I have an oven version on file already; I was just feeling a bit nostalgic for winter, Yes Winter! – In the midst of wildfire smoke and that is when I began to write down the more authentic version of bundás zsemle. In January, when the wind was howling outside and inside my family sat by the woodstove with a large tray of piping hot fried deliciousness… those are my memories of Bundás Zsemle.
In Hungarian “bunda” means furcoat and ‘bundás zsemle’ roughly translates to ‘bun in fur coat’. IMO furry bun is a bit of a stretch. In Hungarian, the word ‘bunda’ conjures up a fluffy covering and not so much a fur coat. Plus fur is hair right? And as such doesn’t sound appetizing. But then what to call these? Coated Fried Buns?
You could say Coated Fried Buns [ergo bundás zsemle] is the Hungarian equivalent of French toast and yet it has never been a breakfast fare. Always a salty deep fried evening snack or a meat replacing accompaniment to a vegetable stew during lean times.
You really need good crusty buns but these are hard to come by. What I can get in Kamloops is nothing like the crusty buns I grew up with. Yes I do make them, but not too often. I found the best replacement is a couple of days old French bread. Not the long skinny ones, the short ones with the wide breath. You could also use thick slices of sourdough or ciabatta buns, but only from white flour otherwise the flavor will not be right. Avoid soft buns and whole grains of any type. Always make it from stale bread and deep fry it to crispy golden magnificence.
COATED FRIED BUNS 4 crusty buns or 4 thick slices of stale French bread
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
sprinkling of salt
1/4 cup flour
oil for frying
salt to taste
• Cut the buns in half.
• In a shallow bowl whisk the egg, milk and the salt until well combined. Use the salt sparingly; it is only for the small amount of batter coating the buns.
• Place the flour in a separate shallow bowl.
• Heat an inch of oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat.
• One by one dip the buns into the egg mixture to coat.
• Next lightly dip both sides into the flour. You want a bit of flour to stick to the egg wash but don’t dip it more than once.
• Then dip the bun into the egg wash again. The order is this; egg wash first, flour next and egg wash once more.
• When the oil is ready, slice the coated buns into the oil.
• Turn the buns over with a kitchen thong and fry until both sides are golden brown.
• Let the buns drain on a wire rack for a couple of minutes, sprinkle with salt and eat!
