Fried Dough

Fried dough is a popular dessert, easy to make fast. All you need is half a kg of flour, a bit of oil, and dry or fresh yeast, sugar, frying oil, and a pinch of salt. In a large bowl mix the flour with two or three tablespoons of sugar, a pinch of salt, and the yeast. Trickle in warm water and knead in until getting a sticky dough. Add in a trickle of oil, and knead until the dough no longer sticks to the hand. Leave to rise in the bowl covered with a tea towel. When it is ready, you can stretch it out and cut oblong shapes out of it, deep frying on low heat. There is the option to take spoonfuls of the dough and carefully drop them in hot oil. Drain the excess oil, and you can douse them in confectionery sugar. Serve hot.
In a strange occurrence, whose explanation is lost in time, in Romanian fried dough is associated with lying. One colloquial way of saying that you are being deceptive is saying that you 'dole out fried dough'. This explains the name of another preparation, a variation on fried dough that is very popular with children, called, literally, 'little lies'. Again, no one knows at this point in time where the name originated. They are easy to make, and are a treat. They are crunchy, and so airy that they melt in the mouth.
The dough is the same as in the case of simple fried dough. Roll it out on a cutting board in a very thin layer. Using a pizza cutter, separate strips 2-3 cm wide, or one inch, about 15 cm long, about 5 inches. Right in the middle of the strip, make another cut about 4 cm long, about an inch and a half. Take one end of the strip and carefully stick it through the slit, making a simple ribbon shape. Carefully drop them into the deep frying oil, then take them out when they are golden brown. Douse in confectionery sugar. You can serve them plain, or you can dip them in the jam or preserve of your choice. Enjoy!