Sunday 1 January 2012

New Year's donuts



Donuts are a traditional New Year's Eve and Carnival treat in Germany and this year I thought I could revive this tradition though mine are bite size mini ones.
I have been catching up with season 3 of Masterchef Australia. I know, I know, a little late, but better late than never, right? Anyway, it reminded me of last year's season when they showed how to make classic donuts in a masterclass. So this is where I got the basic recipe and technique from that I then slightly altered for my needs.
I tossed the still warm donuts in vanilla and lavender sugar. Both can be made in advance to infuse the sugar and I keep it ready to be used in my pantry. Just mix up some lavender and caster sugar and keep in a jar. Sometimes the lavender itself can be a bit overpowering so just sift he sugar to remove the lavender flowers and just work with the fragrant sugar. To make the vanilla sugar scrape out the seeds of some vanilla beans and mix with the sugar. Keep in a jar with the pods. Alternatively use plain caster sugar, it's still delicious!



NEW YEARS'S DONUTS

350ml milk
80g unsalted butter
60g caster sugar
4 eggs
500g plain flour
pinch of salt
8g dry yeast
vegetable oil to deep fry
vanilla or lavender sugar

Warm up the milk to body temperature. Add the butter and sugar and dissolve in the milk. Add one egg at a time and whisk. Now mix the dry ingredients: flour, salt and yeast. Pour in the warm milk mix and combine all the ingredients. Cover with a cloth or cling film and leave to prove for about an hour in a warm place.
Heat the oil in a pot until it reaches 165°C. Spoon little portions in the hot oil and leave for about 4-5 minutes or until golden and cooked through. While still warm roll in and cover with the flavoured sugar and leave to cool or eat while they are still warm.


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