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CAÑAS RECIPE VIDEO

CAPTURED BY THE RECIPE HUNTERS IN GALICIA, SPAIN

Blanca shows The Recipe Hunters how to make her mother's recipe for Cañas, a galician pastry consisting of a crispy fried dough cylinder filled with creamy homemade custard. To make the Cañas, you have to wrap small strips of dough around metallic rollers or cylinders and then fry them in the rollers to keep their shape (the same rollers that are used to make cannoli). Cañas which translate to reeds in Spanish, get their name from the river reeds for which the strips of pastry dough were originally wrapped around. After frying the dough, you fill them with custard and roll them in a bed of cinnamon and powdered sugar. Not only are cañas incredibly tasty, but the sensation of biting into one is unbeatable. Their sugary fried dough crunches away into the creamy soft custard, leaving you with the perfect contrast of consistency.  The traditional sweets originate from Carballiño, a small town in the province of Ourense, in Galicia, Spain. However, they are now famous throughout the country and can be found in homes and pastry shops everywhere. We definitely recommend trying out this fun Galician recipe with your family and friends.

CAÑAS INGREDIENTS

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Equipment needed: 

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Ingredients for Crust and Frying:

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  • 25 g butter (~1.8 tbsp)

  • 25 g water (~1.6 tbsp)

  • pinch of sea salt

  • ~25 g pastry flour (3 tbsp)

  • 3 cups vegetable oil

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Ingredients for Custard Filling:

  • 500 ml of milk (2.25 cups)

  • 5 tbsp sugar

  • Pinch of salt

  • 3 egg yolks

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Ingredients for Adorning Shell:

  • Tbsp of Cinnamon

  • Tbsp of Powdered Sugar

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CAÑAS RECIPE AND VIDEO

Prep Time: 20 Min.

Proof Time: 30 Min

Fry Time: 15 Min.

Makes ~10 Cañas

​Prepare the Dough:

  1. Melt  25 g of butter in 25 ml of water and a pinch of salt

  2. Once melted, transfer to a mixing bowl and mix/knead in flour 1 tsp at a time until the dough is formed into an homogenous ball that no longer sticks to the surface.

  3. Cover in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes

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Prepare the Cream:

  1. Heat 500 ml of milk in a saucepan on medium-low heat, stirring in the 5 tbsp of sugar and a pinch of salt.

  2. Beat the egg yolk in a separate bowl and stir them into the milk. Continuously stir until it forms a custard ~10 minutes. oStir in the same direction & make sure the heat is not too high.

  3. Place in the fridge in a pastry bag as you form the Cañas.

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Form, Fry, & Fill the Cañas (Watch Video Below):

  1. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a long log about the width of your forefinger. Roll it out with a rolling pin until it is as thin as a the cover of a paperback book. 

  2. Using cannoli rollers or reeds and starting at the end of the long flat dough, roll the dough onto the roller at a slight angle leaving a little space to grab onto later. Once the dough surrounds the roller, cut the excess with a knife. Roll the roller in between your hands, pressing lightly. oPress the cut dough edge into the other layer so that it does not unravel during frying.

  3. Add vegetable oil into a frying pan on medium heat.

  4. Add the rollers and fry until all sides are golden brown. o Test the temperature of the oil by adding one roller and if the dough bubbles when added, it is warm enough.

  5. Place the fried rollers on paper towels to dry as you finish frying the rest.

  6. Using a clean dish cloth grasp the metal edge of the roller with one hand as you use the other hand to gently slide off the fried crispy dough.

  7. Fill each caña with custard.

  8. Roll in a bed of cinnamon and powdered sugar and enjoy!

CAÑAS RECIPE VIDEO

Written by The Recipe Hunters:

Leila Elamine and Anthony Morano

Click here for more films and recipes from Galicia

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