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.]
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
DIRECTIONS
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.
