Puff Puff — A very popular West African street food that’s quick and easy to make with different variations. Dangerously delicious and addicting!
As a child, I would often watch in amazement how the women selling the puffs would grab the mixture with the tip of their fingers, place it in the palm of their hands, and drop the mixture in oil.
I was fascinated by this process and would go home and practice this act with any mixture I had on hand. But it never came out as proportional or as visually appealing as the women did it. After years of practice as an adult, I think I can proudly say that I finally got the hang of it.
Content…What Is It? |
What Is Puff Puff?
Most West African countries are familiar with the popular street food Puff-Puff, which is known by different names depending on the country. Ghanaians call it Bofrot (togbei), and Cameroonians and Nigerians call it Puff-Puff (Puff) or beignet in French. The basic ingredient consists of flour, sugar, yeast, water, salt, and oil for deep frying.
It is an easy and quick recipe to make with different variations. This recipe is the one I have been making for years and the one that takes me back to my hometown. It brings back memories of late-night snacking on the street.
Recipe Ingredients
Trust me when I say that cooking these puff puffs is as mesmerizing as it is tasty. The best part about this treat is that it only needs a handful of ingredients. You might already have these in your pantry:
- Flour – This pantry must-have isn’t just for baking. It’s also great for many savory dishes.
- Yeast – This is basically the life of the recipe as it makes the dough rise for an airy, fluffy texture.
- Warm Water – An essential part of making any dough. It’s the basis for forming our treat. It’s important to have just the right warmth. If the water is too hot, it kills the yeast. If too cold, the yeast has a hard time rising.
- Sugar – Common table sugar you can easily find in any grocery store gives this recipe a slight sweetness and feeds the yeast for a good rise.
- Cooking Oil – The necessary ingredient for deep frying the puff puffs.
How to Make Puff Puff
- Activate the yeast: Mix salt, water, sugar, and yeast. Set it aside for 5 minutes (Photo 1)
- Make the dough: Add flour and mix (Photo 2)
- Rest and Rise: Let the mixture rise for approximately 1-2 hours (Photos 3-5)
- Pre-heat the oil: In a large saucepan, pour vegetable oil into a pot until it’s about 3 inches (or 5 centimeters ) high (too little will result into flatter balls), and place in low heat
- Check the heat: Test to make sure the oil is hot enough by putting a drop of batter into the oil. If the oil is not hot enough, the batter will stay at the bottom instead of rising to the top.
- Fry the puff puff:
- Hand Method: Using your hands, grab a little bit of mixture at a time and drop it into the oil. (See photo 6)
- Spoon Method: When the oil is hot enough, use a spoon to dish up the batter and another spoon or spatula to drop it in the oil. Sort of in the shape of a ball.
- Check the doneness: Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is golden brown (Photo 7)
- Flip the puff puff: Turn the ball over for a few minutes until the underside is golden brown. (Photo 8)
- Remove from oil: Use a large spoon or a slotted spoon to take it out of the oil. I usually place them on napkins right away to soak up some of the excess oil.
- Coat the puff puff: If desired, you can roll up the finished products in table sugar or powdered sugar to make it sweeter.
Serving Suggestions
Puff-puff is usually eaten for breakfast, as a snack, or as a side dish. Regardless of when you eat them, they are enjoyable with or without a side dish. A must-have for me – pepper sauce.
The beauty of puff puffs is that you can eat them sweet or savory. They’re a great snack, appetizer, or dessert. I often eat it as a snack or appetizer. My son definitely loves it as a simple dessert with just a bit of powdered sugar. Another great dessert/snack is homemade bon bons. Yum!
If you’re craving more, then these recipes from my list of African snacks and appetizers should help you feel satisfied.
Tips and Tricks for Making Puff Puff
- Soft puff puff: For a softer puff puff, add about 1-2 tablespoons more water. Some people find it a little bit hard after it stays out.
- Crunchy, not soggy: Do not overcrowd the frying pan; it will absorb excess oil and sometimes make it soggy.
- Hold the salt: You may cut back on the salt if you are watching your salt intake; about 1 teaspoon will do.
- Preheat the stove: If your house is too cold, turn on the stove for about 2-3 minutes until warm. Then turn it off and let the puff puff rise next to it. Or heat up the oven, turn it off when hot, and wait until it cools down. If you want it warm but not hot, then let it rise in the oven. Check after 30 minutes to ensure it’s rising.
- Use a spoon instead to scoop the dough into the oil if you do not want to use your hands. It still tastes delicious!
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in November 2012 and has been updated with additional tips.
Puff Puff
Ingredients
- 2 cups (+1-2 tablespoons (475ml) warm water (See notes)
- 2¼ teaspoon (7g) active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 3½ cups (420g) flour
- ½-¾ cup (100-150g) sugar
- ½ tablespoon (8-9g) salt
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Mix salt, sugar, water, and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Add flour and mix.
- Let the mixture rise for approximately 1-2 hours.
- In a large saucepan, pour vegetable oil into a pot until it's at least 3 inches (about 5cm) deep and heat on low. Too little oil will result in flatter balls.
- Test to make sure the oil is hot enough by putting a drop of batter into the oil. If it is not hot enough, the batter stays at the pot's bottom rather than rising to the top.
- When the oil is hot enough, grab a little bit of the mixture with your hands or use a spoon to get a small ball of dough. Drop it carefully into the oil.
- Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is golden brown.
- Turn the ball over and fry for a few more minutes until the other side is golden brown.
- Use a large spoon or something like that to take it out of the oil. I usually place them on napkins immediately to soak up the excess oil.
- If desired, you can roll the finished product in table sugar or powdered sugar to make it sweeter.
Tips & Notes:
- Soft puff puff: For a softer puff puff, add about 1-2 tablespoons more water. Some people find it a little bit hard after it stays out.
- Crunchy, not soggy: Do not overcrowd the frying pan, as the puff puffs will absorb excess oil and sometimes get soggy.
- Hold the salt: You may cut back on the salt if you are watching your salt intake. About 1 teaspoon of salt will do.
- Preheat the stove: If your house is too cold, turn on the stove for about 2-3 minutes until warm. Then turn it off and let the puff puff rise next to it. Or place your dough in the cold oven and put a pan full of hot water under it. Check after 30 minutes to ensure it’s rising.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
leah says
pls i want to know how much gain i’ll get with half paint of flour, one bottle of oil etc
ImmaculateBites says
Sorry, I don’t sell puff puff. I just share recipes
Kyla says
What type of flour do you use?
ImmaculateBites says
Regular flour
Judith says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Simple to follow. My friends and I loved the puff puff. God bless you much.
Jim says
Thank you very much i have been going to parties and to the store just to get this now after i tasted my creation with your reciepe, i think i will save on gas and new cloths for parties…..
ImmaculateBites says
THat’s Righttttt. Homemade is the best. You can’t beat that fresh of the fryer taste.
Abimbola says
Oh my! You are the best! I just finished making my puffpuff and they came out so lovely. My baby just couldnt stop eating,lol. Looking through your blog for other wonderful recipes. Thanks once again.
Jim says
The goumbo looks good i am doing it next.
ImmaculateBites says
You are going to DIG it. Can’t seem to get enough of it. Happy Cooking!!!
Boss chick says
Hi I tried this recipe and it came out perfect for the first time, but I have a question can I use self rising flour to make puff puff?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes you can. However, the taste would be slightly different from the traditional puff puff. Because you would be eliminating the yeast which not only helps the dough rise but also adds flavor to it.
Tee says
So nice! If I use milk, will it come out so beautiful like the normal puff puff. Thank you
ImmaculateBites says
Yes, it would.
sanusi Bilikis says
Thanks for the good job . Please how am i going to know the cups u are talking about for the measurements of Flours thank ones again
ImmaculateBites says
It is standard American cups or just go with the measurements in grams
Chan says
Family fave to make as a family day. We love being in the kitchen and this is an easy make.
ImmaculateBites says
My family love this too!
ubi says
i am sincerely grateful for your site and recipe. for the first time, after trying so many other blog recipes, i only just tried yours once and that was it! Viola! it came out perfect! I was so excited that i cant wait to try it again. God Bless you real good! Well done.
ImmaculateBites says
Glad you nailed it on your first try! And thank you so much for the feedback.
ChiChi says
I love bofrot so much. I am drooling just looking through your photos Immaculate. Bookmarked this recipe to try soon.
Elke says
This is an awesome recipe. I used fast-acting yeast: I added it to the warm water, sugar, and salt, then let it sit until the foaming started; once the warm liquid was mixed in to the flour, I put the (pot) mixture into the oven at LOW, covered with a warm, damp towel for about forty minutes. They came out GREAT! Thank you so much for starting up this blog – I just subscribed, and I will definitely be trying out more recipes.
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for sharing Elke, am definitely going to try this when am in a haste. Hooray! for subscribing.
Nicky says
Thanks to you I am proud of my puff puff cuisine today. The best I have ever made.
I did doughnuts too, perfect. Thanks a million Immaculate. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes
tee says
I gave up on making puff puff as I couldn’t get a perfect consistency years ago.I tried this today n it came out so perfect.I’m catering a small event.was gona gv d puff puff to some1 else to make but now I’m gon do it myself.where can I uupload pics.u need to see how perfect these puffs r.yippeeee!!I did d squeezing in d pan wt so much ease.anyway maybe it’s cuz I’m a pro in d kitchen sha.thanks so much darling!u just made me sone extra cash
funmi says
what do I do if the yeast is too much and is watery
ImmaculateBites says
Hi fungi! Sorry to hear that. Double Check you measurements. Worst case scenario, more flour a little at a time until you reach the right consistency.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
These look seriously SO good. I think I could devour a massive bowlful of them right now!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Thalia! You would as soon as you make them.