Old Fashioned Buttermilk Bar Donuts Food

THE BEST OLD-FASHIONED DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons of the salt and the nutmeg in a large bowl until completely combined. Whisk together 2/3 cup of the buttermilk, the sour cream, eggs, yolks, 1 tablespoon of the vanilla paste and the oil in a medium bowl until completely combined. Fold the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients just until a soft and sticky dough comes together (do not overwork).
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and liberally dust with flour (about 1/3 cup).
• Scrape the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Dust your hands and the top of the dough with more flour, then gently pat the dough to 3/4-inch thick.
• Working on the baking sheet, punch out as many rounds as you can with a 3 1/4-inch cutter. Then use a 1 1/4-inch cutter to punch out the center of each round. Dip the cutters in flour before each cut to avoid sticking. Gather the dough scraps and gently re-roll without overworking the dough. Repeat cutting until all the dough has been used (you should have 8 doughnuts).
• Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and line a second rimmed baking sheet with several layers of paper towels. Fit a large heavy pot with a deep-fry thermometer and pour in oil to a depth of 3 inches. Heat over medium-high until the thermometer registers 375 degrees F.
• Fry the doughnuts in batches until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the wire rack and let cool slightly. Fry the doughnut holes until deep golden brown, about 90 seconds per side. Transfer to the wire rack and let drain for 1 minute. Then transfer to the paper-towel lined baking sheet to cool for 10 minutes before glazing. (This two-step process gets a lot more oil out of the doughnuts than using only one method.) Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure the oil returns to temperature between batches.
• Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, the remaining 6 tablespoons buttermilk, the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla paste and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until the glaze is smooth and the consistency of honey; add more confectioners' sugar or buttermilk if necessary.
• Dip each doughnut into the glaze on one side (we like the craggy side, it has more texture for an appetizing appearance), letting the excess drip back into the bowl, then return it to the wire rack. Toss the doughnut holes in the glaze to coat completely and return to the wire rack. Let the glaze set for 10 minutes before serving.

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.

BAKED BUTTERMILK DONUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Adjust an oven rack to upper-middle position. Spray a donut pan with cooking spray.
• Sift flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
• Whisk buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla extract together in a smaller bowl.
• Pour melted and cooled shortening into flour mixture and stir until absorbed. Add buttermilk mixture and mix well. Let batter rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Pour a scant tablespoon of batter into the well of each donut cup in the prepared pan. Use the back of a spoon to distribute batter evenly across the bottom of each; you won't use up all of the batter in this batch.
• Bake in the preheated oven on the upper-middle rack until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven; let cool in the pan for 2 to 3 minutes before removing onto a wire rack.
• Place powdered sugar into a small paper bag. Toss warm doughnuts in powdered sugar to coat.
• Spray the donut pan with cooking spray again. Spoon batter in tablespoonfuls into the hot pan for the next batch.
• Bake donuts in the preheated oven on the upper-middle rack until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the pan and toss in powdered sugar.

OLD-FASHIONED BUTTERMILK DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the potatoes, eggs, sugar, buttermilk, butter and lemon zest until blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and baking soda; gradually beat into potato mixture and mix well., Turn onto a lightly floured surface; roll to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. doughnut cutter. In a deep cast-iron or electric skillet, heat oil to 375°. Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Combine sugar and cinnamon; roll warm doughnuts in mixture.