Sopaipillas – New Worlder (2024)

FAQs

Are sopapillas Mexican or New Mexican? ›

The pastry is common in Hispanic culture and is a favorite among many Hispanic cuisines. Sopapillas can be served salty or sweet. Sopapillas are thought to have originated in Albuquerque, New Mexico, more than 200 years ago. There are a few stories attributed to the name of the pastries.

Not only are sopapillas a common dessert, but this dessert is also often associated with the holidays for its rich and natural flavoring. In 1598 the Spanish settlements in New Mexico, known as the bunuelos in Spain, had a major impact on the trade of fried wheat dough.

A sopaipilla, sopapilla, sopaipa, or cachanga is a kind of fried pastry and a type of quick bread served in several regions with Spanish heritage in the Americas. The word sopaipilla is the diminutive of sopaipa, a word that entered Spanish from the Mozarabic language of Al-Andalus.

Yeast is what gives bread its rise. If your bread isn't rising, make sure your yeast hasn't expired. Yeast is a living organism, so if you've kept it in the fridge too long, some of it may die, and it won't produce enough rise. So check the expiration date, and store it in the fridge or freezer.

Problem: Your Pastry Hasn't Risen

The fat may have been too warm and has blended with the flour instead of remaining in layers. Make sure you rest the pastry sufficiently between rollings.

Sopapillas are a Tex-Mex favorite. A staple at most Mexican restaurants, they come in all shapes and sizes. Fluffy dough fried golden and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

Sopapillas: Distinctly New Mexican

It's believed that they originate from the Spanish olive oil fried dough called sopaipas. After all, it's the Spanish who brought their knowledge of fried wheat dough to the Southwest when they settled there in the early 17th century.

Sopaipillas look really similar to French beignets and taste similar to American donuts. All three pastries are made from deep fried dough but beignets are made from a more bread-like yeast dough where sopapillas are a little more light and flaky.

It is said that the sopapilla originated in Albuquerque, New Mexico more than 200 years ago. However, they are most likely a descendent of sweet fried dough from Southern Spain which is known as sopaipa. It's commonly served with warm honey and syrup that has been flavored with anise or cinnamon.

What's the difference between fry bread and sopapillas? Mostly just the name. Fry bread doesn't have sugar in the dough and the name is used more in Arizona. In New Mexico they are called sopapillas and in the Pacific Northwest some people call them elephant ears.

What are popular Mexican dishes? ›

The dish is rooted in the American Southwest, where Hispanic, Spanish and Native American cultures converge. Sopapillas, also spelled sopaipillas, can be stuffed with braised meat, New Mexican chiles or cheese and served as a meal or snack, or the entire pastry can be drizzled with honey for dessert, as it is here.

First, you stir ingredients such as flour, salt, butter, sugar, and yeast to make the sweet dough. (Some recipes call for shortening or lard, but I prefer the flavor of butter.) You let it rise, and then roll it out with a rolling pin, cut it into triangles, and fry each in vegetable oil for a couple of minutes.

Sopapillas are a delicious fried dough from New Mexico. They are perfectly fried puffed dough and traditionally served with a drizzle of honey or a combination of cinnamon and sugar.

Too Much Sugar

In general, sweet doughs take longer to rise. That's because sugar absorbs the liquid in the dough—the same liquid yeast feeds on. If you have too much sugar in your dough, it could gobble up almost all of the food the yeast needs, leaving you with dry, ineffective yeast.

That's because the puff is steam-powered. For it to work, the dough must be neither too thick nor too thin, and be sufficiently hydrated so that the blast of heat from the oven quickly turns the moisture to steam that inflates the bread. One of the best ways to get this right is a kitchen scale.

To fix dough that won't rise, try placing the dough on the lowest rack in your oven along with a baking pan filled with boiling water. Close the oven door and let the dough rise. Increasing the temperature and moisture can help activate the yeast in the dough so it rises. You can also try adding more yeast.

While sugar and other sweeteners provide "food" for yeast, too much sugar can damage yeast, drawing liquid from the yeast and hampering its growth. Too much sugar also slows down gluten development. Add extra yeast to the recipe or find a similar recipe with less sugar. Sweet yeast doughs will take longer to rise.