How to Make Hojaldre from Panama (You Must Try)

Don’t you love the taste of biting into a warm fried food? I definitely do! I especially love freshly fried snacks! Haha! Anyway, one thing I love about the hojaldre from Panama is that it is SO EASY to make and it ALWAYS satisfies my craving for carbs. Bread lovers… you will SO love this Panamanian bread recipe! Hojaldres are an ESPECIALLY delicious addition to a typical Panamanian breakfast. Anyway, what I have for you today are several recipes for how to make Panamanian hojaldres that I KNOW you’ll enjoy! Keep reading to learn more about these Panamanian breakfast foods!

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What Is An Hojaldre in Panama?

So, a Panamanian hojaldre is a very popular Panamanian fried bread recipe. It’s a traditional Panamanian food that you find in just about any Panamanian household. And, it’s a SUPER easy Panamanian recipe, too.

[FYI, I’ve also seen hojaldres spelled hojaldas or hojaldras. Just know that it’s all the same thing].

This Panamanian fried bread is very similar to other fried bread recipes in other countries.

For example, take a look at the list below to see what I mean:

Torta frita (Argentina & Uruguay)
Sopaipilla (Chile)
Cachanga (Peru)
Fried bread or frybread (Navajo tribes of United States)

Also, just another FYI, these Panamanian breakfast foods are also very popular in Colombia.

Actually, I’ve noticed that there are a lot of Panamanian foods that seem to be the same or similar to Colombian food culture. This could be because Panama is located directly above Colombia.

Anyway, the hojaldra, empanadas, and chicheme corn drink are just three examples of Panamanian foods that are also popular in Colombia.

Ingredients for Hojaldre from Panama Recipe

These are some of the most basic ingredients that many Panamanian hojaldre recipes require:

All-purpose flour
Water
Frying oil
Sugar
Salt
Baking powder

Hojaldre Ingredient Variations

Some Panamanian families like to add any or all of these ingredients to their Panamanian hojaldras recipes:

Eggs
Butter
Milk

How to Make an Hojaldre of Panama Cuisine

Although each family makes them differently, these are the basic steps for making some amazing easy hojaldra of Panamanian cuisine.

In a large bowl, add the sifted flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Mix.
Make a well in the middle.
Add oil and some water (or milk).
Mix.
Begin to knead the newly formed dough.
Add a little more water to the dough little by little as needed. (Do not add too much water… it will cause the dough to become too sticky).
Keep kneading the dough until you’re able to form a large ball.
Cover the bowl with the dough inside.
Keep the dough covered for at least ½ hour (the longer it stays in the bowl, the easier it is to stretch the dough later).
Next, heat a good amount of frying oil in a pan.
Tear out a small amount of dough, about the size of a golf ball.
Stretch the dough with your fingers until the dough is about the size of a corn tortilla.
Carefully add the stretched dough to the hot oil.
Fry the dough until it is golden brown on one side (about 2 minutes).
Carefully flip the dough over to fry the other side (about another 2 minutes).
Take the dough out when the other side is golden brown.
Place the fried dough on a paper towel to catch the excess oil.
Once the hojaldre is cool enough to handle, serve and enjoy!

See? The directions for how to make hojaldre from Panama are pretty easy, right? However, I do understand that many of us rely more heavily on visual instructions.

For this reason, keep scrolling to see how to make homemade Panamanian hojaldres.

Panamanian Hojaldre Recipe #1

So, for our first Panama hojaldre recipe, I will share with you this EXCELLENT YouTube video recipe by Panama Tropic showing you how to make Panamanian hojaldres.

If you’re interested in making this recipe, you can check out Panama Tropic’s webpage by clicking here.

(FYI, this is the recipe I used to make my hojaldres).

Panamanian Hojaldra Recipe #2

Looking for how to make another Panamanian fried dough recipe with butter? Well, then I recommend that you take a look at this TOTALLY easy recipe by Hispanic Kitchen.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this hojaldras recipe:

Flour
Salt
Baking powder
Sugar
Butter
Water
Frying oil

Like the recipe above this one, what you’ll like about this Panamanian fried bread recipe is that it’s very detailed and offers some good tips, too.

For example, this recipe blog lets us know that the dough fries SUPER fast, so it’s best to not step away from the stove while it’s cooking.

Take a look for yourself and see!

Hojaldre from Panama Recipe #3

Ok, so here is one last EXCELLENT and very easy recipe video for hojaldre in Panama.

This last recipe is by YouTuber Angelica MP and it’s different from the ones above because they add an egg.

Also, they make a special salsa recipe at the end which you can use to dip your hojaldre 😉

P.S. the video is in Spanish, but I have included notes for you in English below the video.

Notes for Video Above

Ingredients (Video Above)

400 grams (or approximately 2 cups) of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of salt
3 teaspoons of sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon of oil
1 cup of water (or approximately 220 milliliters… you can use milk instead of water)
Frying oil

How to Make Hojaldre in Panamanian Cuisine (Video Above)

In a large bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Mix.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil.
Mix.
Crack the egg open and add it to the bowl.
Mix.
Add 1 cup of water.
Mix.
Add more water little by little as needed.
Knead the dough with your hands until it becomes soft.
Form a large ball with the dough.
Put the dough back in the large bowl.
Cover the dough with saran wrap.
Place the bowl with the dough inside in the refrigerator.
Let the dough rest in the refrigerator overnight.
The next morning, take the dough out of the refrigerator.
Cut the dough into smaller pieces.
Roll the dough into small balls.
With your fingers, spread the dough out until it is about 0.5 centimeters thick.
Place the dough into hot oil in a pan on the stove.
Fry the dough on both sides until golden brown.
Take the dough out of the hot oil when it’s done.

How to Make Dipping Sauce for Panamanian Hojaldras (Video Above)

For this recipe, you’ll just need to mix together the following ingredients:

Pickles
Chopped tomatoes
Diced onions
Ketchup
Hot sauce (why not try Panamanian hot sauce)

After you’ve mixed these ingredients together, put a dap on top of the fried sausage, and then dip the hojaldra in it.

Tips for Making Hojaldre

Sometimes you may not need all of the water that the recipe asks for.
If your dough is too sticky, you probably added too much water. To fix this, add a little bit of flour (little by little).
The hojaldre cooks fast! It only takes about 2 minutes on each side.

What to Serve With an Hojaldre from Panama

Hojaldres from Panama go well with the following foods from Panama:

Salchicha guisada (Panamanian stewed sausage)
Queso blanco (a kind of white cheese that’s very popular in Latin American countries)
Eggs
Ham
Beans
Beefsteak
Sprinkle with some powdered sugar on top

Frequently Asked Questions for Hojaldra from Panama

Here are some FAQs and answers related to Panamanian hojaldras.

How many calories are in a hojaldre from Panama?

Here are the approximate (and general) measurements for a Panamanian hojaldre. As mentioned previously, each family makes their hojaldre different. For example, some family recipes add eggs or milk. Others do not add these ingredients.

1 serving (11 grams) = 61 calories
4.24 grams of fat
5.03 grams of carbohydrates
0.81 grams of protein

Source

How do you make hojaldra?

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Add oil and some water.
Mix well.
Knead the newly formed dough.
Add water as needed.
Let the dough rest for about ½ hour.
Tear off a piece of dough.
Roll the dough into a ball.
Flatten out the dough with your fingers.
Carefully place the flattened dough in hot oil to fry.
Fry the dough until golden brown.
Flip the dough and fry until the other side is golden brown.
Place the hojaldra on paper towels to drain the excess oil.
Enjoy!

Do you say hojaldra or hojaldre?

Panamanian hojaldra can be said either hojaldra or hojaldre.

Final Thoughts on Hojaldra from Panamanian Cuisine

I seriously hope you consider making one of these delicious Panamanian breakfast food items. As mentioned several times above, it’s super easy to make an hojaldra from Panama and they’re SOoOOoOO delicious, too! You should definitely consider trying them!

What are your thoughts on Panamanian hojaldres? Have you ever had them? Please let me know in the comments below!