Remember the Donuts we made a few weeks ago? So, when you find yourself with more dough than you initially need for the day, it is not necessary to make all the Donuts in one go. Luckily, this type of dough freezes perfectly, being able to leave it in the freezer until you need it again. In this case, I had dough to make half a dozen donuts but I decided not to spend much time and make a king size one, as if it were a cake.
For the icing, instead of spending loads of time melting chocolate, I varnished the surface with chocolate spread (before the doughnut cooled completely). Also, to finish with a touch of citrus, I sprinkled the surface with the homemade orange and lemon powder I taught you how to make yesterday.
And that’s basically it, in less than 30 minutes you have your doughnut ready to serve for a special breakfast, to offer your coffee dates (or keep it all to yourself!).
The origins of Doughnuts, incredible as it may seem, are very ancient. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the doughnuts we know (and devour) come from olykoeks, from the Dutch cuisine. These balls of oil that Dutch settlers brought to Manhattan, back in 1624, were modified over the years to become the glazed and multiflavored doughnuts that we know today.
As for the original olykoeks creators, it is not very clear who was the real deal. On the one hand, there are those who claim that it was the Sephardic Jews of Portugal who, in the 15th century, introduced this typical Hanukkah sweet to the Netherlands. On the other hand, various voices indicate that it was the Germanic tribes that gave life to the olykoeks to be tasted at the Yule celebrations, during the winter solstice. Anyway, whoever the real creator of this marvel is, what is crystal clear is that the presence of doughnuts, in most recipe books all around the world, comes from afar.
Dough ingredients:
500 gr strong flour
80 g sugar
250 ml of full fat milk
15 gr fresh yeast
1 pinch of salt
1 beaten egg
50 gr butter
5 ml vanilla extract or the seeds from a fresh pod
Icing ingredients:
50 gr melting chocolate
20 gr of butter
120 gr icing sugar
First of all, it is necessary to prepare a pre-fermentation. A kind of quick sourdough, so to speak, which helps the process of leavening the dough.
Steps to make the Pre-fermentation:
– Dissolve the fresh yeast in a stream of milk at room temperature.
– Incorporate 3 tablespoons of flour in the mixture of milk and yeast, until it has a dough texture.
Let stand 15 minutes
Steps to make dough:
– Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl that allows you to work the dough, if you are kneading by hand. If you are going to use a robot, throw the ingredients directly into the kneading bowl.
– Add the milk, little by little, to the dough.
– If you work with a robot, this will be the time to put the kneading hook (always medium speed) and add the beaten egg.
– Add the pre-ferment to the whole mixture and continue kneading.
– Once the dough is well formed and no longer stains the kneading bowl, add the vanilla.
– When the vanilla is already incorporated into the dough, add the butter in two stages: first one half and, when there is no trace of it, the other half.
– When the dough no longer sticks or stains, it is ready to rest.
Let stand 90 minutes
Steps to form the doughnuts:
– Roll out the dough with a rolling pin [thickness 1.5 cm approx.]
– Shape the doughnuts with a round mold or, if you don’t have a mold, use any round container or pasta cutter you have at home.
– To make the inner holes, if you do not have mold, we can use the nozzle of a narrow bottle.
Let stand 45 minutes
Steps for frying the doughnuts:
– Put plenty of oil in a saucepan over medium / high heat.
– Leave each donut for approximately 1 to 2 minutes on each side (always depending on the power of the stove).
Steps to make the icing:
– Melt the chocolate with the butter in a double boiler.
– As soon as the chocolate is ready, add the sugar and mix well until fully incorporated.
NOTE: It is important not to let the doughnuts completely cool before icing them. Once we remove them from the heat, it would be best to let them drain a little on a cooling rack and then dip them into the icing. Once this step is done, leave the doughnuts on the cooling rack again so that the icing hardens.
Recendo 