Twisted Doughnut Recipe (Shakoy)

This Twisted Doughnut recipe is fail-proof and easy to follow with these clear instructions. This recipe yields a luscious, crunchy Shakoy.

What is Twisted Doughnut (Shakoy)

These Filipino-style twisted doughnuts have been called different names in the Philippines; in Luzon, they call it Pilipit, which means twist. In the Visayas region, we call it Shakoy, a term I don’t even understand, but let’s live with it and munch it. And since this snack is also well-known in Korea, they call it Kkwabaegi.

 

This Filipino delicacy’s mode of cooking is deep frying. After frying them, you will dip them into the glaze or put some cinnamon sugar to make them sweet. 

Twisted Doughnut (Shakoy) is and always has been my favorite snack. I remember I was always excited to see those smoking hot twisted donuts on the sidewalk stalls in my neighborhood. The smell of fresh dough rises, and melted butter comes right at me, so I promise myself that I should learn to make it when I come here to the US twenty years ago. Twisted Doughnut is now one of my children’s favorite rolls too!

After the heartwarming feedback on my Brazo De Mercedes recipe, I want to share this famous Filipino snack.

 

Filipino-Style Twisted Doughnut vs. Churros

Churros is an extruded or choux pastry, deep-fried or baked and then coated with sugar or other spices. Often people add a chocolate dip or different garnishing flavors. It has a long, thin shape with a ridged surface of about an inch. On the other hand, Filipino-style Twisted Doughnut is sugar-coated, twisted, and fried using homemade dough whose ingredients are easy to find; probably, they are in your pantry.

What about the yeast?

Use active dry yeast in this recipe. Make sure that the yeast is not expired by checking its efficacy. Mix the yeast with warm to the touch water and let it bloom for five minutes. If no bubbles are formed within five minutes, you need a new bottle of yeast.

What Equipment can you use to make a Twisted Doughnut easier?

• Bread Machine
  Yes, you use a bread machine when you make your Twisted Doughnuts. Just follow the machine’s instructions and have it do the hard work of kneading the dough for you. If you don’t have this, you can use your hand to knead. As you can see in the video, kneading is very easy.
• Electric Mixer
  You can use a hand mixer or even a stand mixer to make the dough for you, and it will do all the heavy work of kneading the dough and, at the same time, whipping up some air into your dough.
• By hand- in this post, I kneaded this manually.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour- I use all-purpose flour for this recipe since it’s currently available in my kitchen
• Butter
• Active yeast -ensure the yeast you will use is not expired.
• White granulated sugar- used as a sweetener
• Milk 
• Egg 
• Salt
• Vanilla 
• Canola oil – There are different oil in the market, but I often use Canola oil. 

How to Make Twisted Doughnuts?

Prepare the yeast Mixture.

1. Place the butter in a small saucepan and melt on low heat.
2. Add the milk and remove the saucepan from the stove when the butter is melted. Add in the milk.
3. Add egg, sugar, and kosher salt and mix until dissolved.
4. After mixing thoroughly, add the active dry yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes. You will see bubbles.

How to Make the Dough

• Pour the mixture into the flour and mix with a wooden spoon or a spatula.

• Knead using your hand and knead until smooth. Form into a ball, and transfer the dough to an oiled container.

• then cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough proof for the first time in a warm place for one hour. 

• After an hour, punch the dough to deflate air and knead until smooth. Cover again and let it sit in a warm place for another 30 minutes.

Rolling the Twisted Doughnut

• Uncover the dough, knead for a few minutes, and form it into a ball. Divide the ball into two.

• , then divide it equally into 16 pieces

• Form into a ball

• Make sure that you sprinkle a small amount of flour on your working surface

• Start in the middle and gently form the dough into a string.

When you have formed the dough into a twelve-inch long dough, roll the dough in a different direction to build tension.

• Hold both ends and let the dough hang in the air, letting it twists naturally.

• Guide the dough to make a better-forming twist.

Frying the Twisted Doughnut

• Heat a large amount of oil in a deep skillet setting it to 350 F, and lower heat to medium to get that crisp outside and soft inside shakoy. 

• Fry doughnuts until golden brown on each side. Put about 3-4 doughnuts as they expand. Do not overcrowd the pan to maintain the temperature.

• Strain the cooked doughnuts. Please put them on a paper towel for a few seconds to remove the excess hot oil. Place them into the brown paper with sugar and shake so that the prepared sugar coats the doughnuts. Do this while the doughnuts are still hot.

Tips for success!

• Prepare Everything Ahead of Time– this makes cooking less stressful.
• Forming the dough– you will get the perfect twist by following the process I showed you. 
• Butter -When melting the butter, keep an eye on it and melt it in low heat. You don’t want it to burn.
• Working Surface Sprinkle flour on your working surface. It makes twisting the dough easier to form, as it helps not to stick the dough.
• Proofing This dough has been proofed three times! This ensures that the dough fully rises and is airy, making the twisted doughnut fluffy.
• Oil temperature– oil temperature should be 350 F. You can use a candy thermometer to test the oil, or you can drop a small amount of the dough into the middle of the pan, and if it floats and fries the oil is hot enough.
• Frying– Don’t crowd the pan to maintain the oil temperature. Drain the excess oil on a paper towel.
• Coat the doughnut with sugar while hot-this makes the sugar stick to the donut.

How to Serve?

• Cooked Twisted Donuts with granulated sugar
  Nothing beats the classic! You can also roll the hot baked doughnuts in a bowl of granulated sugar, and your taste buds will be delighted with every bite! You can better taste the donut dough mixture with these plain sweet twisted doughnuts.

• Glazed Twisted Donuts
  Definitely! You will need powdered sugar and whole milk to make the glaze for your Twisted Doughnuts. When you get the right consistency, whisk them together, slowly add more milk if needed, and set aside. Make sure that your glaze is not too thick or runny. It should be like a pouring sauce so you can dip your donuts perfectly.
• Cinnamon Sugar Twisted Donuts
  Another variety of Twisted Doughnuts happens by adding sugar and cinnamon to your dough while kneading the dough. Just add 1 cup of powdered sugar while you are making your dough and before frying or baking, whisk or cover them with cinnamon sugar so that every bite will have even more flavor!

How to Store?

1. Form the dough into a twist and line them on a baking sheet. Freeze the raw dough. When the dough is frozen, remove them from the pan and transfer it into a Ziploc.
2. When you are ready to fry them deep, let them thaw on the counter to room temperature and deep fry.
3. If you want to store them for the next day, keep them in an airtight container, then store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

For more Filipino Desserts, you can Make

1. How to Make Churros
2. 21 Famous Filipino Desserts