Ustipci 🍞 Bosnian Street-Style 🇧🇦 (Fried Dough Bites)

Description

Golden, fluffy bite-size fritters—soft inside, lightly crisp outside—perfect with kajmak or jam at kafana tables and fairs. Simple pantry dough, huge comfort. 🫶✨

Hook: One bowl, quick rise, hot oil—stack of warm ustipci in under an hour. ⚡

Ingredients

• Dough
• 🌾 All-purpose flour: 320 g (2½ cups / 11.3 oz)
• 🥛 Milk, lukewarm (or water): 250 ml (1 cup / 8 fl oz)
• 🥚 Egg: 1 large (50 g / 1.8 oz)
• 🍶 Plain yogurt (tender crumb): 60 g (¼ cup / 2.1 oz)
• 🧂 Salt: 6 g (1 tsp / 0.21 oz)
• 🍬 Sugar (for yeast): 8 g (2 tsp / 0.28 oz)
• 🍞 Instant dry yeast: 7 g (2¼ tsp / 0.25 oz)
• 🫒 Neutral oil (in dough): 15 ml (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• Frying & serving
• 🫒 Neutral oil for frying (5–6 cm depth): 700 ml (3 cups / 24 fl oz)
• 🧂 Pinch of salt for finishing: to taste
• 🧈 Kajmak or sour cream, to serve (optional): as desired
• 🍯 Jam or honey, sweet version (optional): as desired

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Mix: Whisk 🥛 milk, 🍬 sugar, and 🍞 yeast; rest 5 min until foamy. Beat in 🥚 egg, 🍶 yogurt, and 🫒 oil.
2. 2️⃣ Make dough: Add 🌾 flour and 🧂 salt; stir with a spoon until a thick, sticky batter forms (no need to knead). Cover; rise 25–35 min until puffy.
3. 3️⃣ Heat oil: Warm 🫒 frying oil to 175–180°C / 345–355°F.
4. 4️⃣ Fry: With two oiled spoons, drop walnut-size blobs of dough into the oil. Fry 2–3 min per side until deep golden and cooked through. Work in batches; don’t overcrowd.
5. 5️⃣ Drain & serve: Lift to a rack or paper; sprinkle a tiny 🧂 pinch. Serve hot with 🧈 kajmak/sour cream or dust with sugar and add 🍯 jam/honey.

Total Time

🕒 Prep: 15 min (+ rise 25–35 min)
🔥 Cook: 15–20 min
⏳ Total: ~55–70 min

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