Get it right Doughnuts
Pillowy in the middle, crunchy sugar on the outside, absolutely stuffed full of jam – and miles better than anything you could buy
Don’t be put off by the idea of making your own doughnuts. Once you’ve had a bite of your first homemade one, you’ll never look back. Light-as-a-feather dough, caramelised and sugared on the outside and loaded with jam in the middle.
steps to success... YEAST
Fast-action dried yeast is a superstrong strain that’s been freeze-dried. When mixed with the warmed milk it rehydrates and activates, feeding on the flour, sugar and milk, and creating carbon dioxide to create light, pillowy doughnuts.
ENRICHED DOUGH
Doughnuts are made from an enriched dough, which is a normal flour dough that has been enriched with milk, eggs, sugar and butter. These provide extra food for the yeast, creating more rise in the dough. The eggs increase elasticity so the structure is stronger and can better hold the carbon dioxide bubbles.
GLUTEN
Bread flour contains the gluten protein, which when mixed and kneaded aligns into long links within the dough. This is what provides the structure to capture those gases that are released from the yeast. It’s very important to mix the dough really well in the beginning and not rush it. With the addition of the eggs, sugar, milk and butter you’ll find it is a much stickier dough, but this will become smooth and elastic the more you mix it – and your doughnuts will be all the lighter for it.
BUTTER
Adding the butter gradually will help prevent the dough from splitting and getting greasy. The butter will add richness to the dough once baked, as well as a cake-like texture to the crumb.
SECOND PROVE
Don’t rush the second prove. After knocking back the dough and shaping it, a lot of the lightness will have been knocked out of it. Wait until the balls have doubled in size and look really puffy and aerated – this will ensure the lightest doughnuts once fried. Don’t worry if the dough balls stick slightly to the baking paper – just ease them off with a palette knife.
PIPING
When piping, push the nozzle right into the doughnut, past the middle point – when you squeeze the jam in, the pressure of it filling will push the nozzle back out. It also means you’ll get maximum jam into the doughnut and a taste of it in every bite.
FRYING Fry the doughnuts until they are a deep caramel colour. You may worry they look overcooked, but as they cool the steam on the inside of the doughnuts will escape and soften them so they’re soft and pillowy but with a deep flavour.