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Mekitsi
By Snejana Andreeva
on Mar 28, 2023, Updated Aug 17, 2024
- Why You’ll Love Mekitsi
- How to Prepare
- Nonna’s Tip 👩🍳
- Variations and Substitutions for Mekitsi
- Similar Recipes
- Best Served With
- Common Questions
- Mekitsi Recipe
Why You’ll Love Mekitsi
These Mekitsi are synonymous with family -style, home cooking in Bulgaria. They’re a traditional breakfast treat and are also delicious as a dessert. Nothing beats a homemade donut , and these are absolutely out-of-this-world good. They’re so fluffy and soft inside thanks to the addition of yogurt to the batter, and they crisp up to perfection. These are so good fresh, right out of the fryer, you’ll have the family lined up at the counter waiting for a 😋 bite.
How to Prepare
🥚 In a large bowl , combine the yogurt, egg, sugar, and salt and mix with a whisk or a fork.
🥣In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder.
🌀 With an electric mixer running on medium speed, gradually add the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture, adding just a little bit at a time, and allowing the flour to fully incorporate into the batter each time. Finally, mix in the vanilla.
🌡️ Heat the oil in a small pot over medium heat. Please use a kitchen thermometer to ensure the oil reaches 350F (177C), then reduce the heat to medium-low and try to maintain 350F (177C) throughout frying.
🥄 Using a tablespoon measure, scoop the batter, then use a second spoon to help gently release the batter into the hot oil.
⏲️ Fry the Mekitsi for about 30 seconds on each side, or until golden. I like to fry 2 to 3 donuts at a time so as not to overcrowd the pot. Once I see the bottom of the donuts getting golden, I flip them with a fork and fry the other side.
🥄 Once the Mekitsi are golden on both sides, remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
👩🍳 Continue this step until all of the batter has been used and you have about 15 donuts.
😋 Dust the warm Mekitsi with powdered sugar and enjoy! You can also enjoy them with feta, jam, honey, Nutella, or anything you like.
Nonna’s Tip 👩🍳
Make sure that the oil shimmers and is not overly hot. The batter should sizzle once placed into the hot oil.
Variations and Substitutions for Mekitsi
- I like using 🥑 avocado oil but you can use any oil of your choice with a high smoke point, such as canola oil, vegetable oil, or sunflower oil.
- You can use any plain yogurt you like in this Mekitski recipe. If the batter is too thick, add a splash of 🥛 milk to thin it out.
Similar Recipes
Zeppole
15 mins
Sweet Easter Bread
2 hrs 45 mins
Sweet Bread with Milk
10 mins
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
3 hrs 30 mins
Best Served With
- These Mekitsi are sensational with a dusting of powdered sugar over top.
- You could serve these Mekitsi with a drizzle of jam , my homemade Nutella , 🍯 honey, or any topping of your choice.
- The combination of sweet and salty flavors is especially delightful with these Mekisti, so I love the combo of feta cheese and 🍓 jam with these. Nothing better!
Common Questions
When using baking powder, always check the expiration date. Expired baking powder will not help your recipe fluff up, and you’ll have dense dough. You can test if your baking powder has expired by adding ½ teaspoon baking powder to ¼ cup hot water. If the water bubbles up, it’s not expired; if it does not bubble, it’s expired and should be tossed.
The oil should be around 350F (177C), so use a thermometer if you are unsure. The donuts should get golden on each side, and if you see them getting darker really quickly that means the oil is way too hot and you need to reduce the heat.
You can enjoy Mekitsi fresh the same day or let them cool and store them in a container lined with a paper towel and closed tightly with a lid. These are always best fresh the same day.
It’s best to fry the Mekitsi immediately after preparing the batter. The baking powder may lose its effectiveness if the batter sits too long.
While 1 cup of flour weighs 160g in my kitchen, it might weigh anywhere from 120 to 180g in your kitchen and there’s a few reasons for that. The weight of ingredients may vary due to the brand of ingredients, the brand and style (wet vs dry) of measuring cups and spoons, and the technique for measuring into cups: scooping and leveling versus spooning the ingredients into the cup measure. For best results, go by the weight listed in the recipe.
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Video
Equipment
- ▢ Mixing Bowls
- ▢ Stand Mixer
- ▢ Hand Mixer
- ▢ Medium Pot
- ▢ Measuring Cups + Spoons
- ▢ Liquid Measuring Cup
- ▢ Meat Thermometer
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 cup plain yogurt
- ▢ 1 large egg
- ▢ 1 tablespoon sugar
- ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste , or vanilla extract
- ▢ 1 ½ cups avocado oil , or any oil with a high smoke point
- ▢ powdered sugar for dusting
- ▢ feta, jam, Nutella, or honey for serving (optional)
Instructions
- ▢ In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, egg, sugar, and salt and mix with a whisk or a fork.
- ▢ In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder.
- ▢ With an electric mixer running on medium speed, gradually add the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture, adding just a little bit at a time, and allowing the flour to fully incorporate into the batter each time. Finally, mix in the vanilla.
- ▢ Heat the oil in a small pot over medium heat. Please use a kitchen thermometer to ensure the oil reaches 350F (177C). If the oil gets too hot, the donuts will get really dark way too quickly and fry unevenly.
- ▢ Once the oil reaches 350F (177C), reduce the heat to medium-low and try to maintain 350F (177C) throughout frying.
- ▢ Using a tablespoon measure, scoop the batter, then use a second spoon to help gently release the batter into the hot oil.
- ▢ Fry the donuts for about 30 seconds on each side, or until golden. I like to fry 2 to 3 donuts at a time so as not to overcrowd the pot. Once I see the bottom of the donuts getting golden, I flip them with a fork and fry the other side.
- ▢ Once the donuts are golden on both sides, remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. The paper towels will help drain the excess oil.
- ▢ Continue this step until all of the batter has been used and you have about 15 donuts.
- ▢ Dust the warm donuts with powdered sugar and enjoy! You can also enjoy them with feta, jam, honey, Nutella, or anything you like.
- ▢ I love the combination of sweet and salty so I eat these with feta on top and sometimes jam or honey as well (drooling).
My Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Mekitsi
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Stand Mixer
- Hand Mixer
- Medium Pot
- Measuring Cups + Spoons
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Meat Thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups avocado oil or any oil with a high smoke point
- powdered sugar for dusting
- feta, jam, Nutella, or honey for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, egg, sugar, and salt and mix with a whisk or a fork.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder.
- With an electric mixer running on medium speed, gradually add the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture, adding just a little bit at a time, and allowing the flour to fully incorporate into the batter each time. Finally, mix in the vanilla.
- Heat the oil in a small pot over medium heat. Please use a kitchen thermometer to ensure the oil reaches 350F (177C). If the oil gets too hot, the donuts will get really dark way too quickly and fry unevenly.
- Once the oil reaches 350F (177C), reduce the heat to medium-low and try to maintain 350F (177C) throughout frying.
- Using a tablespoon measure, scoop the batter, then use a second spoon to help gently release the batter into the hot oil.
- Fry the donuts for about 30 seconds on each side, or until golden. I like to fry 2 to 3 donuts at a time so as not to overcrowd the pot. Once I see the bottom of the donuts getting golden, I flip them with a fork and fry the other side.
- Once the donuts are golden on both sides, remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. The paper towels will help drain the excess oil.
- Continue this step until all of the batter has been used and you have about 15 donuts.
- Dust the warm donuts with powdered sugar and enjoy! You can also enjoy them with feta, jam, honey, Nutella, or anything you like.
- I love the combination of sweet and salty so I eat these with feta on top and sometimes jam or honey as well (drooling).
Video
Nutrition
Mekitsi https://themodernnonna.com/mekitsi/ March 28, 2023
