I’ll introduce this post by saying that sometimes, despite our best intentions to get into “summer shape”, which seems all the more urgent now that New Yorkers are complaining that it has become “too hot” after the worst, most never-ending winter (just one of the reasons I love this city), spending 3 hours of the weekend at the gym and taking classes like “total body conditioning” that leave you literally flopped on the ground like a sad fish who can’t lift a 5-pound weight with its fins, you may find yourself on a Sunday evening wearing an oil-spattered apron over your pajamas, frying donuts for no one. No, it’s just me? Okay then.
Deep-frying can sound intimidating (and also impressive) but in reality it’s really not very difficult. All you really need to ensure a good fry is a heavy vessel (a Dutch oven is your friend here) and a thermometer. And an apron on your body and shoes on your feet. Oh, and some patience. It’s also important to set up your work space before you start frying because once you get going it’s all about timing, and you can’t be running back and forth across the room dangling oil-dripping donuts from a slotted spatula while your other confections are frying away. I mean, you can, but trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to. I’ve fried enough for us both.
Two Sundays ago seemed like as good a day as any to fry donuts for no reason. It was a beautiful day but unfortunately my body had been tortured with weights, pushups (the real kind with no bent knees) and about one hundred squats too many earlier that morning and was really not capable of doing anything that involved being outside or really moving at all in any meaningful way. What I was able to do was 1) watch yeasted dough rise for several hours and 2) stand in front of a fryer for 20 minutes.
Yeast sounds intimidating as well (also, I had to visit 3 grocery stores and finally brave a trip to Whole Foods, my neighborhood nemesis, to get it – what’s up with that, upper east side?), but in this case it’s super easy to work with. You just activate it with some warm milk and incorporate into the rest of your dough, and then you have a full day of proofing in a bowl ahead of you (catch up on House of Cards season 2!) Unfortunately, the inclusion of yeast results in the one downside of homemade donuts, which is that the dough is not delicious to eat raw (I’ll assure you, this did not stop me, and I polished off the bowl as well as the mixer paddle attachment with reckless abandon and a slight grimace). It’s a small price to pay for the most delicious, hot, fluffy treats which people will literally fawn over and not be able to believe that you made yourself.
Which brings me to the end. After this adventure with 350 degree oil you will have on your hands something like 20 hot donuts filled with delicious strawberry jam and covered in crunchy sugar. At this point, I can’t help you any longer – it’s up to you to decide how many you’ll eat. All I will say is that I thought about all my hard work at the gym and all of my aching muscles and I looked at my pile of fresh donuts, and then I ate more than two but less than five.
Ingredients
- 1 (1/4-oz.) packages active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups milk heated to 115°
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 egg, plus 3 yolks
- 4 3/4 cups (1 lb. 5 oz) all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for dusting
- Canola oil, for frying
- 2 cups seedless strawberry or plum jam, for filling
Instructions
- Combine yeast and milk in a bowl; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Beat 1⁄2 cup sugar and butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until fluffy. Add yeast mixture, vanilla, salt, egg, and yolks; beat until combined. With the motor running, slowly add flour; beat until dough is smooth. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap; set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1⁄2 hours.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 14" round about 1⁄2" thick. Using a floured 3" ring cutter, cut dough into 20 rounds; gather and reuse scraps. Transfer rounds to lightly greased parchment paper—lined baking sheets, at least 3" apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
- Heat 2" oil in a 6-qt. saucepan until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350°. Using scissors, cut the donuts out of the parchment paper, leaving about 1" of paper around the sides of each donut (the paper makes it easier to transfer them to frying oil). Working in batches, place donuts in oil, paper side up, using tongs to quickly peel off and discard paper. Cook, flipping once, until puffed and golden, 2-3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a baking sheet with a wire rack; let cool completely.
- Place remaining sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain 1⁄4" tip with jam. Working with one donut at a time, insert tip about 1⁄2" deep into the side of donut, pipe 2-3 tbsp. jam, and toss generously in sugar.
Notes
From Saveur February 2013
