Growing up in Terengganu, one of my favorite afternoon tea snacks was kayu keramat. Literally translated as ‘sacred stick’ (don’t ask), it is basically a lightly sweet fried dough. A local doughnut, so to speak.
Having lived in Kuala Lumpur for almost 15 years now, I have never seen kayu keramat sold anywhere here. Ever. The closest approximation I could get are the butterfly buns from I Love Yoo, and I used to buy them pretty frequently (to the detriment of my waistline) when I was working in Publika.
We’re in our Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) right now, and we just received our latest shipment of bread flour bought online. It dawned on me that I haven’t had butterfly buns in ages, and I seriously don’t feel like paying RM2.50 a piece for them. Why not make them at home, with the convenience of my Kenwood BM450 breadmaker?
I made these today, based on the recipe Dari Dapur Madihaa. I modified the recipe with steps for the breadmaker, and also added the butter later to allow the dough to autolyse first, for a fluffier bread. These are seriously good, guys. When perfectly fried, you will bite into a thin, crispy outer crust into a fluffy, soft center. Enjoy them on their own, or dipped into your favorite soup. Or black coffee. So many possibilities.
Enjoy! From Terengganu with love :).
Step by step
Ingredients
- 320 ml water
- 500 grams plain flour OR bread flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon yeast
- 100 grams sugar
- 20 grams salted butter OR margarine, melted
Directions
In your breadmaker pan, add the water.
Add the flour, baking soda, yeast and sugar.
Transfer the breadpan to your machine, and start the Dough program. On the Kenwood BM450, this will take 1 hour 30 minutes.
About 5 to 10 minutes into the kneading cycle, add the melted butter or margarine.
If using a stand mixer, add all the ingredients except the butter or margarine into your stand mixer bowl. Knead at the lowest speed until a rough dough forms, then increase the speed a notch. After 2 or 3 minutes kneading, add the butter or margarine. Continue kneading at speed 2 for another 7 to 8 minutes, until the dough is elastic and can be stretched until transclucent without tearing. Shape the dough into a ball, transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and let rise, until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Once the program has finished or the dough is done rising, transfer the dough to a lightly oiled surface.
Divide the dough into 20 pieces, each about the size of a ping pong ball.
Working with a piece of dough at a time, roll into a small log, about 6 inches. I usually shape it such that the ends are thinner than the middle.
Repeat for the remaining dough.
Heat 1 to 2 inches of oil in a wok or pot,between 185 to 190 degrees C. The oil is ready when a bamboo skewer sizzles and bubbles when dipped into it.
Pull the dough to stretch it out a little as you lower them into the hot oil.
Fry the kayu keramat in batches, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Do not overcrowd the pot.
Drain on paper towels, and serve warm.
You can also par-fry the kayu keramat , about 1 to 2 minutes per side, and store in the fridge/freezer. I usually finish them in the air fryer at 180 degrees C for 6 minutes, for a quick afternoon snack with less guilt and all the yumminess. Yum!
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