The Perfect Donut Recipe by Noemi Elicha

By Noemi Elicha, originally published in French at her food and fashion blog.

Even though we don’t need an excuse to make or eat donuts, with Hanukah fast approaching, here is the best recipe for the perfect consistency donut. Not too heavy, or too light and with the right texture and lightness to support the frosting, these donuts pack a touch of crunch and a huge amount of flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

For Donut Dough:

·     1 kg of oatmeal flour/ wheat flour

·     60 g fresh baker's yeast

·     6 egg yolk + milk = 700 grams (so about 500 grams of milk)

·     150 g of icing sugar

·     2 sachets of vanilla sugar

·     20 g of salt

·     125 g of butter

For Icing:

·     200 g of milk chocolate

·     25g of oil

·     25g of butter

For topping: choose between chocolate chips, almonds, peanuts or caramelized hazelnuts

METHOD:

·     First we start sieving the flour. Attention we keep 100g of flour aside that will put in the end.

·     Then, with the fingertips, the fresh baker's yeast is crumbled over the flour. Then add sugar powder (icing sugar) and vanilla sugar. Then pour the egg yolks with the milk.

·     We knead (best with a mix-master and kneading sheet/or hook) for a good 5 minutes at slow speed or moderate, then add the salt and increase the power of the robot and knead quickly for another 5 minutes.

·     At this point the dough should be well homogeneous and begin to come off the walls of the bowl.

•     Cut the cold butter into small cubes and add it to the robot.

·     When the butter is incorporated in the dough and that it has suddenly become softer, if we note that it attaches to the walls of the tank is added little by little the flour that remains in the bowl (Personally, I used very little of the remaining flour, so if you see that you do not use it and the dough is not too sticky to require more flour, do not add it).

·     When the dough is smooth and one consistency, open the mixer and remove the hook.

·     Sprinkle the workbench with remaining flour. Pour the dough over the flour, and lightly sprinkle the flour dough too.

·     With the palm of your hand, tap the dough so that the excess flour is removed but also lightly covered with flour with your own hands.

·     Then knead the dough by folding it on itself to succeed in forming a large smooth ball.

·     Take a ball, sprinkle lightly with flour and put the dough inside.

·     Once the dough is well inflated, degas it, then shape it loosely.

·     Sprinkle flour dough, because it should not stick when spreading.

·     Take a rolling pin and spread the dough, making sure, from time to time, that it does not stick to the work surface.

·     Once the dough is spread, take a cookie cutter and cookie cutter (cut out some round) dough. Using another smaller cookie cutter, cut small rounds in each round so as to get a donut.

·     Put each donut so formed on parchment paper and cover with a clean cloth and allow to double volume away from drafts.

·     Collect all the dough excess, form into a ball, spread again and repeat the operation with the cookie-cutters until the dough is used up.

·     Once all the donuts have inflated well, heat the oil in a saucepan at 170 degrees.

·     When the oil is hot, put some doughnut on the inside and cook until the face in contact with the oil is browned, then halfway through, turn the donuts so that the other side is cooking.

•     Fry the donuts in a large pot with enough frying oil so the donuts do not touch the bottom.

·     Place the donuts on paper towels to remove the excess fat and then ice with frosting.

Now the frosting:

·     Just melt the chocolate in the microwave with the oil and butter.

·     We mix everything well and when it's homogeneous and smooth, it's ready to use.

·     Take a donut and dip them one by one in the frosting and place them on a grid.

·     When all donuts are iced, decorate them with chopped caramelized almonds, chocolate shavings or whatever makes you happy.

·     Wait for the frosting to cool down and dry slightly and make a mouthful!!

ENJOY!!!!

Tips & Tricks:

·     If you do not have a cookie cutter, do it with what you have on hand.

·     A glass with a thin edge for example, and a socket for the small hole. You can also make mini-buns with donut falls.

·     For that you just have to take a mold, butter it well and drop in the small circles of each donut taking care to tighten them tightly.

·     Then you puff under cover and when they are very plump, you brown with the beaten egg, you sprinkle with grains of sugar and you bake them at 180 degrees until they are well gilded. That's what I did and it was delicious!!

·     When frying donuts I advise you not to catch them to put them in oil because you could deflate them.

·     The best technique is to cut the parchment paper around the donut, then take the donut with the paper in your hands. All you have to do is put the donut in the oil and gently peel off the parchment paper.

·     It is very important to fry in an oil between 160 degrees and 170 degrees and not in 180 degree oil and more, so that they have time to develop properly and to inflate well. Be careful, not too much, because if you leave them too long in the oil they begin to crust and gorge on fat. So as soon as they are nicely gilded, it's ready

·     Like all things fried, drain well and then drop them one after the other on a paper towel to remove excess fat. WARNING; Do not eat immediately but wait 3 to 4 minutes until the residual heat is diffused and finishes cooking the donuts to heart!

·     And finally, last little tip, like all home-made pasty, the best thing is to consume them fairly quickly. So if you do not eat everything, or if you plan on keeping it for the next day, the best rest of the freeze quickly so that they keep all their freshness!