Bimuelos (Sephardic Doughnuts) Makes about 24 medium or 48 small doughnuts

These are also called awamee in Arabic, loukoumades (loukoumas singular) in Greek, and lokmas in Turkish.

1 package (2½ teaspoons) active dry yeast

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

2 cups warm water

1 teaspoon granulated sugar or honey

1/8 teaspoon salt

2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting or sugar syrup

Dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup water. Stir in the sugar or honey and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the yeast mixture and remaining water into the well and stir until smooth. The dough will not be very thick. Cover and let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, about 1½ hours. Stir.

Heat 2 inches oil over medium heat to 375 degrees.

Dip a teaspoon or tablespoon into cold water and use the spoon to drop the dough into the hot oil. (Moisten your fingers to prevent sticking.) In batches, fry the doughnuts until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Dip the warm doughnuts into the cooled syrup or sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Serve immediately. (To serve bimuelos later, let them cool without the syrup and store in an airtight container. Just before serving dip into warm syrup.)

VARIATION: Zelebi (Middle Eastern Funnel Cakes): Pour the dough from a large spoon or squeeze it from a plastic squeeze bottle or pastry bag into the hot oil in a spiral fashion into a 6-inch-long coil. Makes about 26 cakes.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount