Homemade Doughnuts

Epicurious invited me back to their 4 Levels series. This time, it was for doughnuts. Watch the video below to see how my doughnuts stacked up to the competition, and check out the recipe below if you’d like to make them for yourself. [You will.]

[embed]https://youtu.be/quyj70RogxI[/embed]


Ingredients

Makes 8 doughnuts and 8 holes

  • 500 g, (3 ½ cups) AP flour
  • 15 g (1½ tablespoons) instant yeast
  • 225 g (1½ cups) granulated sugar
  • 10 g (1 tablespoon) kosher salt
  • 250 g (1 cup) whole milk, 75˚F, about 30 seconds in the microwave
  • 110 g eggs (2 eggs)
  • 5 g (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
  • 50 g (2 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1/2" cubes
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • Canola oil, as needed


Recipe

For Dough

  • 500 g, (3 ½ cups) AP flour
  • 15 g (1 ½ tablespoons) instant yeast
  • 75 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
  • 10 g (1 tablespoon) kosher salt
  • 250 g (1 cup) whole milk, 75˚F, about 30 seconds in the microwave
  • 110 g eggs (2 eggs)
  • 5 g (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
  • 50 g (2 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into ½" cubes

Place flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in bowl of a stand mixer and mix well. Add milk. Mix on low until smooth, 5-10 minutes. Add eggs, mix until incorporated, about 5 minutes. Add butter. Mix for 5 minutes more.

Spray a large bowl with non stick spray (or wipe with an oiled paper towel).

Turn dough onto floured work surface. Work into rectangle. It. Will. Be. Sticky. Pull one of the long sides and fold over 2/3 of the rectangle. Like folding a letter. Repeat with the top and then the bottom.

Place seam side down into the prepared bowl. Let sit at room temp for an hour. Refrigerate overnight.

Turn onto lightly floured work surface. Shape into 11-inch round. The dough should be about 1/2" thick.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Cut 3.5" rounds from dough, then cut 1.5" holes. Place on the prepared sheet pan. Reshape and roll dough to make enough doughnuts.

Cover sheet pan with plastic wrap and proof at room temperature until doughnuts have doubled in size, about an hour.

To Complete

  • 150g, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • Canola Oil, as needed

In a large bowl, add sugar and cinnamon.

Heat canola/grapeseed oil to 350˚F. Fry a few doughnuts for 30 seconds (don't overcrowd). Flip and fry for 45 seconds. Flip and fry for 45 seconds. Place on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. Let cool until you're ready to remove the next batch from the oil. At that point, toss the cooled doughnuts in sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Repeat with the next batch.


Note

This is part of a cookbook proposal that’s out on submission right now. If you’d like to see what a book proposal looks like, click here.

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