yeast doughnuts Archives

Soft, fragrant, pillowy morsels of dough encasing a cinnamon scented ring of apple goodness. Apple Cinnamon Doughnuts. These will make you turn into the worst poet. Granted. But oh sweetness, they are worth losing a rhyme or two over.

Forgive me if it sounds like my mind has been lost to a wonderful piece of apple cinnamon doughnut. Truth be told, I have had much less than my usual four hours of sleep these past few days and well, it does not bode well for articulated posts and inspiring poetry.

It does however create the perfect occasion to head to the kitchen for a cup of hot cocoa and a couple of piping hot apple doughnuts rolled into cinnamon sugar. Comforting warm doughnuts to cover up a mid afternoon slump of my eyelids on the keyboard. That, and a hug from my mother and I am good to go for another 8 hours.

It’s fun and strange to have my parents visit while B. and I are both busy with work and life but we do find some time to cook and hang out or listen to some jazz by going to see my husband play with his band. I always have a super soft spot seeing my mother beaming with pride when her son-in-law grabs his trombone and start playing her favorite tune.

What’s that got to do with apple doughnuts? Nothing and a lot. All sorts of fuzzies in the heart. A huge sense of now becoming the adult I knew I could be in the eyes of my parents. The simple fact of spending an entire day on a shoot and coming home to warm "Bonjour! Comment ca c’est passé la journée?" (Hello! How did your day go) in a language I now only hear when I call home.

The simplicity of making dough and letting it rise. Taking the time to have a cup of tea with my parents while we make plan for the next day and my head is nothing but a vast juggling act of lists and deadlines.

These apple doughnuts are so good we have deemed them "inhalable". If you need a fix, just hover over a plate of these and the world will instantly slow down and be kinder to you. If I had thought this through a little bit better, I would have made a batch and parked in the freezer. There will be some much needed inhalably inhalable moments in the next few days. And I fear less recipes to be posted. Trust me I’ll be cooking though!

I am putting the whole family in the car for a drive to Birmingham, Alabama where I am speaking at Food Blog South. There won’t be much time for sight seeing but I am honored they asked me to speak on a panel and would not miss this for the world (great chance to catch up with close blogging friends too). We have to head back here right after my session on Saturday so I have Sunday to prep for work.

I am thrilled to be photographing the cookbook "Marmalade" by Elizabeth Field (Running Press) all through next week! You should have seen my parents eyes lit up when I showed them the shot list and recipe list! Seven cases of marmalade of all sorts arrived at the house last week to be photographed as they are as well as used in savory and sweet recipes.

Although I fear there won’t be any recipe post, I will do my best to give you a lay out and various views of how a book shoot shapes up and takes place. I can’t wait to get going. I am still tweaking some ideas for certain shots but that’s just part of the excitement! Already went through the production part with kitchen assistants and now I am just picking out props, linens and surfaces for the shoot.

If only I could let my mind rest for a minute before Monday that we start and I will be golden!

Maybe I need a couple more apple doughnuts….

Apple Doughnuts, inspired from Epicurious:

Makes 12 small ones or 6 large ones

Notes: for this recipe, I made one batch with all purpose flour and another batch with a gluten free flour mix and we literally loved both. The original recipe called for 6 slices whole Granny Smith apple (not cored or peeled) but I used 12 slices of tiny Lady Apples I had. They were the perfect size for a small treat while packing a ton of flavor. I don’t deep fry but I use a deep cast iron skillet and it works perfectly

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1.5 tablespoons lukewarm water
1/2 cup (125ml) lukewarm milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
50g unsalted butter, melted
2 1/4 cups (335g) Jeanne’s gluten free mix (or same amount all purpose flour)
2 eggs
juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 slices mini Lady Apples
canola oil for frying

Directions:
Place the yeast, water, milk and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and set aside in a warm place for about 10 minutes or until the surface is frothy and bubbling.
Add the butter, flour, eggs and another tablespoon sugar to the yeast and use the paddle attachment to mix until you get a sticky dough.
Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and need for a minute. Oil the inside of a large bowl with a little vegetable or canola oil (with pastry brush or paper towel), cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place, free from drafts until the dough has doubled in size.

Place the remaining sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and apple slices in a large bowl and toss the apple to coat them well.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes. Divide the dough in half and roll each to about 1/4 -inch thick. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut rounds of dough throughout. Place one apple slice in the middle of one. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paperand set to the side.
Roll out the other half of the dough and proceed to cut same amount of rounds from that one. Top each apple slice with a piece of dough (from second batch) and pinch the edges to seal tight. Cut a small hole through the middle with another small cookie cutter (found that bottle tops are the perfect size).
Leave the doughnuts on the cookie sheet until they rise again for another 30 minutes.
Heat up the oil to 350F and fry in small batches for about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Dust with some sugar mixed with a pinch of cinnamon and eat fast…!

By the lack of postings one could wonder if I ever came down from the high that BlogHer Food and San Francisco. I did. I actually gave myself one day to catch up and crashed hard on Wednesday evening. Responsibilities hit me up again the following day. I love that work is insane and insanely good. I don’t like that it keeps me away from here this much. I definitely rely on a 4 o’clock break complete with cookies and milk. Or as it was the case this week, doughnuts and hot chocolate!

I am not one to be afraid of deep frying but I certainly am one to shy away from making doughnuts that often. I know I will end up eating too many. Right out of the hot oil. Almost. Perfectly brown. Crisp and soft. Lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar. Simple is always best but there is a place and time to venture out in baking. Especially when it comes to doughnuts. S’Mores Doughnut specifically.

Thanks to Lara Ferroni and her book "Doughnuts: Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home", I only have to sit there and pick the next one. I know for having been part of her testing panel that all the recipes have been seriously and thoroughly discussed, dissected and perfected. I could not have possibly tested them all and started making a list of the ones to bake once her book would be out. S’mores doughnuts of course, but also Apple Cider, Creme Brulees, Sopapillas, Loukoumades, Carrot Cake…there is literally a doughnut and a glaze for every friend you have.

You get it. I liked the book. A lot. The doughs, the glazes, the fillings. The regulars like Basic Raised Yeast doughnuts, the basic cake, the chocolate version. And a impeccable gluten free version. Maple glaze, bourbon, caramel, chocolate. There four pages of these for your belly’s delights. See? Not kidding when I tell you there something for everyone.

If you are into visuals, Lara’s book is truly the proverbial feast for your eyes. And how could it be otherwise with Lara’s talent as a photographer and stylist. Knowing what goes into a shoot when working/acting as a single agent, from the shopping, cooking, styling, photographing, all the way to post processing, you can tell that Lara poured her heart and perfectionism into this book.

It shows. It’s fun, it’s straight foward, it’s generous in details and instructions and it’s quirky at times. Much like Lara…

So far this week, I made the Gluten Free Raised Doughnuts with a citrus glaze and the S’Mores Doughnuts. Wish I had not ran out of gluten free flours when I decided to make these but from the look on B’s face as he chowed through a couple, I know I must make them again this week! Stay tuned for another doughnut post…Both versions of the basic yeasted doughnut were equally easy to work with and very close in texture which is no small order in gluten free baking. That makes me very very happy for the rest of the recipes in the book.

Bravo Lara! Hard work pays off, period. Wishing your book plenty of sweet and delicious success! I am honored everyday by your friendship and generosity.

S’Mores Doughnuts (reprinted with Lara’s permission)

Makes 8 to 12

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
10 graham crackers, finely crushed
2 teaspoons superfine sugar
1 batch Basic Raised dough (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon milk or water
twelve 1-ounce squares milk or dark chocolate
48 mini marshmallows

Stir together 3 tablespoons of the melted butter, graham crackers and sugar. Cover and set aside.

Prepare the dough as directed through the proofing stage. Roll the dough to just a bit more than 1/4 -inch thick. Cut into 3-inch diameter rounds. Roll out half of the rounds to about a 3 1/4-inch diameter. To assemble, lightly brush each wider round with the milk or water and place a square of chocolate and 4 mini marshmallows in the center of each. Top with the smaller rounds and lightly pinch to seal. Then recut with the same cutter to seal the edges.

Fry the doughnuts as directed and let cool for only 3 minutes. Brush each doughnut with a little melted butter, then dip into the graham cracker mixture. Serve immediately.

Basic Raised Dough:

3 tablespoons (22grams) active dry yeast, divided
1 cup of whole milk, heated to 110ºF, divided
2 to 2 1/2 cups bread flour, divided
2 tablespoons (30 grams) superfine sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 egg yolks
½ stick (4 tablespoons / 2 oz) unsalted butter or vegetable shortening
vegetable oil for frying

In a medium bowl, dissolve 2 tablespoons of the yeast into ¾ cup of the milk. Add ¾ cup of flour and stir to create a smooth paste. Cover and let rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

Combine the remaining milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the rested flour mixture along with the sugar, salt, vanilla, and egg yolks. Mix until smooth. Turn off the mixer and add ½ 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 add more flour, about ¼ cup at a time with the mixer turned off, kneading the dough at 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).

Line a baking sheet with a lightly floured non-terry dish towel. Roll out the dough on a slightly floured surface to ½ inch thick. With a doughnut or cookie cutter (can use a glass, too) cut out 3-inch-diameter rounds with 1-inch-diameter holes (for filled doughnuts, don’t cut out the holes).

Place the doughnuts on the baking sheet at least 1 inch apart and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm spot to proof until they almost double in size, 5 to 20 minutes, testing at five-minute intervals. To test whether the dough is ready, touch lightly with a fingertip. If it springs back immediately, it needs more time. If it springs back slowly, it is ready. If it does not spring back at all, it has overproofed; no worries- you can punch it down and re-roll it once.

While the doughnuts are proofing, heat a heavy-bottomed pot with at least 2 inches of oil until a thermometer registers 360F. With a metal spatula, carefully place the doughnuts in the oil. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on a wire rack over a paper towel, and let cool before glazing.

Disclosure: the book was sent by Lara’s publisher as a thank you for being one of her recipe testers.

yeast doughnuts

Apple Cinnamon Doughnuts

S' Mores Doughnuts