Diner Style Powdered Buttermilk Doughnuts Food

POWDERED CAKE DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Get ready: Pour the oil into a large saucepan (5 to 6 quart capacity). Prepare a baking sheet fitted with kitchen towels and a slotted spoon to remove and place the doughnuts as they emerge from the hot oil.
• Mix the dry ingredients: in a large bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. With your hand, make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the yeast in the center.
• Make the dough: Place the sour cream in a heatproof bowl and warm gently over a pot of simmering water, like a makeshift double boiler, 2-3 minutes. When warmed, remove the bowl from the heat. Pour the sour cream directly over the yeast and allow the sour cream and yeast to sit 2-3 minutes. Gently mix with a rubber spatula then add your eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Gently stir until combined.
• Cut the doughnuts: Sift a generous layer of flour onto 2 baking sheets. Flour a clean flat surface and turn the dough out. It will be sticky. Sift more flour on top of the dough, flour your hands and pat the dough until about 3/4 inch thick. Dip the cutter in flour so it won't stick. Cut a round and gently transfer to the floured baking sheets. Flour the cutter between each doughnut. Cut the rounds close together to avoid making too many scraps. Gather the scraps and roll into a ball.
• Finish: Dip the smaller cutter in flour and cut a round out of the center of each doughnut to make the "hole". Save the small dough holes. Let the doughnuts rest 8-10 minutes.
• Heat the oil: In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the canola oil over medium low heat. Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature until the oil reaches 350F.
• Fry and eat: Use a slotted spoon to submerge 5 doughnuts in a single layer in the hot oil. Fry until the bottoms are browned, 3-4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to carefully turn each doughnut on their second side and fry an additional 3-4 minutes until browned. Remove and drain on the sheet fitted with kitchen towels. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts. Take care to allow the oil to reheat between batches. Flatten and cut the scraps for a few additional doughnuts. Fry the doughnuts holes as well. Cool for at least 15 minutes then toss in the powdered sugar.

BROWN BUTTER BUTTERMILK DONUTS

Steps:

• For the donuts: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Let it cook on low heat, swirling occasionally while it crackles and hisses, until the crackling stops and the milk solids in the butter smell toasty and nutty and have turned golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the stove and let cool to room temperature.
• Combine the cake flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a bowl, whisk together and set aside.
• In a mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the melted butter, granulated sugar and lemon zest. Add the almond extract, whole egg and egg yolk and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk and mix just until a soft dough forms. Remove onto a piece of plastic wrap, flatten out to a disc, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight if you want to make the night before and finish in the morning).
• Unwrap the dough onto a liberally floured surface and pat out with your hands (or you can use a rolling pin) to 3/4 inch thick. Using a 3- to 4-inch glass or round cutter, punch out as many dough circles as you can and place on a baking sheet. Reroll until all the dough is cut. Using a small bottle cap or a round pastry tip, cut a hole in the center of each donut (you can use these pieces to test the oil or to have as snacks). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. It is important that the dough is cold when frying (chilled dough is easier to handle and results in a nicer crust with well-defined cracks).
• Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot to 350 degrees F.
• For the glaze: Right before frying the donuts, combine the powdered sugar, buttermilk, almond extract, salt and lemon juice in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.
• When the oil is hot, carefully drop the donuts in the oil (2 to 3 at a time; do not crowd the pot). They will sink to the bottom but pop up after 15 to 20 seconds (don't disturb them during this time). Fry, flipping frequently, until deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oil onto a rack.
• While still warm but cool enough to handle, drop each donut into the glaze, flip to coat the entire thing, then let set on the rack. These are the best right away, but they actually keep pretty well for a day or two because they are very moist.

BUTTERMILK NUTMEG DROP DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Add vegetable oil to a large, heavy Dutch oven or deep-fryer to a depth of about 3 inches. Slowly heat the oil until it registers 365 to 375 degrees on a candy or deep-fry thermometer.
• Meanwhile, sift 1 cup of the flour and the salt, baking powder and baking soda into a large mixing bowl. Add the nutmeg and sugar and stir well with a wire whisk to thoroughly blend. Sift the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour into a small bowl and set aside. In a third bowl, lightly beat the egg and the egg white, then stir in the buttermilk and cooled melted butter. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients all at once, then stir with a large looped whisk or a wooden spoon until the batter is almost smooth. Gradually beat in the remaining flour, stirring just enough to moisten the flour and smooth out most of the lumps. Do not overbeat the batter or it may become gluey and the fritters will be tough.
• Have a large plate lined with several layers of paper towel near the stove. Place the cinnamon sugar in a shallow bowl and have a second platter ready to hold the finished doughnuts. When the oil has reached the right temperature, gently drop spoonfuls of the batter about the size of a large egg into the hot oil in batches of three or four. Cooking more fritters at a time may cause the oil temperature to drop too severely. Keep an eye on the thermometer--the temperature will initially jump when the batter is added, then drop slightly. Try to keep it within 5 or 10 degrees of 365 by playing with the number of fritters in the pot. Too low a heat will cause the fritters to absorb too much oil, while too high a heat will burn the outsides before the insides are properly cooked.
• Fry the doughnuts for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, turning once or twice so they cook evenly. When they are a deep amber brown, transfer them to the paper towels with a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon. Let the fritters cool for a minute or so, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar and set them on the platter (or, as in my house, directly into somebody's open, waiting hand). Allow the temperature of the oil to recover before adding the next batch of doughnuts and repeat until all of the batter is used. Like most fritters, these doughnuts are best eaten as soon as they are fried, as they tend to get soggy and unappetizing with standing.

SOUTHERN BUTTERMILK BOURBON PRALINE DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Place 2 cups of the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low until combined, then add the shortening and mix until worked in. Whisk together the buttermilk, egg and yolk, and vanilla in a small bowl and then add to the flour mixture and beat until smooth. Beat in remaining 1 cup flour until combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.
• Turn dough onto a floured surface and roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut dough into rounds. Using a 1-inch cookie cutter, cut hole from center of each round. Gather scraps and re-roll dough, cutting additional doughnuts until dough is used up.
• Heat 5 inches of oil in a large pot to 350 degrees F. Add doughnuts, 3 at a time, and fry until golden on both sides, turning once, about 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
• When doughnuts have cooled, dip tops of doughnuts in the mixture and place on baking racks until the praline sets up slightly. Sprinkle nuts on top.
• Combine sugar, water, vanilla bean and seeds in a medium saucepan over high heat and cook until dark amber color. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the cream, butter and salt. Return to the heat and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the bourbon. Strain. Let cool until slightly thickened.