Two twisted doughnuts on a plate

Kleinur Icelandic doughnuts

Name: Kleinur Icelandic doughnuts
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: Makes 60 doughnuts
Cuisine: Icelandic
Ingredients: 100g butter softened; 100g caster sugar; 500g plain flour plus extra for dusting; 2 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp ground cardamom; 1 tsp lemon juice; 250ml whole milk; rapeseed oil, sunflower or vegetable oil for deep-frying; icing sugar to serve

Save recipe

Makes 60 doughnuts

Easy

Prep: 50 mins

Cook: 25 mins

0 reviews

loading...

Get 5 months for £5 when you subscribe today

Try chef Aggi Sverrisson's recipe for traditional Icelandic twisted doughnuts, also known as Kleinur. Deep fry your batter and dust with icing sugar

Skip to ingredients

Alternatives

Complete the dish

Showing items 1 to 3 of 3

Baileys pecan blondies

A star rating of 4 out of 5.1 rating

Mango ice cream with raspberry coulis

A star rating of 0 out of 5.0 ratings

Blackberry and raspberry-ripple ice cream with almond tuilles

A star rating of 0 out of 5.0 ratings

Make these kleinur Icelandic dougnuts, then check out our jam doughnuts, brioche doughnuts, Greek doughnuts and more doughnut recipes.

Try this Icelandic doughnut recipe from Icelandic chef Aggi Sverrisson. Aggi says, "These twisted doughnuts are an extremely traditional Icelandic pastry – as a child you grow up seeing your grandmother make these, and you would be asked to make them at the weekend." This is a recipe that Aggi shared as part of his guide to Icelandic cuisine. Check it out to learn about Icelandic food staples such as wild salmon, rotten shark and sea urchin.

Born in Iceland, Aggi Sverrisson’s cooking career began at the age of 18, leading him to England where he joined Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, and was promoted to head chef in 2005. He launched his first independent venture in 2007, becoming chef patron of London’s renowned Texture restaurant and champagne bar. Honoured with a Michelin star in 2010, Texture retained its coveted award for 10 years. In 2020, Aggi returned to Iceland, taking the executive chef position at Moss restaurant, where he integrates Asian flavours as he explores Iceland’s culinary frontiers. Find the menu at bluelagoon.com

Ingredients

Nutrition

100g butter

softened
100g caster sugar
500g plain flour

plus extra for dusting
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp lemon juice
250ml whole milk
rapeseed oil, sunflower or vegetable oil

for deep-frying
icing sugar

to serve

Nutrition: per serving

kcal56
fat2g
saturates1g
carbs8.3g
sugars1.9g
fibre0.3g
protein1g
salt0.2g

Method

step 1

Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on a medium speed for 2 mins until light and fluffy. Mix the flour, baking powder, cardamom and ½ tsp of salt, and add to the butter. Beat together until combined – it will still be quite dry. Combine the lemon juice and milk in a jug then, with the paddle attachment going at a medium-low speed, gradually add the liquid to the dry until combined and just coming together.
step 2

Lightly flour a worksurface. Remove the dough from the mixer and knead for 2-3 mins or until a soft dough forms. Flour the worksurface again and roll out the dough into a rough rectangle, approximately 4mm thick. Cut into strips roughly 5-6cm wide. Taking the first strip, slice a small diagonal piece from the top and bottom then continue to cut the strip into diamond-shaped pieces. Make a slit in the middle of each diamond using a sharp knife, tucking one end of the diamond through the hole to form a knot shape. Repeat with the remaining strips. Gather together any excess dough, briefly knead together and repeat the shaping process – you should end up with around 60 kleinurs. Discard any left-over dough, as over-kneading will result in tough kleinurs.
step 3

In a deep, wide pan, heat around 700ml of oil (this might vary depending on the size of your pot) over a medium heat to 180C – a cube of bread should be golden after 15 seconds. Fry six or seven kleinur at a time, leaving for 1 min-1 min 30 seconds as they rise before flipping them over and cooking for a further minute or until deeply golden all over. Use a slotted spoon to put them on a wire rack set over kitchen paper to cool slightly, before transferring to a plate. Dust with icing sugar and serve. You can store the kleinur in an airtight container or plastic bag for one day or they can be frozen for up to a month.

Discover more deep-fried recipes

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?1 star out of 52 stars out of 53 stars out of 54 stars out of 55 stars out of 5

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

CommentQuestionTip

Overall rating