Ghanaian Vegan Dry Bofrot (Togbeii)

Most often, the bofrot we all hear about is made from a wet batter that is dropped into hot oil. However, if you are not in Ghana, you will not know that there is actually another version. There are 100s of recipes for the wet variety but far fewer for the dry version, let alone a vegan version. The dry version of bofrot is larger, slightly sweet, with a hint of nutmeg and pineapple flavour (yes pineapple flavour). Almost like donuts but not really. These are sold at the side of the road as a snack.

In Canada, I was basically working blindly on this recipe because it is not something my mum made specifically. Plus, Ghanaians love eggs so they would sneak it in any recipe. But after some research, lots of trial and error I present to you the superior bofrot, also known as togbeii/boflot or by the Togolese as Africa Tennis. This is a perfect fried dough desert that is not too sweet, fluffy and soft on the inside and absolutely prefect for a sweet treat.

What You Will Need

• Flour: Mix of All purpose and bread flour to make the dough slightly chewy but also soft
• Leavening Agents: The non vegan version uses eggs and yeast but yeast alone does just fine
• Yoghurt: Using a plain plant-based yoghurt, preferably yoghurt or soy, adds some more moisture and fat to the bofrot replacing the eggs
• Plant-Based Butter: In Ghana, we use margarine instead of butter, so this is an easy swap. Adding some fat to the dough adds moisture
• Spices: Nutmeg is always a must in Ghanaian baked goods. You can also use vanilla or pineapple flavour to add depth to the dough
• Sugar: Obviously this is a sweet recipe. You can increase or decrease the amount of sugar to your taste
• Water: We are using water in the recipe instead of milk because, believe it or not, adding milk to baked/fried goods makes them brown faster because of the extra fats and sugars. We want the boflot to cook properly and not brown too quickly. I learned a lot about some of these dessert techniques from @cccscuriouskitchen (click here) to improve this recipe

How to make Boflot

• Bloom the yeast: Regardless of whether you are using active yeast or instant yeast, always bloom your yeast first. This way you can know whether the yeast is actually active and activate it. Blooming the yeast first is also helpful because it can activate without the presence of salt, which can affect yeast activity. Warm the water with sugar to lukewarm temperature. Add the yeast and let it sit for about 10 minutes as it blooms
• Mix the dry ingredients: flours, salt, sugar, spices, (you can add 1/2 tsp of turmeric for extra colour)
• Add the wet ingredients: you want all the wet ingredients to be warm. So set the yoghurt out at room temperature, warm a little bit of water for mixing and melt the butter
• Knead the dough: kneading is VERY IMPORTANT. This is how you will build structure and make the dough soft. Knead for 10 minutes by hand or with a stand mixer
• Let it rise twice: Let the dough rise once in a ball, shape and then let it rise again. Double rising makes the boflot soft
• Fry carefully

What Can I Serve this With

• You can enjoy this recipe with porridge or plant-based milk. In Ghana, bofrot is eaten with hot chocolate drink or ferment millet porridge. You can try this bofrot with my Fermented Teff Porridge (click here)

Print Recipe

Dry Bofrot

dessert – Ghanaian

By Afia – Serves: 6-8 large balls

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 20 minutes – Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients

• 1.5 cup bread flour
• 1 cup AP flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp yeast
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp each nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla or pineapple essence
• 2 tbsp plant based yoghurt (coconut or soy)
• 3 tbsp plant based butter melted
• lukewarm water
• 1/2 tsp of turmeric for colour
• Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

1

Bloom the yeast in 2 tsp sugar and 1/3 cup warm water for 10 minutes till the yeast starts to froth

2

While the yeast is blooming, mix your dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar, spices)

3

When the yeast has bloomed, create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the bloomed yeast, melted butter, yoghurt and essence.

4

Start to combine the dough together

5

Add in lukewarm water a table spoon at a time to combine the dough. I used about 1/4 cup of water (you need just enough to combine the dough into a ball. If you add too much water the dough will get sticky and it might throw off the recipe)

6

Knead the dough for 10 minutes to make it soft and smooth. Yes, set a timer and knead the dough for 10 minutes. if you are blessed to have a stand mixer, use the dough hook to knead the dough for 5-10 mins till the dough is soft

7

Once the dough has been kneaded, place it in a bowl and let it rise in a warm place for an hour or till it doubles in size

8

After the dough has risen roll it out into a log and divide into 8 even pieces. Roll each of these pieces into a ball

9

Lightly dust a baking tray with flour and place each ball on the baking tray evenly spaced

10

Let the dough rise again for 30 minutes.

11

As the second rise of the dough is coming to an end (about 20 minutes into the second rise) start to heat your oil. Fill a pot with oil about 2 inches high, or enough to properly keep the dough from the bottom of the pot. You want to heat the oil at low. You will know the oil is just hot enough if you place a wooden spoon in the oil and there are small bubbles around the spoon

12

After the 30 minutes of the second rise have elapsed, place the bofrot in the pot one at a time. In this case you want to crowd the pot because it helps to keep everything evenly cooking

13

Keep the oil at a medium heat and constantly flip the bofrot. I will suggest turning the bofrot every 15-30 seconds. Continue to do this till both sides of the bofrot are golden brown. Should take a total around 5 minutes to fry each bofrot

14

Remove each bofrot and place in a bowl lined with a paper towel

15

Enjoy hot