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Desserts

Spurgos

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30 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
20 doughnuts
Servings

Ingredients

  • 500g (4 1/4 cups) Flour
  • 250ml (1 cup) Warm milk
  • 2 Eggs
  • 50g (1/4 cup) Sugar
  • 50g (3 1/2 tbsp) Butter, melted
  • 7g (2 3/4 tsp) Dried yeast
  • Pinch of salt
  • Jam, for filling
  • Vegetable oil, for frying
  • Icing sugar, for dusting

Method

  1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk with a pinch of the sugar and leave for 10 minutes until foamy.
  2. Mix the flour, remaining sugar, and salt, then work in the eggs, melted butter, and yeast mixture to form a soft dough.
  3. Knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic, then cover and prove in a warm place for about an hour, until doubled.
  4. Roll out the dough to about 1.5cm thick and cut into rounds.
  5. Cover and leave to prove again for 20 minutes.
  6. Fry in batches in oil heated to 170°C (340°F) for 2-3 minutes per side until deep golden.
  7. Drain, cool slightly, fill with jam using a piping bag, and dust with icing sugar.

Introduction: Yeasted, jam-filled doughnuts like spurgos are especially associated with Užgavėnės, the Lithuanian Shrovetide festival, when rich, fried foods are eaten in abundance before the fasting season of Lent begins.

Cultural Background: Yeasted, jam-filled doughnuts like spurgos are especially associated with Užgavėnės, the Lithuanian Shrovetide festival, when rich, fried foods are eaten in abundance before the fasting season of Lent begins.

Tips: Keep the oil temperature steady around 170°C — too hot and the doughnuts brown before the inside cooks; too cool and they absorb excess oil.

Variations: Fill with sweetened curd cheese instead of jam, or leave plain and roll in cinnamon sugar straight out of the fryer.

Nutrition: Approx. 210 kcal, 5g protein, 8g fat, 30g carbohydrates per doughnut.

FAQs:

Q: Why didn't my dough rise properly?
A: The yeast may have been old, or the milk too hot and killed it — milk should be warm to the touch, not hot.

Q: Can spurgos be baked instead of fried?
A: They can be baked at 190°C for about 15 minutes, though the texture will be closer to a bread roll than a classic fried doughnut.

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