Irresistible doughnut

Yesterday was National Doughnut Day in the US. Why would I write about a celebration day that has passed? Because doughnuts are my guilty pleasure. Be it a fancy "gourmet doughnut" or an early-morning greasy-cake doughnut from the coffee trucks that proliferate Manhattan (when I’m there),

I find this sweet cake-like fried treat irresistible, and will indeed need to celebrate by indulging this weekend.

The Dutch settlers who brought apple and cream pies, cookies and cobblers to the New World also introduced doughnuts. Their doughnuts were called
olykoeks, or oily cakes – sweet dough balls fried in pork fat. These oily cakes have surely evolved through the decades. What is now a multimillion-dollar fast food industry has spawned the dawn of a new shop, the artisan doughnut shop. Here doughnuts of all sizes, flavours and colours are offered for sale. Be it a fancy gourmet shop or a franchised doughnut shop there is nothing that takes the place of this "oily cake," glazed or iced.

Baked chocolate doughnuts

2½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

1 tbs instant yeast

1 tsp cinnamon

½ cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

¾ cup milk

2 tbs butter

1 egg lightly beaten

Glaze

1 cup icing sugar

1 tbs milk

Mix sugar with milk whisk until smooth.

Add a little more water if needed ½ tsp at a time.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, yeast and cinnamon.

Gently melt chocolate over a pan of simmering water, stir in butter and milk remove from heat. Add egg.

Add this mixture to the flour mixture, stir well to form a wet batter, add as much of the remaining flour as you can to make a very soft dough.

Cover and let rise until doubled in volume, 45-50 minutes.

Press dough with your hands, on a well-floured board, to about ½-inch thickness.

Stamp out doughnuts with a 3-inch cutter.

Place on a greased baking tray and let rise for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F

Bake doughnuts for 10-15 minutes until golden.

Remove and spoon glaze over warm doughnuts.

Makes about 12

Mini jam doughnuts

¼ cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

¾ cup thin yogurt or buttermilk

3½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

coconut oil or vegetable oil for frying

½ cup jam for filling

1 cup icing sugar for dusting doughnuts.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream butter with sugar until light, add eggs and beat well, add the buttermilk and vanilla and beat well.

Now combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir well.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan to 365-375F

Drop doughnuts by teaspoonfuls into hot oil, do not crowd pan.

Fry for about two minutes per side and turn over.

Remove and drain on paper towels.

Have ready a piping bag ready with a #12 decorating tip, fill with your jam.

Insert tip into each doughnut and fill with a little jam.

Dust with icing sugar.

Makes about 24

Coconut-lime cake doughnuts

3¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 tsp grated lime zest

½ cup freshly grated coconut

2 eggs, beaten

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

2/3 cup milk

¼ cup butter, melted

coconut oil for frying

½ cup desiccated coconut for garnish

Glaze

1 cup icing sugar

2 tbs lime juice

Mix sugar with juice whisk until smooth.

Add a little more water if needed ½ tsp at a time.

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, lime zest and coconut.

In another mixing bowl combine eggs, 2/3 cups sugar, and vanilla, beat until light and thick.

Combine milk and butter.

Add flour mixture and milk mixture alternately to sugar mixture. Beat just until blended after each addition.

Cover and chill for 2 hours.

Lightly flour your work surface and roll doughnut dough to 1/2-inch thickness.

Cut with floured 2½-inch doughnut cutter.

Heat oil in deep pan and fry doughnuts about one minute per side or until golden turning once.

Remove and drain on paper towels.

Drizzle with lime glaze and sprinkle with coconut

Makes 16 doughnuts.

Cinnamon crusted churros

1 cup water

2 tbs granulated sugar

½ tsp salt

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

½ tsp grated nutmeg

coconut oil to fry

coating

Combine 1 cup granulated sugar with 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Place water, sugar, salt, oil, nutmeg and butter into a medium sized saucepan.

Bring to a rolling boil.

Meanwhile beat eggs.

Remove pot from heat and stir in flour, blend well.

Now add eggs and stir well to combine, or use an electric beater.

Cool a little.

Fill a decorator's bag with a large star tip, with churro mixture.

Preheat vegetable oil in a frying pan or wok.

Test oil; place a small piece of dough into oil, if it bubbles up its ready.

Squeeze dough into hot oil to about 4-inch lengths.

Cook for about one minute, turn if necessary and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Drain and then roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture

Makes about two dozen.

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