🍯 Katimeria of Samos with Grape Molasses, Walnuts and Cinnamon

🌾 Fluffy fried dough with the aroma of souma

Katimeria are small fried dough pies made with yeast, crisp on the outside and soft inside.

In the Samian version, the dough is flavoured with souma or ouzo and, after frying, the katimeria are served with grape molasses, coarsely chopped walnuts and cinnamon.

The grape molasses gives a deep grape flavour, the walnuts add crunch and the cinnamon completes the dessert with its warm aroma.

👨‍🍳 Prepare the yeast

Pour the lukewarm water into a large bowl.

Add the fresh yeast and sugar.

Stir well until completely dissolved.

The water should be lukewarm, not hot.

🥃 Add the souma

Pour the souma into the yeast mixture.

Ouzo can also be used, but souma gives the dough a more distinctly Samian character.

Stir well to combine.

🌾 Add the flours

Mix the strong flour with the yellow flour.

Gradually add them to the bowl, mixing by hand at first.

Add the salt.

Continue until all the flour is incorporated.

🤲 Knead

Knead until you have a smooth, soft and elastic dough.

The dough should remain tender and easy to shape after rising.

Form it into a ball inside the bowl.

⏳ Let the dough rise

Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel.

Leave the dough in a warm place for about 30 minutes, until it begins to rise.

Once ready, gently press and knead it briefly to release excess air.

🫓 Shape the katimeria

Divide the dough into small pieces of around 30–40 g each.

Shape them into balls.

Using your hands or a small rolling pin, flatten each ball into a small round pie.

They do not need to be perfectly uniform.

🔥 Heat the olive oil

Pour plenty of olive oil into a deep frying pan and heat well.

The oil should be hot enough for the dough to puff almost immediately when added.

🥞 Fry

Fry only a few katimeria at a time.

Cook for about 1–2 minutes on each side, until evenly golden.

During frying, the dough puffs up and develops a thin crisp exterior while remaining soft inside.

🧻 Drain

Remove the katimeria with a slotted spoon.

Place them on absorbent kitchen paper to remove excess oil.

Continue with the remaining dough.

🍇 Grape molasses, walnuts and cinnamon

While the katimeria are still warm, drizzle generously with grape molasses.

Sprinkle with coarsely chopped walnuts and cinnamon.

The grape molasses lightly soaks into the warm surface, while the walnuts add a crisp contrast.

🍽️ Serving

Katimeria are best served warm or lukewarm, shortly after frying.

Extra grape molasses can be served on the side.

They pair beautifully with Greek coffee or another warm drink and work equally well as a dessert or a rich breakfast.