Benya Banana Fritters

Got a mountain of overripe bananas? This is the recipe.

Ten mashed bananas get folded into a yeasted dough fragrant with cinnamon, nutmeg, and grated orange rind, then left to rise overnight until it triples in size.

The next day, you drop spoonfuls into hot oil and fry them into puffy, golden fritters that are crisp on the outside and soft, banana-sweet on the inside.

This is a big-batch recipe that makes about 36 fritters, and they freeze well, so you can stash extras for later.

Serve them hot with a dusting of powdered sugar or let them cool for a grab-and-go snack.

Chef Tips

• Use the ripest bananas you can find. Brown-spotted and soft is exactly what you want. The riper they are, the sweeter and more flavorful the fritters.
• Let the dough rise the full overnight. The yeast needs time to work through all that banana and flour. Rushing it gives you dense, flat fritters.
• Drop by spoonfuls, not too big. Smaller fritters cook through evenly. Oversized ones end up raw in the center.
• These freeze beautifully. Cool completely, bag them up, and reheat in the oven or toaster for a quick treat.