Rosquillas — Spanish anise-scented ring doughnuts

i. Origin & history

The word rosquilla is a diminutive of rosca, a ring or coil, and the shape is the only thing every rosquilla has in common. Ring-shaped fried and baked doughs are ancient around the Mediterranean, and Spain inherited traditions from Roman, Jewish and Moorish kitchens alike; the anise, sesame and honey that flavour many Spanish fried sweets reflect the Moorish influence in particular. Rosquillas are close cousins of the Andalusian pestiños and of torrijas, the other great fried sweets of Holy Week.

In most Spanish homes, rosquillas fritas or rosquillas de anís are the household version: a soft, enriched dough rolled into rings and fried in olive oil, then tossed in sugar. They are made in quantity at Easter and in Lent, when they fill tins in grandmothers' kitchens, and recipes vary by village and by family, with aguardiente, anise liqueur, orange or lemon zest, and sometimes milk or yoghurt.

Madrid has its own, highly codified tradition. On the feast of San Isidro, the city's patron saint, rosquillas are sold at the pradera fair and in every pastry shop, and there are four classic kinds. Tontas ("silly" or plain) are baked anise rings with no topping. Listas ("clever") are the same rings dipped in a lemony sugar fondant, usually yellow. Rosquillas de Santa Clara are covered in a crisp white meringue glaze, traditionally associated with convent bakers. Rosquillas francesas are topped with almonds and sugar. The fair version is baked, not fried, and drier and more biscuit-like.

Other regions have their own famous rosquillas — Alcalá de Henares, Astorga, and many towns in Castile and Andalusia have local specialities — and the tradition crossed the Atlantic: rosquillas are made in Latin America, and Honduras has well-known corn-based rosquillas that are an entirely different, savoury-cheesy biscuit. The common thread is the ring shape and the occasion.

ii. How a soft dough fries into a light ring

The dough for fried rosquillas is softer and stickier than most biscuit doughs, and that is deliberate. Its high proportion of eggs and oil makes a tender, cake-like interior; a firm dough fries into something hard and dry. The trick is to add just enough flour that the dough can be handled with oiled hands — it should feel like soft playdough, slightly tacky, not a firm pastry.

Baking powder and the steam generated from the eggs' water are what make rosquillas puff in the oil. When the ring hits oil at about 170°C, the surface sets almost at once while the inside expands, creating a light, slightly open crumb. The hole matters: it lets heat reach the inside from both sides so the ring cooks through before the outside darkens, which is why rosquillas are rings rather than balls.

Temperature is the main variable. Oil that is too hot (above about 180°C) browns the outside in seconds while the centre stays doughy; oil that is too cool (below about 160°C) lets the dough sit and absorb oil, giving greasy, heavy rosquillas. Frying in olive oil, as is traditional, adds flavour and is stable at these temperatures.

Anise is the defining flavour. It can come from sweet anise liqueur (anís dulce), from aniseed toasted in the frying oil and strained, or from both. Many cooks first fry a strip of lemon peel and a spoonful of aniseed in the oil that goes into the dough, letting it cool before using — this perfumes the whole batch without leaving bitter seeds in every bite.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 24 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 150 g caster sugar
• 100 ml mild olive oil
• 60 ml sweet anise liqueur (anís dulce)
• 50 ml whole milk
• 1 lemon, finely grated zest
• 1 tsp aniseed
• 500 g plain flour, plus more as needed
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1000 ml olive or sunflower oil, for frying
• 100 g sugar, for coating
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon, for coating (optional)

A mild olive oil is traditional in the dough; a strongly peppery extra virgin oil can dominate. Warm it gently with the aniseed and a strip of lemon peel, then cool, for the classic perfume. Anís dulce (such as the Spanish brands from Chinchón or Cazalla) adds both flavour and moisture; if you have none, use 60 ml milk and an extra ½ tsp of crushed aniseed, or a splash of ouzo or anisette. The flour quantity is a guide — eggs vary in size, so add flour gradually until the dough is soft but handleable.

iv. Method

1. Warm the 100 ml olive oil in a small pan with the aniseed and a strip of lemon peel over a low heat for 2–3 minutes, until the seeds are fragrant but not browned. Leave to cool completely, then strain out the peel (the seeds may stay or go).
2. Whisk the eggs and caster sugar in a large bowl for 3–4 minutes until pale and slightly thickened. Whisk in the cooled oil, the anise liqueur, milk and lemon zest.
3. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt, then add to the wet ingredients gradually, stirring and then kneading briefly by hand, until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough that holds its shape. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
4. Heat the frying oil in a deep pan to 170°C (338°F). Oil your hands. Take walnut-sized pieces of dough (about 30 g), roll into a ball, then push a floured finger through the middle and widen it into a ring about 6 cm across with a 2 cm hole.
5. Fry 4–5 rings at a time for 2–3 minutes, turning once, until they puff, float and are an even deep gold on both sides. Keep the oil between 165°C and 175°C.
6. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper for 30 seconds.
7. While still warm, toss each rosquilla in the sugar (mixed with cinnamon if you like) until evenly coated. Cool on a rack.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Keep the dough soft. The commonest mistake is adding flour until it feels like pastry. Stiff dough fries into hard, dry rings. Work with oiled hands instead.
• Make the hole generous. It closes up as the dough puffs. A small hole disappears, and the rosquilla becomes a dense ball that is raw in the middle.
• Use a thermometer. At 170°C the rings cook through as they turn golden. Too hot and they brown before they rise; too cool and they absorb oil.
• Do not crowd the pan. Adding too many at once drops the oil temperature sharply and the rosquillas come out pale and greasy.
• Sugar them while warm. The sugar clings to a warm, slightly oily surface; once cold, it slides off.
• Toast, do not burn, the aniseed. Scorched seeds turn acrid and flavour the whole batch. A low heat and two or three minutes is enough.

vi. Variations

For Madrid-style rosquillas tontas, bake the rings instead of frying them: brush with beaten egg and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 15–18 minutes until golden. Dip them in a lemon fondant glaze for rosquillas listas, in a crisp white meringue icing for rosquillas de Santa Clara, or top with almonds and sugar for rosquillas francesas.

Other versions use yoghurt or orange juice in the dough, or replace anise with cinnamon and orange zest. Rosquillas de vino, made with white wine and olive oil and no eggs, are a crisp, eggless Lenten biscuit. For the larger, festive relatives, see the enriched rosca de reyes of Epiphany and the rosca de coco; for other Spanish sweets of the same season, try mantecados.

vii. Serving & storage

Rosquillas are eaten at room temperature, with coffee at breakfast or merienda, as an after-lunch sweet with a glass of anís or sweet wine, or piled on a plate during Holy Week visits. In Madrid during San Isidro, they are bought by the dozen in paper bags and eaten on the walk home from the fair.

Fried rosquillas are best on the day they are made but keep for 4–5 days in an airtight tin; they firm up a little but stay good for dunking. Baked tontas and listas keep for about a week. Freeze unsugared, fried rosquillas for up to 2 months, then warm briefly in a 160°C oven and roll in sugar.

ix. More from Spanish & Portuguese

• Pestiños — Andalusian honey-glazed pastries
• Torrija — Spanish Holy Week French toast
• Mantecados — Andalusian crumble cookies
• Rosca de Reyes — Three Kings ring cake
• Smultring — Norwegian cardamom doughnuts
• Luqaimat — Gulf honey dumplings