Baked Buttermilk Crullers Food

OLD-FASHIONED DOUGHNUT STICKS

Steps:

• For the doughnuts: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray two 6-well eclair pans with nonstick spray.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt to combine. Add the milk, egg, vanilla and butter, and mix gently until combined.
• Fill the wells of the prepared eclair pans about halfway with the batter.
• Bake until the doughnuts spring back when touched and a toothpick comes out clean, 10 minutes. Transfer the pans to a rack set over a baking sheet; let cool for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the doughnuts from the pans and let cool completely on the rack.
• For the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar and milk together until smooth.
• Dunk the doughnuts in the glaze to coat completely. Transfer to a rack and let set for 10 minutes before serving.

BUTTERMILK DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Whisk buttermilk, white sugar, and eggs together in a bowl. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon together in another bowl. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until combined; add butter and knead until a soft dough forms.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll to 1/4-inch thick. Cut dough into doughnut shapes using a 2 1/2-inch doughnut cutter.
• Beat confectioners' sugar, margarine, and vanilla extract together in a bowl until smooth. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly, until desired glaze-consistency is reached.
• Working in batches, cook doughnuts in hot oil until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer cooked doughnuts to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Dip hot doughnuts into glaze to coat.

CRULLERS

Steps:

• Make the Crullers: Combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Immediately remove from the heat, add all the flour at once, and stir hard with a wooden spoon until all the flour is incorporated, about 30 to 60 seconds. Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring, to evaporate some of the moisture, about 2 minutes.
• Scrape the mixture into a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer or mix by hand), and mix at medium speed. With the mixer running, and adding 1 egg at a time, add 3 of the eggs, stopping after each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated. The dough should be thick, but should fall slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift them out of the bowl. If the dough is still clinging to the beaters, add another egg and mix until completely incorporated.
• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip (use a large size, like #12), pipe the dough onto the sheet pan in rows of 2 1/2-inch rings. Freeze them for 30 minutes to make them easier to pick up.
• Meanwhile, make the Glaze: Stir together the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl.
• Pour the vegetable oil into a large pot to a depth of 2 inches and heat to 325 degrees F. Working in batches, lift the dough circles off the sheet pan and carefully slip them into the oil. Fry, turning once, until lightly browned. Drain the crullers on a brown paper bag; then dip them completely in the glaze. Let the crullers cool and set before serving.

BAKED BUTTERMILK CRULLERS

Steps:

• DONUTS Preheat oven to 400F. For Choux Paste Doughnut Base: In a large saucepan, stir buttermilk, water, sugar, caviar from the vanilla bean and salt together over medium heat. Stir in butter and allow it to melt. Increase heat and bring mixture to a rolling boil. Stir in flour all at once. Blend well with a wooden spoon, adding vanilla and beating briskly until mixture forms a ball that leaves the sides of pan. Beat vigorously 1 to 2 minutes before removing from burner and turning out into a large bowl. (I used the bowl of my electric mixer because I am a WUSS and needed the power of my KitchenAid to beat the choux paste and eggs that follows) Allow mixture to cool 5 minutes, but do not let cool completely. Using a wide whisk,wooden spoon or electric mixer (WAY easier) add eggs, 1 at a time, until mixture is smooth and glossy. Spoon choux paste into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch star tip for the large doughnuts or a 1/4 inch round tip for the small doughnut pan. Pipe into the pans. Bake pastry 15 minutes; then reduce oven temp to 375F and bake another 10-15 minutes or until doughnuts are light in texture and medium brown all over. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes. GLAZE To make glaze, whisk everything together in a medium bowl to a thick glaze consistency. Dip each doughnut once, let excess drip off back into bowl. Let doughnuts set on a wire rack.

CHRISTMAS CRULLERS (SWEDISH)

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except oil in a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Turn the chilled dough out onto a floured surface and roll out thin. With a pastry wheel, cut strips 3/4 inch wide by 3 inches long.
• Cut a gash about 1 inch long in the center of each strip. Twist one end of the strip through the slit. It will look kind of like a knot.
• Fry in deep oil at 375F until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
• Crullers are a Christmas delicacy served with jam as dessert or at coffeetime.