Food + Me = Life

I must admit I haven’t been in the kitchen much lately and have been pretty busy with study and life. But yesterday I decided it was time to jump back in and do some sweet cooking. I though for a while what I could make that I haven’t made in a very long time and it was either chocolate mousse cake or doughnuts and well DOUGHNUTS overruled.

Here is a recipe I have created myself with gaining inspiration from others. I added something you don’t usually see into my dough; vanilla instant pudding. This was an experiment which worked, the addition of instant pudding gave the doughnut a delicate texture and subtle vanilla flavour.

Cinnamon, Choc Nut Doughnuts

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups plain flour
1/4 cup castor sugar
1 vanilla instant pudding sachet
3 tsp. yeast
pinch salt
300ml milk, warmed
100g butter, melted
3 egg yolks, beaten
canola oil for deep-frying
1 cup castor sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon

Extra flour for dusting/rolling
1x chocolate ganache
75gm chopped nuts

Method:

1. Sift flour, sugar, instant pudding, salt and yeast into bowl of a  stand mixer with dough hook.
2. Turn on mixer for a second to combine dry ingredients and to create a well.
3. Whisk together milk, melted butter and beaten egg. Add to the dry ingredients and turn onto medium speed for 2-3 minutes. The dough will be sticky.
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured bench and knead for 2 minutes until dough is smooth.
5. Oil metal bowl, place dough in and brush gently with oil, cover with glad warp and place in  a warm place for 1-2 hours. You want the dough to be doubled in size.
6. Knock back and turn dough out onto floured bench.
7. Roll out until the dough is 1.5 cm thick, using a medium size glass cut circles from the dough. Using the back of a piping nozzle or finger make a whole in the center of the circles.
8. You can re-roll the dough scraps or I like to deep-fry them as they are. This makes for no waste and great snack for the cook to snack on.
9. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
10. Heat oil to 180 degrees.
11. Combine sugar and cinnamon together in a rectangular dish.
12. Test oil temp with the centers cut from the doughnuts, they should float to the surface and be golden brown.
13. Set up a cooling rack over a baking tray to drain doughnuts on straight from the hot oil.
14. Place 4-5 doughnuts into the hot oil at a time, cook for 40-50 seconds each side until golden brown. Turn and repeat on other side, remove from oil with metal tongs or slotted spoon, drain on wire rack.
15. Place in castor sugar/cinnamon mixture and coat.
16. Place on cooling rack until cool.
17. Drizzle with chocolate ganache and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Makes: 18-20 doughnuts