Contents
Guide
doughnut
Photographs
Eva Kolenko
Contents
coconut
strawberry
chocolate funfetti
vanilla funfetti
apple fritter
smores
lemon pistachio
vanilla
old-fanshioned
maple-bacon
peppermint bark
cinnamon twist
Whether glazed, sprinkled, jelly-filled, or dusted with sugar, doughnuts
are a classic comfort food. Paired perfectly with a cup of steaming hot
coffee or a glass of cold milk, these delectable sweets are fit for breakfast,
dessert, or a special any-time treat. And theyre easier to make than you
might think. This comprehensive manual shows you how to prepare three
basic varieties of doughnuts: yeasted, cake, and baked. With helpful tips
and step-by-step photography outlining how to cut and fry, youll be on
your way to making bakery-quality doughnuts in the comfort of your home.
More than twenty recipes are included, featuring old-time favorites like
crinkly-and-glazed Vanilla and Chocolate Old-Fashioned Doughnuts
(), confectioners
sugarcoated Beignets (), and chocolate creamfilled Long John
Doughnuts (). If you crave filled doughnuts, youll find plenty of great
ideas for using chocolate-hazelnut spread, lemon curd, strawberry jelly, and
blackberry-lemon jam as fillings. Discover exciting combinations like Smores
Doughnuts (), Maple-Bacon Doughnuts
(), and more. With all of the baked doughnut recipes easily made
gluten-free by substituting the same amount of gluten-free all-purpose flour,
there really is something for everyone. Youll find all of these creative treats,
as well as the classics you know and love, inside this inspiring volume.
All About Doughnuts
This book divides doughnuts into three different
types: yeasted, cake, and baked. Each type of dough,
whether fried or baked, produces doughnuts with
a different texture and density.
Yeasted
Doughnuts
Using yeast as a leavener results in light, fluffy, and chewy
doughnuts from multiple rises. Its important to plan for
extra time for these steps; skimping on the rising time
will make the doughnut too airy. Yeasted dough can be
refrigerated overnight for the first or second rise. Bring
it to room temperature before rolling and frying.
Cake Doughnuts
Leavened by baking powder and baking soda, cake
doughnuts are denser than yeasted ones and often have
a crusty exterior. The preparation time is much shorter
than for yeasted doughnuts. Keep in mind that the dough
can be very sticky, so knead it on a well-floured surface
but just until combineddo not overknead. Its important
to roll out the dough just to the specified thickness in the
recipe. Otherwise the doughnuts will be dense and tough.
The sticky dough creates the perfect doughnut crumb.
Baked Doughnuts
These are made with a liquidy batter that is poured into
a molded doughnut pan and then baked. The doughnuts are
lighter, fluffier, and healthier than their fried counterparts.
Baked doughnuts can be flavored with a variety of spices and
toppings, such as cinnamon-sugar, glazes, and chopped nuts.
The Three Types
of Doughnuts
TOPPINGS GALORE
Sweet or savory,
crunchy or chewy, there
are endless treats that
can be used to top
doughnuts. Crush larger
ingredients and use
miniature versions of
toppings when available.
These ideas will get
you started. Use any
flavor glaze to help
the toppings adhere.
potato chips
cereal
popcorn
cookies
pretzels
toffee
coconut flakes
toasted nuts
crystallized ginger
shaved chocolate
mini candies
edible rose petals
dried fruit
multicolor sprinkles
miniature marshmallows
Doughnuts can be cut into all sorts of shapes
and sizes, from traditional rings to holes, fritters,
long johns, and more. Remember that increasing
or decreasing the size of your doughnuts will affect
the cooking time.
For yeasted doughnuts,
use a 3
-inch round cutter (pastry
ring) plus a 1-inch pastry ring to cut the holes in the center
or a doughnut cutter. Roll out the dough to
-inch thickness.
For cake doughnuts,
use a 3-inch round cutter plus a 1-inch
pastry ring for the holes or a doughnut cutter. Roll out the
dough to
-inch thickness.
For baked doughnuts,
use a doughnut pan. (You can find
these at Williams Sonoma, both in the stores and online.)
Be sure to coat the wells of the pan with nonstick cooking
spray before filling them with batter.
To create the iconic tapered edges that are the hallmark
of old-fashioned doughnuts, cut three slits on top of the
uncooked doughnut dough, which should create a triangle
shape on top of the doughnut after frying.
After cutting out yeasted and cake doughnuts, reroll the
leftover dough only once. Otherwise, youll end up with
tough doughnuts.
Tips & Tricks for
Cutting Doughnuts
The image above shows
what an old-fashioned
doughnut looks like
before frying (see
instructions at left).
Frying doughnuts is a cinch when you follow these guidelines.
Successful Frying
Set a cooling rack or a baking sheet lined with paper towels nearby.
Fill a large, deep pot halfway with oil. Heat over medium-high until it
registers the recipes frying temperature on a deep-frying thermometer
(for yeasted doughnuts, 310325F; for cake doughnuts, 360F). Adjust
the heat to maintain the temperature. Working in small batches, carefully
place the doughnuts and holes in the oil. Fry, turning once, until lightly
golden brown and cooked through (cut one open to test; see recipes
for frying times).
1. Opt for a Large Pot
Always fry in a large, deep pot, like a 5-quart Dutch oven, filled no more
than half full to decrease the chance of oil spilling or bubbling over.
2. Use Neutral-Flavored Oil and Reuse When You Can
Always use oil with a high smoke point or a neutral-flavored oil that can
be heated smoke-free for a long time. In the Williams Sonoma Test
Kitchen, our first choice is canola oil, but vegetable, corn, peanut, and
sunflower oils work well, too. Most oil can be used at least twice for
frying. If the oil is murky, discard it in a container; if it is clear, reuse it
until murky. When you are done frying the doughnuts, let the oil come
to room temperature. Strain it back into its original container using
a sieve set over a funnel.
3. Stabilize the Temperature
Maintaining the correct temperature is crucial to frying doughnuts.
To make that easy, invest in a deep-frying thermometer that clips to
the side of the pot.
How to Fry Doughnuts
Vanilla Glaze
In a bowl, stir together the confectioners sugar, salt,
