that goes great with New Mexican dishes. In our research, we found that New Mexico has its own unique version of sopapillas. We have learned to make sopaipillas at home to go with our spicy New Mexican dishes.
Sopapillas
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
- ¾ cup warm water 110 degrees
- ¾ cup warm milk 110 degrees
- Oil for frying lard or shortening is traditional
Instructions
- In bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add in lard or shortening and combine.
- Add warm water and milk to a bowl. Combine into a dough and knead by hand or using mixer or food processor. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat oil in heavy duty skillet to 350 degrees (at least 2 inches deep).
- Working in batches roll out a portion of dough until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 4-inch by 4-inch thick square. Cover with plastic wrap
- Fry individual squares until golden brown on both sides. Spoon hot oil over top to help rise. Total frying time should be about 2 minutes.
- Place cooked sopapillas on a plate covered with a paper towel. Keep warm in a 200-degree oven until ready to serve.
There are several variations of sopapillas. They are popular in Latin American countries like Chili and Argentina. This website on Chili describes sopapillas as being made with pumpkin and wheat flour. They are round and look more like a cookie.
The sopapillas from New Mexico are fluffy pillow-shaped like fried pastries. The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs has a full story of the history. Basically, sopaipillas or sopapillas (two common spellings) emerged over 200 years ago with the merger of Spanish and Native American culture.
Sopapillas are often coated in cinnamon and served with honey as a dessert. However, we like them best as a bread accompanying a spicy chili dish. They go great with our Pork Carne Adovada or our Pork Chili Verde.
Of course, this is a fry bread so it is not easy to make. Most of the time when we make chili we serve them with tortillas. Making sopaipillas is something we will do on rare occasions to impress friends. A single batch of dough can make about 30 sopaipillas.
Lard is a key ingredient of sopaipillas. Of course, you could substitute vegetable shortening but it is not the same. There is an argument that lard may actually be healthier than shortening. However, even if that is the case, sopaipillas, like tamales, are something we eat on rare occasions.
This is an easy to dough to mix. You can mix it by hand, but we like to use a food processor. We love our Cuisinart food processor for doughs and pasta.
A key is getting the dough as thin as possible, so they fluff when placed in the oil. This means rolling to 1/8 inch or less. We like to cut them into different shapes and sizes. There is plenty of dough, so it is fun to experiment.
Sopapillas are not difficult to make but they can be messy. Obviously, this is not health food. We call them New Mexican doughnuts. They are a delicious, decadent treat.
