Hungarian Farsangi Fánk

Authentic Hungarian Farsangi Fánk is a sweet, light and airy doughnut that’s perfect with your morning coffee or as a dessert! They’re absolutely scrumptious! 

I’m so excited to share today’s recipe guys! I’m a proud Hungarian and I grew up enjoying Hungarian Farsangi Fánk (carnival doughnuts), and now you too can enjoy them at home! That may be a good thing or a bad thing because they’re absolutely addictive!

The church we attended growing up was Hungarian, and they made these doughnuts for holidays and for the big summer Hungarian Festival. My mother never really made them at home, so when we’d get them at church they were such a treat!

When I was going through some of my mom’s old books recently I came across a Hungarian cookbook that my mother got as a wedding shower gift called The Art of Hungarian Cooking. It’s loaded with so many fabulous recipes I grew up eating. As I paged through it, I came across this fánk recipe and knew I had to share.

Step-By-Step Instructions

The first step is to add 1/4 cup of the warm milk to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Sprinkle the milk with the yeast and the sugar. Stir gently with a spoon and let stand for 15 minutes. Mixture should appear foamy after a few minutes.

The second step is to add the melted butter to the remaining milk. Combine the milk mixture with the egg yolks, salt and the yeast mixture. Stir in half the flour and mix well. Mix in the remaining flour and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic and starts to pull away from the bowl. The dough should be a bit sticky. 

The third step is to form the dough into a ball and place in a large bowl sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. (I preheat my oven to 200 degrees and then turn it off.)

The fourth step is to punch down and place dough on lightly floured surface after it has doubled in size. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Using a 3-inch circle, cut out doughnuts. Re-roll scraps. You’ll line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 12 doughnuts on each sheet. Cover doughnuts with kitchen towels and let rest for about 30 minutes.

The fifth step is to pour enough canola oil, about 1-2 quarts, into a large heavy bottomed Dutch oven so it’s a few inches deep, set over medium-low heat.  When oil is hot enough, add 4 doughnuts at a time and cook for about 2 minutes per side until golden. Remove doughnuts from oil with a slotted spoon and place on a rack over a large baking sheet. Repeat with remaining doughnuts. While they’re still warm, dust with a generous amount of confectioners’ sugar.

I know most of the time doughnuts are best the day they’re made, but I froze a few of mine in a freezer bag, and when I have the craving, I just pop one out, let it defrost on a plate and then microwave it for about 10-12 seconds, and they’re just as delicious.

If you’re a regular follower here at the BHK, you know I’m always looking to perfect my skills when it comes to recipes with yeast. Well, this recipe was easy peasy! It only requires a handful of ingredients, a bit of kneading, some rising time, and a quick fry.

It’s like I’ve been whisked back to my childhood! They taste exactly the same! They’re light and airy, and not overly sweet and sugary like most doughnuts.

If you’re a fan of Hungarian pastries try my Hungarian Kifli too!

Please let me know if you give the recipe a try. And if you have any questions about the recipe, just drop a comment below. Enjoy!

A Few Cook’s Notes for Hungarian Farsangi Fánk

I like to fry my fánk in canola oil, and I only heat the oil to medium-low so the doughnuts don’t brown too quickly. The recipe makes about 24 3-inch round doughnuts. If you don’t have a 3-inch round cutter, a drinking glass that size will work just fine.

Hungarian Farsangi Fánk

Author: MaryAnn Dwyer

Servings: 24 doughnuts

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Authentic Hungarian Farsangi Fánk is a sweet, light and airy doughnut that's perfect with your morning coffee or as a dessert! They're absolutely scrumptious!

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Rising/Resting Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

Ingredients  

• 2 1/4 tsp. (one package) active dry yeast
• 2 cups milk, warmed to about 110 degrees
• 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 5 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1 tsp. salt
• 5 1/4 cups flour, sifted
• canola oil for frying
• confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

Instructions 

• Add 1/4 cup of the warm milk to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Sprinkle the milk with the yeast and the sugar. Stir gently with a spoon and let stand for 15 minutes. Mixture should appear foamy after a few minutes.
• Add the melted butter to the remaining milk. Combine the milk mixture with the egg yolks, salt and the yeast mixture. Stir in half the flour and mix well. Mix in the remaining flour and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic and starts to pull away from the bowl. The dough should be a bit sticky. 
• Form the dough into a ball and place in a large bowl sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. (I preheat my oven to 200 degrees and then turn it off.)
• After dough is doubled in size, punch down and place dough on lightly floured surface. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Using a 3-inch circle, cut out doughnuts. Re-roll scraps.
• Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 12 doughnuts on each sheet. Cover doughnuts with kitchen towels and let rest for about 30 minutes.
• Pour enough canola oil, about 1-2 quarts, into a large heavy bottomed Dutch oven so it's a few inches deep, set over medium-low heat.  When oil is hot enough, add 4 doughnuts at a time and cook for about 2 minutes per side until golden. Remove doughnuts from oil with a slotted spoon and place on a rack over a large baking sheet. Repeat with remaining doughnuts. 
• Sprinkle warm doughnuts with confectioners' sugar. Serve warm.

Cuisine: Hungarian

Course: Breakfast, Dessert