Fried dough facts for kids

Fried Dough

Fried dough is a super yummy treat often found at fun outdoor places. You might see it at carnivals, amusement parks, fairs, or even seaside resorts. It's a special kind of bread made from a yeast dough that's cooked by frying.

This tasty snack has many different names! Some people call it fry dough, fry bread, or fried bread. Other fun names include doughboys, elephant ears, scones, pizza fritte, funnel cake, frying saucers, or even buñuelos if the pieces are smaller. While these names are different, the foods are mostly the same. They are also different from other fried dough treats like doughnuts or fritters.

Fried Dough Around the World

Fried dough is popular in many places, and each area might have its own special name or way of serving it.

Canadian Delights

In Canadian cuisine, pieces of fried dough are sometimes called beaver tails. This name might have come from how quickly the dough could be baked, especially for people camping long ago. In 1978, Pam and Grant Hooker started a chain of restaurants called BeaverTails in Ottawa, Ontario. They specialize in making these fried dough pastries. They stretch the dough by hand to look like a beaver's tail!

In Newfoundland and Labrador, a province in Eastern Canada, fried dough is known as a "touton". A touton is made by frying bread dough in a pan with butter. Sometimes, it's cooked in the leftover fat from "scrunchions" (which are fried pieces of preserved pork). Toutons are usually served with dark molasses, maple syrup, or corn syrup. Traditionally, they are made from leftover bread dough and cooked in a pan, not deep-fried.

Italian and European Treats

A smaller Italian version of fried dough, common in North America, is called the zeppole.

You can find similar fried dough foods in Europe too, often at outdoor stands at fairs.

• In Croatia, it's known as languši.
• In Hungary, it's called lángos.
• In Austria, it's known as kiachl.
• In Germany, it's also called Knieküchle.
• In the Netherlands, people enjoy oliebols.

Chinese Fried Dough

Some Chinese restaurants in New York serve a soft, fried dough ball often covered in sugar. These are known by different names like "sugar biscuits," "Chinese doughnuts," or simply "fried bread."

How Fried Dough is Made

Fried dough is made by deep-frying a piece of dough that has risen (meaning it got bigger and fluffier). When it's fried, the dough gets a bumpy, bubbly look.

After it's cooked, you can add all sorts of yummy toppings!

• Sweet toppings include regular sugar, powdered sugar, cinnamon, fruit sauce, chocolate sauce, maple syrup, whipped cream, honey, or butter.
• Savory toppings can be cheese, tomato sauce, garlic butter, or lemon juice.
• You can also add nuts or mix different toppings together!

Images for kids

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  Fried dough stand - New England

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  Stretching dough

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  Mixing dough

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  Various toppings

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  Fried dough sugar table

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  Plating fried dough

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  Frying dough

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  Frying dough - uncooked