Krofi

Krofisl

Also: Krof, Krofe, Trojanski krof, Slovenian Doughnut

Slovenian round yeast-raised doughnuts deep-fried until puffed, filled with apricot jam and dusted with sugar, traditional at Carnival.

Identity criteria

  1. 1Enriched yeast dough (eggs, butter, milk)
  2. 2Shaped into round balls with no hole
  3. 3Deep-fried so a pale ring forms around the middle
  4. 4Filled with apricot jam
  5. 5Dusted with powdered or vanilla sugar; a Carnival/pust treat

Components

Base

Enriched yeast doughessential

Fat

Butter in dough; oil/lard for fryingessential

Liquid

Milkessential

Binder

Eggsessential

Garnish

Apricot jam filling, powdered sugaressential

Technique

Proofing the enriched dough
Slow rises give the light, airy crumb of a proper krof
Deep-frying
Fries the puff and forms the signature pale ring around the equator

Form & serving

Served
Whole, dusted with sugar
Temperature
warm or room temperature
Portion
one or two doughnuts
Pairs with
coffee · tea

Character

Flavour

sweetbutteryfruity

Texture

light, airy fried dough with a soft jam center

Eaten

Eaten during Slovenian Carnival (pust) season, fresh and sugar-dusted.

When

winter

Variations & related

Regional variations

  • Trojanski krof · Trojane, Slovenia

    Famous large roadside version

  • Krapfen / Berliner · Austria / Germany

    The wider Central European filled-doughnut family

Related dishes

  • sibling Krapfen

    Austrian/German filled doughnut

  • sibling Paczki

    Polish Carnival doughnut

Substitutions

  • Apricot jamRosehip or plum jamadmissible

    Acceptable regional filling change

  • Yeast leaveningBaking powderinadmissible

    Loses the airy proofed crumb; becomes a cake doughnut, not krof

Common mistakes

  • Under-proofing so they fry dense and greasy
  • Frying at the wrong temperature so the pale ring doesn't form
  • Overfilling so jam leaks during frying
  • Using chemical leavening instead of yeast

Provenance

A Slovenian Carnival doughnut within the wider Central European Krapfen family.

References

  1. 1.Slovenian Carnival tradition

Confidence: high