Homemade Doughnuts With Cinnamon Sugar And Cranberry Jam Food

CINNAMON SUGAR DONUTS

Steps:

• Batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add egg yolks and sugar. Mix on medium speed just to combine, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is pale and fluffy and ribbons start to form, about 3 minutes. Reduce to medium speed, then slowly stream in the melted butter, followed by the buttermilk; mix until combined, about 5 seconds.
• Turn the mixer off. Add the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and baharat. Mix on low speed just to combine, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and continue mixing until dough is smooth and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 20 to 30 seconds.
• Tape a 12" x 16" sheet of parchment paper to your work surface to keep it from slipping. Generously dust the parchment with flour. (Keep extra flour nearby to use as needed.) Scrape down the paddle attachment, then turn all the batter out onto the floured surface. The batter will be very sticky and loose. Dust the top of the batter with more flour, all the way to the edges; flour your hands thoroughly. Place a second piece of parchment paper on top of the flour-dusted batter. Roll the batter between the parchment paper into a ½-inch thick rectangle, about 10" x 14". Using only the weight of the rolling pin itself, very gently ease it along the parchment paper-first from top to bottom, then from side to side-to evenly flatten the batter without rolling it too thin. Once you've achieved the right thickness, slide the dough (still sandwiched between parchment) onto an overturned baking sheet. Freeze for 30 minutes and up to overnight.
• Preheat the frying oil: In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add 2-3 inches of oil. Clip a deep fry thermometer onto the side of the pot and heat oil to 350 F. After at least 30 minutes, remove dough from freezer. Generously dust your work surface with flour. Peel the top layer of parchment off the dough. (It's ok if some of it sticks-just be gentle and persistent!) Flip the baking sheet with dough onto the floured surface, so the bottom piece of parchment is now on top. Remove this layer of parchment and use a pastry brush to brush excess flour off dough.
• Cut donuts: Use two sizes of ring cutters to quickly cut out the donuts. Flouring the cutters well and often to prevent sticking, stamp out as many 2.75-inch circles as possible; then use the 1-inch cutter for the holes. The dough scraps can be gathered together, re-rolled and cut for more donuts.
• Fry the donuts: Carefully lift the dough rings with a spatula and slide them into the oil, frying about 4 at a time, depending on the size of your pot. After about 1 minute, the edges will begin to brown; flip the donuts and fry for another minute, then flip again and fry until golden brown and delightfully puffy, another 30 seconds. (Total frying time for the donuts will be about 2½ minutes.)Transfer donuts to a rack set over a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Repeat with remaining donuts and donut holes. (Donut holes take 60 to 90 seconds and tend to flip themselves.)
• In a large bowl, combine sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. One by one, toss the hot donuts in the sugar mixture until well coated. Serve immediately. After the donuts are cool, store in an airtight container for up to 24 hours.

CRANBERRY DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• In a bowl, beat egg; add sugar and butter. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; add to sugar mixture alternately with milk. Stir in cranberries. , Heat oil in an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer to 375°. Drop tablespoonfuls of batter into oil. Fry doughnuts a few at a time, turning with a slotted spoon until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels; roll in sugar while still warm.

IN A CRANBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients into a small, non-reactive saucepan.
• Bring to a simmer and reduce by two-thirds or until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of a loose jam. Remember to keep the heat low to prevent the jam from burning.

DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Heat the milk to 110 degrees F. Place in a cup and stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons of the sugar and the vanilla bean seeds and pod. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let sit for 10 minutes. The yeast will begin to bubble. Remove the bean pod, rinse, and set aside for another use.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, the salt and the nutmeg. On low speed, stir just to mix. Add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients on low speed, then add the egg, water and the melted butter.
• Change to a dough hook and mix on medium-high speed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 15 to 18 minutes. Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (this is the first proof).
• On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to a sheet pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes to rest the dough.
• Cut out thirty 4-by-4-inch squares of parchment paper. Lightly oil each one or spray with pan spray. Have several baking sheets ready.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a work surface. Cut out doughnuts with a round cutter (or cut squares for a different look. If you're going for the traditional doughnut shape, use a smaller cutter to make a hole in the center of each round. (Do not cut out holes if you are going to fill the doughnuts. You may decide to cut the doughnuts really large; that's also fine.)
• Once each doughnut is cut, set it on an oiled square of parchment. (Trust me, this will make your doughnut experience much better and more efficient.) Place the doughnuts on baking sheets. Cover the sheets lightly with an oiled piece of parchment. Allow to proof about 45 minutes in a warm, draft-free area. They are ready when they are almost doubled in size.
• Heat 3 to 4 inches of oil in a straight-sided heavy saucepan. (I like rice bran oil or grapeseed oil, but vegetable oil or canola are also good.)
• Clip a deep-fat thermometer to the side of the pan and heat the oil to 350 degrees F. Place the cinnamon sugar in a bowl to dredge the warm doughnuts.
• Lift a doughnut on the square of paper and place it just over the oil; this will allow the doughnut to slip right into the oil without deforming. Use tongs to nudge it off the paper and into the oil if necessary; if you must, the paper and doughnut can even go into the oil together and you can immediately fish the paper out with the tongs. You can fry 2 or more doughnuts at a time, just don't over crowd the pan. I like flipping the doughnuts quickly and often to help them keep their shape. I use two chopsticks, placing them on the edge of the doughnut and using a quick motion to flip them. It will take about 1 minute on each side until they're golden brown. (Keep an eye on the heat, especially if frying several doughnuts at once.) When browned, carefully lift the doughnuts out of the oil, drain briefly, and toss in the cinnamon sugar. Place on a rack to cool. Repeat until all the doughnuts are cooked.
• These are best eaten within a few hours of frying. They can be reheated in a low-temperature oven to give them that just-fried texture.

JAM DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Put 150g water and all the dough ingredients, apart from the butter, into the bowl of a mixer with a beater paddle. Mix on a medium speed for 8 mins or until the dough starts coming away from the sides and forms a ball. Turn off the mixer and let the dough rest for 1 min.
• Start the mixer up again on a medium speed and slowly add the butter to the dough - about 25g at a time. Once it's all incorporated, mix on high speed for 5 mins until the dough is glossy, smooth and very elastic when pulled.
• Cover the bowl with cling film or a clean tea towel and leave to prove until it's doubled in size. Knock back the dough in the bowl briefly, then re-cover and put in the fridge to chill overnight.
• The next day, take the dough out of the fridge and cut it into 50g pieces (you should get about 20).
• Roll the dough pieces into smooth, tight buns and place them on a floured baking tray, leaving plenty of room between them, as you don't want them to stick together while they prove.
• Cover loosely with cling film and leave for 4 hrs or until doubled in size. Fill your deep-fat fryer or heavy-based saucepan halfway with oil. Heat the oil to 180C. Read our guide on how to deep-fry safely for more essential information.
• When the oil is heated, carefully slide the doughnuts from the tray using a floured pastry scraper. Taking care not to deflate them, put them into the oil. Do 2-3 per batch, depending on the size of your fryer or pan.
• Fry for 2 mins each side until golden brown - they puff up and float, so you may need to gently push them down after about 1 min to help them colour evenly.
• Remove the doughnuts from the fryer and place them on kitchen paper.
• Toss the doughnuts in a bowl of caster sugar while still warm. Repeat the steps until all the doughnuts are fried, but keep checking the oil temperature is correct - if it's too high, they will burn and be raw in the middle; if it's too low, the oil will be absorbed into the doughnuts and they will become greasy. Set aside to cool before filling.
• To fill the doughnuts, make a hole with a small knife in the crease of each one, anywhere around the white line between the fried top and bottom.
• Fill a piping bag with jam and pipe into the doughnut until nicely swollen - about 1 tbsp per doughnut. After filling, the doughnuts are best eaten straight away, but will keep in an airtight tin.