These old-fashioned Fried Pancakes are Greek Tiganites. A frugal sweet made of a flour and water batter that gets deep-fried in olive oil and served with honey, cinnamon, and sesame seeds. This is one of the easiest, quickest sweet treats you can make!
In previous decades this was one of the most popular and loved homemade Greek desserts. During periods in time when people didn't have much available in their pantries this little treat was a real savior. Apart from being sweet and tasty, it's also very filling as well (something very important back then).
Table Of Contents
Ingredients
You need 1 ingredient to make this fried pancake recipe. And that is durum wheat flour. In Greece, we call it Horiatiko Alevri which means village flour. This flour is used to make traditional phyllo for pies like Hortopita for example.
If you can't find durum wheat flour at your local grocery store you can order online at King Artur Baking. NOTE: It is not the same as semolina flour. Semolina flour is a bit coarser than durum flour.
The remaining ingredients are:
- Water
- Salt
- Baking Powder (optional)
- Olive oil for frying
- Honey (to serve with)
- Sesame Seeds (to serve with)
- Ground Cinnamon (to serve with)
Ingredient Substitutes:
All-purpose flour instead of durum wheat. You can make these pancakes using all-purpose flour but they will be slightly less tasty. To make them using all-purpose flour use the same amount of flour but less water. For example for every cup of flour use â…” of a cup of water. Or for every 100 grams of all-purpose flour use 150 grams/ml of water.
Grape molasses, pomegranate molasses, or maple syrup instead of honey.
Ground walnuts instead of sesame seeds. It's always one of these two that are sprinkled on Greek desserts like this one.
Half vegetable oil, half olive oil for frying instead of just olive oil. Olive oil is what's used traditionally to fry Greek pancakes. It gives a nutty and earthy flavor but it's heavier and can be a bit expensive too. Since we're using it for frying purposes it doesn't need to be extra virgin just plain olive oil will do. And any other vegetable oil like sunflower, corn oil, or canola can be used together with the olive oil.
Making The Batter
To make frying pancake batter mix the dry ingredients together first (flour, salt, baking powder). Then add the water and whisk until smooth. Let stand for 15 minutes while you heat the oil in a pan.
How To Fry Pancakes
To deep fry pancakes, heat plenty of olive oil in a frying pan. The oil should be covering the walls of the pan by at least 1,5 cm in height (that's almost â…“ of the pan's height). The oil should be sizzling hot but not smokey hot.
The ideal temperature is 180°C / 355°F to 190°C / 375°F. You can use an instant-read thermometer for a precise temperature.
Once the oil gets to the desired temperature, start adding spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil. Do this carefully and add each spoonful at a time. Waiting 10 seconds between each spoonful to avoid dropping the temperature too much.
Deep-fry the pancakes until deep golden. Flipping them as necessary, but waiting for 2 minutes without flipping in the beginning. Transfer the deep-fried pancakes to paper towels and then serve immediately while they're still warm.
Serving
Serve the Greek pancakes while they're still hot, topped with honey, ground cinnamon, and sesame seeds or ground walnuts. Melted dark chocolate is a great modern alternative for chocaholics.
If you are making these for breakfast, you can top them with Greek yogurt and your favorite fresh fruit, strawberry jam, or berry jam. You may also try my healthy and easy raw strawberry sauce.
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Loukoumades are deep-fried Greek-style donuts made with yeast and without any dairy. Very similar to Greek Pancakes/Tiganites, served also with honey, they're airy, puffy, and delicious!
Leftovers
Keep the leftover batter in the fridge until the next day. You may also use it as a frying batter for fish or vegetables.
Recipe
Fried Pancakes (Tiganites)
Ingredients
For The Pancakes:
- 350 grams (12.3 ounces) durum wheat flour see notes below
- 540 ml (2 cups + 4 tablespoons) water
- ½ teaspoon baking powder Optional, but will make the pancakes more puffy if used
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- olive oil or other vegetable or frying oil
- 300 ml vegetable oil
To Serve With:
- honey, sesame seeds, ground cinnamon or see the text above for more toppings
Instructions
- Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
- Pour in the water and stir well with a whisk.
- Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Heat olive oil (or half olive oil and half other vegetable oil) in a pan over high heat. The oil should coat the walls of the pan by 1,5 cm (½-inch).
- The oil should reach a temperature of at least 180°C / 355°F to 190°C / 375°F.
- Start adding spoonfuls of the batter to the hot oil, one at a time waiting 10 seconds before adding the next one so they won't stick together (See Notes Below).
- Fry for 4 to 6 minutes flipping them after the first 2 minutes and then as necessary to get honey-golden on both sides.
- Transfer on paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Serve right away with lots of honey on top, sesame seeds, and ground cinnamon.
Notes
- Depending on how finely ground the durum flour you are using is, its weight may differ in volume. That's why I'm not mentioning measuring in cups. It is better to weigh the flour. If using King Arthur's durum flour then the weight is 124 grams per cup so you need 3 cups minus 2 tablespoons for this recipe.
- Fry no more than 4 to 5 pancakes at a time. To avoid the temperature of the oil falling too much but also to leave some space for the pancakes to fry and crisp properly.
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