Cypriot- Daktyla Pastries: Lady's Fingers

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Makes about 45 pastries:
For the dough:
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Zest of an orange or lemon
• 3 eggs
• ¼ cup orange juice (water or lemon juice can be used as substitutes)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or orange blossom water
For the syrup:
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or orange blossom water
For the filling:
• ¾ cup toasted ground almonds (substitute walnuts or pistachios)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Flavorless vegetable oil for frying
Prepare the dough:
1. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and orange zest in a bowl and whisk together.
2. Combine the eggs, olive oil, juice, sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a tabletop mixer fitted with the hook attachment and whisk well together.
3. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and knead until a dough is formed.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside at room temperature for 1-2 hours so that the dough rests.
Prepare the syrup:
1. Combine the sugar, water, cinnamon stick, and orange juice in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
4. Set aside to cool completely.
Prepare the filling: Combine all of the filling ingredients together in a small bowl and mix together.
Cut the dough into 6 equal portions. I used a pasta roller to roll it out. It is much easier than doing it with a rolling pin. Just make sure that the pasta roller is well floured to prevent the dough from sticking. Pass each portion of dough through the pasta roller until it is long and very thin. Begin rolling at a thicker setting and slowly passing it through the thinner setting until it becomes almost see through. (Less than 1/8-inch-thick)
Set the rolled-out strips aside and cover with a clean towel.
Place ½ teaspoon of the filling at the edge of the strip of dough. Fold it over to cover the filling.
Lightly brush with water and fold it over one more time to seal it.
Note: Brush the pastry with a very small amount of water. Just enough to seal it. Too much water will create a very sticky dough and will be impossible to work with.
Cut the pastry with a pastry wheel or a knife and set aside. Set the pastries on a lightly floured work surface.
Continue filling the pastries and forming them into the shape of a finger.
Using a fork, press the ends of each pastry to seal them.
Place the pastries onto a lightly floured pan.
At this point, the pastries can be stored in the freezer up to a month. Wrap them airtight in plastic wrap until ready to fry.
Heat the oil in a pot or shallow pan until a candy thermometer registers 375 °F, 190 °C.
Fry the pastries until they are golden on both sides.
Transfer them onto a tray lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil then dip them into the cooled syrup. Turn them a few times in the syrup to coat all sides.
Transfer the pastries onto a serving platter. Garnish with some ground nuts and cinnamon (optional) and serve immediately. Enjoy!
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