First of all, Jerry tells me that there are two types of donuts: cake donuts and yeast risen donuts. Cake donuts rely on baking powder to rise, whereas yeast based donuts perform exactly like bread. For cake donuts, just think of the classic old-fashioned donut. For yeast donuts, imagine the standard Krispy Cream style.
Jerry likes working with the cake style donut. Here are a pair of dough recipes for the basic cake style.
Basic Cake Doughnut Batter
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
¼ cup butter, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
oil for deep frying
For Cinnamon Sugar:
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup white sugar
In a stand mixer set with the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt on low speed. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter, and vanilla. Slowly add to the dry ingredients in the stand mixer and mix until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Heat oil in a deep heavy skillet or deep-fryer to 370°F. On a floured board, roll chilled dough out to 1/2 inch thickness. Use a 3 inch round cutter to cut out doughnuts. Use a smaller cutter to cut holes from center. Fry doughnuts in hot oil until golden brown, turning once. Remove from oil and place on a baking rack set over a cookie tray.
If you are going to toss the doughnuts in cinnamon sugar, do it immediately after the doughnuts are removed from the oil.
If you are going to glaze the doughnuts, do it immediately after they have been set on the baking rack.
If you are going to ice the doughnuts, allow them to cool to room temperature before icing.
Basic Chocolate Cake Doughnut Batter
Ingredients
5 cups AP flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
¾ cup butter milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil
In a stand mixer set with the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt on low speed. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, oil and vanilla. Slowly add to the dry ingredients in the stand mixer and mix until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Heat oil in a deep heavy skillet or deep-fryer to 370°F. On a floured board, roll chilled dough out to 1/2 inch thickness. Use a 3 inch round cutter to cut out doughnuts. Use a smaller cutter to cut holes from center. Fry doughnuts in hot oil, turning once. Remove from oil and place on a baking rack set over a cookie tray.
Old Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnut
Ingredients
2 ¼ cups AP flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ½ cup sugar 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature 2 large egg yolks ½ cup sour cream Canola oil, for frying
In a bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until sandy. Add the egg yolks and mix until light and thick. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream, ending with the flour. The dough will be sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about ½ inch thickness. Use a doughnut cutter or two differently sized biscuit cutters to cut out as many donuts as possible, dipping the cutters into flour as necessary to prevent sticking. You should get about 12 doughnuts and holes. Heat oil in a deep heavy skillet or deep-fryer to 370°F. Fry doughnuts in hot oil, turning once. Remove from oil and place on a baking rack set over a cookie tray.
The yeasty approach to donut dough is exemplified by this Italian classic.
Bomboloni
Ingredients
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
¼ cup cold water 3 ½ cups bread flour 4 large eggs 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for coating 2 teaspoons salt ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed Vegetable or canola oil Raspberry jam Dissolve the yeast in a small bowl with the cold water. Place the flour, eggs, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until the ingredients are dispersed, about 5 seconds. Add the dissolved yeast and beat for about 2 minutes on medium-high speed, until the dough is well combined and holds together. Add the cubed butter and mix for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the mixing bowl. If the dough is overly sticky, you may need to add about 1 tablespoon of flour. It is usually necessary to scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula to encourage the dough to form a ball and come away from the side. Remove the paddle and pat the dough into a ball at the bottom of the bowl. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. The dough will rise slightly. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and punch it down to remove the air. Spread it onto a lightly floured baking sheet with your fingers and flatten the dough
until it is about 3/4-inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight. It will slightly proof. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Flatten it slightly with your hands. Cut the dough into circles with a 1 1/2-inch diameter cutter, keeping the cuts as close together as possible. Pat any leftover dough into a rectangle and cut more circles out of it. (At this stage, the Bombolini can be frozen for up to 1 week if well wrapped in plastic wrap. Allow the Bombolini to defrost in the refrigerator before proofing.) Place the Bomboloni on a parchment covered baking sheet lightly sprayed with
vegetable cooking spray. Space them 2 inches apart. Loosely cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap. Allow the Bomboloni to proof at room temperature for about 2 hours, until they have doubled in size and appear light and full of air. Heat the oil about 15 minutes in an electric fryer or in a 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat to 320 degrees F. If using a saucepan, check the temperature with a candy thermometer. Fry 5 to 7 Bomboloni at one time, any more than that and the oil temperature will dip down too much and they will not fry evenly. Fry for a total of 3 to 5 minutes, until they are golden brown. Turn to evenly fry each side. As they fry, they will increase in size. Remove the Bomboloni with a large slotted spoon and set on a paper towel to drain the excess oil. While the Bomboloni are still warm, roll them in a bowl filled with granulated sugar until evenly coated. If desired, fill the Bomboloni with a jam-filled pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip. Use a sharp paring knife to make a small hole on the bottom of each Bomboloni. Place the tip of the pastry bag in the hole and squeeze until the Bomboloni feels heavy. It is best to fill the Bomboloni while they are still warm and the dough soft and pliable. Serve immediately.
Of course there's a lot to be said for iced donuts. Here's Jerry's recipes.
Chocolate Icing
Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter ¼ cup whole milk, warmed 1 tablespoon light corn syrup 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted Combine butter, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla in medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Decrease the heat to low, add the chocolate, and
whisk until melted. Turn off heat, add the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Place the mixture over a bowl of warm water and dip the doughnuts immediately. Allow glaze to set for 30 minutes before serving.
Vanilla Glaze
Ingredients
3 ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted 1 ½ teaspoons corn syrup ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1/3 cup hot water
Mix the ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Gently warm the glaze in a sauce pan before using.
