Appetizers

Simple Sugar Donuts

These doughnuts are made from a very buttery yeast dough. You can make this dough by hand or with a stand mixer. You will start with the paddle attachment, and when kneading the dough, switch to the dough hook. In a large bowl, add all-purpose flour, then active dry yeast, and whisk the yeast into the flour.

Add softened butter and work it into the flour mixture until it’s in small pieces, like coarse crumbs. You could use your fingertip or a pastry blender. Using a stand mixer, use a paddle attachment for this. Then add granulated white sugar and salt and whisk that in.

Make a well at the centre, add one room-temperature egg and lukewarm milk, and use a spatula to start mixing them. Once the dough starts to come together, use your hands to knead it. You want to mix the dough just until it is well-formed. You do not want to over-knead the dough because the doughnuts will be tough.

When kneading the dough, you will work on it until it is no longer sticky and nice and smooth. That will take about five minutes. Using a stand mixer, you will knead the dough for about three minutes. Take a large bowl and oil it.

Then, place the dough in it and cover the top with plastic wrap. Put it in a warm place and let it rise almost double. That will take about two hours. To form the dough nits, sprinkle a little flour on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dump the dough onto your work surface and roll it to about half an inch, which is about one centimetre.

You can make these doughnuts any size you want. You can use a doughnut cutter or two cookie cutters, large and small, and then line them on the baking sheet. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise again until doubled, which will take half an hour and an hour.

While the doughnuts are rising, heat your oil because you will be deep-frying them. Be very careful when using hot oil. You will need a large pot like a Dutch oven and a pit about 2 inches, which is 5 centimetres of oil. Heat the oil on medium-high heat, and it will take about 20 minutes to bring the oil up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a candy thermometer for this.

To gently fry the doughnuts, put them in the oil and don’t overcrowd the pot. It will take 30 to 60 seconds per side for the doughnuts to fry to a golden brown. Then, remove them from the oil and place them on a paper towel-lined plate. Cover the cooked doughnuts on a plate with granulated white sugar until very well coated, then serve warm. The outside of these doughnuts is nice and crisp, and the sugary coating is out of this world.

Ingredients;

  • 2 1/4 – 2 1/2 cups (295 – 325 grams) of all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • Three tablespoons (40 grams) room temperature unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • Three tablespoons (35 grams) granulated white sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk, heated to lukewarm
  • One large egg, lightly beaten

Topping:

  • 1/2 – 1 cup (100-200 grams) granulated white sugar or 1/2 – 1 cup (60 – 120 grams) sifted powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar

Instructions;

  1. Whisk together 2 1/4 cups (295 grams) of flour and the yeast in a large bowl.
  2. Add the butter and cut or rub the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or your fingertips until you have coarse crumbs. Stir in the sugar and salt.
  3. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, add the lukewarm milk and lightly beaten egg, and stir until you have a dough ball.
  4. If necessary, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time. Then transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until it is no longer sticky and smooth and elastic (about five minutes).
  5. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a large, lightly greased bowl, turning once. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled (approximately 1 1/2 – 2 hours).
  6. Then, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and gently punch the dough to release the air. Roll the dough to a thickness of about 1/2 inch (1 cm) with a lightly floured rolling pin.
  7. Cut the dough into about 2 1/2 – 3 inches (6-7 cm) circles using a lightly floured doughnut cutter or cookie cutter (you will need a smaller cookie cutter to cut out the centre “hole”).
  8. Place the doughnuts on a lightly floured baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Gather up the scraps, roll, and cut out the remaining doughnuts.
  9. You can keep the doughnut holes to fry separately if you like. Loosely cover the doughnuts with plastic wrap (lightly butter or spray the plastic wrap with a nonstick vegetable spray so the doughnuts won’t stick) and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled (about 30-60 minutes).
  10. Clip a candy thermometer to the inside of a large, deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan (Dutch oven). At medium-high heat, bring about 2 inches (5 cm) of oil (canola, vegetable, peanut, or corn) to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  11. Carefully place the doughnuts into the hot oil, about 2 to 3 at a time (do not overcrowd). Fry each side until golden brown, about 45-60 seconds per side.
  12. The doughnut holes will only take about 30 seconds per side. Carefully remove the doughnuts from the hot fat with the end of a wooden spoon, tongs, slotted spoon, bamboo chopstick, or Chinese skimmer.
  13. Place on a baking sheet lined with clean paper towels. After a minute, roll the doughnuts in the sugar. Let the oil return to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) before adding more doughnuts.

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