Lara Ferroni Raised Doughnut

Douhgnuts.....I can't think of one thing I don't like about doughnuts. It's sweet...fluffy....with many kinds of (even sweeter) toppings or fillings....and it's fried!!!!What's not to like.

The first doughnuts franchise we've known in Indonesia was Dunkin Donuts......ooohhh...I can still remember clearly how the shops looked like back then...
There was those pictures on the walls of tiny men with bakers costume trying to roll a giant doughnut holes in sugar......must be a perfect world to live. Giant doughnut holes surrounded world......

They had so many flavours I can barely choose. Usually we were allowed to choose two flavours for each of us (my parents have four childrens, so my mom always bought a dozen of it and we can have two doughnuts ). Most of the times I had the marble frosted (chocolate glazed with sugar icing swirled on top) and double chocolate. Growing up I had different preferences....I start to choose a more humbly looking doughnuts, the ones with fillings. My favourites were lemon, rhum, or durian fillings. It still is actually. I would always bite the side without the fillings first.....so I can keep the delicious soft fillings for last.

Living in Holland currently I can't find those american doughnuts neither Dunkin Donuts nor Krispy Kreme. So I end up made it myself most of the times. Couple of weeks ago I found this recipe from Lara Ferroni which got good reviews. I decided to give it  a try. And it was really good, I mean really really good compared to my homemade doughnuts that tend to stale really quick. This one was really soft, and fluffy with slightly sweet crumb. Well of course it is best eaten fresh but my husband ate it at midnight (I  fried it in the afternoon) after work and he actually ate like seven of it at once=D.

Glazed Doughnuts Recipe

Ingredients

For the doughnuts

• 3 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup whole milk, heated to 110˚F (43°C)
• 2 to 2 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for the work surface
• 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Vegetable oil for frying

For the sugar glaze

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted to remove any lumps
• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk or water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)

For the chocolate glaze

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons milk or water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Make the doughnuts

1. In a medium bowl, dissolve 2 tablespoons of the yeast in 3/4 cup of the warm milk. Stir in 3/4 cup of the flour to create a smooth paste. Cover and let rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

2. Combine the remaining warm milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the flour mixture along with the sugar, salt, vanilla, and egg yolks. Mix until smooth. Turn off the mixer and add 1/2 cup of the remaining flour. Mix on low for about 30 seconds. Add the butter and mix until it becomes incorporated, about 30 seconds. Switch to a dough hook and, with the mixer turned off, add more flour, about 1/4 cup at a time. Knead the dough on medium speed between additions until the dough pulls completely away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth and not too sticky. It will be very soft and moist, but not so sticky that you can’t roll it out. (You may have flour left over.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.

3. Line a baking sheet with a lightly floured dish towel. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2 inch thick. With a doughnut or cookie cutter, cut out 3-inch-diameter rounds with 1-inch-diameter holes. (Note: If making filled doughnuts, clearly, don’t cut out the holes.) You can re-roll the scraps and cut out additional holes.

4. Place the doughnuts at least 1 inch apart on the baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rest in a warm spot to proof until they almost double in size, 5 to 20 minutes, peeking every five minutes. To test whether the dough is ready, touch it lightly with a fingertip. If it springs back immediately, it needs more time. If it springs back slowly, it is ready. If it doesn’t spring back at all, it has over-proofed, in which case you can punch it down and re-roll it once.

5. While the doughnuts are proofing, heat a heavy-bottomed pot with at least 2 inches of oil until a deep-fat thermometer registers 360˚F (182°C). With a metal spatula, carefully place a couple of doughnut holes or doughnuts in the oil, being careful not to crowd the pot. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until light golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on a wire rack over a paper towel, and let cool slightly before glazing. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts and holes, keeping the temperature consistent.

Make the glaze

6. Whichever glaze you’re making, place the sugar (and cocoa powder, if relevant) in a bowl and slowly stir in the milk and vanilla, if using, a little at a time, to make a smooth, pourable glaze.

Glaze the doughnuts

7. Pour the glaze into a shallow bowl. Dunk the doughnuts, let any excess glaze drip off, and then transfer them to a wire rack placed on a baking sheet or over a sheet of parchment paper to rest until glaze sets.

*Note: I didn't make the chocolate glaze, cause it was yummy enough with just sugar glaze