How to make doughnuts

How to make doughnuts

How to make doughnuts

by Great British Chefs3 July 2015

How to make doughnuts

Doughnuts are one of the first things that spring to mind when thinking of American food. Although the exact history is unclear, they are generally believed to have first been made in America in the early 1800s. Doughnuts are so popular in the US that the first Friday of June each year is National Doughnut Day! They can be made in rings or in balls which are then stuffed with jam, cream, custard or other sweet fillings. Here we give a recipe for balls.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

1
Combine the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a mixer with the dough hook attached
2
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, oil and yeast and add to the flour
3
Mix on a medium speed for 5 minutes until the dough had started to become elastic then add the butter. Mix for a further 3–4 minutes until all the butter has been incorporated
4
Remove the bowl from the machine and cover with clingfilm. Make sure the clingfilm is touching the dough to prevent a skin forming. Leave to prove in a warm place for 30 minutes, until the mix has doubled in size, then transfer to a piping bag
5
Heat a deep fat fryer to 180˚C
6
Cut the end of the piping bag to a width of 3cm. Pipe balls of the dough into the fryer by squeezing the bag until 4cm of mix comes through then pinching shut with your fingers. Fry for 2–3 minutes until golden brown and crispy
7
When the doughnuts are cooked drain on kitchen paper then roll in sugar and serve

Tip

If you can’t get hold of fresh yeast, use half the amount of instant yeast.

Variations

Doughnuts are delicious when filled with jam – try strawberry or raspberry – or custard – vanilla and chocolate both work really well. Spoon your chosen filling into a piping bag, make a small incision in the doughnut and squeeze a small amount of filling inside.

You could also try flavouring the sugar to roll the doughnuts in; citric acid gives a great tang to the outside of the doughnut or try grinding up freeze dried fruits and adding them to the sugar to complement the jam used inside. Dried herbs such as thyme and rosemary also give a great extra flavour to the sugar as does vanilla.

Adding the zest of a lemon and a lime to the batter makes a really fresh-tasting doughnut. You could then fill them with lemon curd for an extra citrus hit.

Serving Suggestions

Doughnuts are a lovely treat served by themselves – try Dominic Chapman’s Strawberry doughnuts – but they can also form part of a dessert such as Paul Ainsworth’s creative Taste of the fairground. Adam Gray adds cocoa powder to his dough and serves his chocolate doughnuts recipe with a damson fool for an autumnal dessert.

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