SUGAR - the food dept.'s Sally Courtney revamps the humble doughnut and creates a variety of different recipes for every sweet tooth. Not to name any names, but our food photographer adores doughnuts and you will too!

                              

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Cinnamon sugar churros with a bitter sweet chocolate sauce

Traditionally served for breakfast these Spanish doughnuts are served with a bitter sweet chocolate sauce.

Makes approximately 30.

• 1¼ cups water   

• 125g butter

• 1¼ cups plain flour

• 4 eggs

• vegetable oil, for deep-frying

• 1 cup caster sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Place the water and butter into a saucepan and heat over a low heat until the butter melts.

2. Increase the heat and bring to a rapid boil, add the flour and stir continuously until the batter comes away from the saucepan and becomes to a ball. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

3. Turn the dough into the bowl of an electric mixer and allow to cool for a few minutes while you break the eggs into a jug and whisk. With the mixer running gradually add the eggs in 4 lots and beat well between each addition.

4. Place the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star pipe and set aside.

5. Combine the caster sugar and cinnamon on a tray and toss to combine, set aside.

6. Heat the oil to 180 C (360F). Hold the piping bag over the hot oil and pipe 10cm lengths of dough into the oil. Cut the dough from the piping bag with a pair of scissors, being careful to not let the dough fall from a height and splash the oil.  Cook 3-4 churros at a time, for 3-4 minutes until golden. Gently roll around in the oil to make sure they are golden on all sides.

7. Using a slotted spoon lift the churros from the hot oil, drain on absorbent paper and then while still hot toss in the cinnamon sugar.

8. Serve hot with the Bittersweet chocolate sauce.

Bittersweet chocolate sauce

Makes 1½ cups.

• 100g bitter sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

• 200ml double cream

• 2 tablespoons liquid glucose

1. Place the chocolate in a bowl and set aside

2. Combine the cream and glucose in a small saucepan and heat over a medium heat until simmering. Pour over the chocolate and stir until chocolate has melted. Serve warm with churros.

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Mini pecan crumble doughnuts with lemon glaze

You will need an uber cute doughnut mould for this recipe. This recipe uses a simple cake/muffin style batter that you can pipe on top of the crumble mixture, then bake and drizzle with lemon glaze. Yum!!!

• ½ cup pecans, finely chopped

• ½ cup brown sugar

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 40g chilled butter, cut into a small dice

• 1¾ cups self-raising flour

• ¼ cup raw sugar

• 1 teaspoon mixed spice

• 1 free range egg, lightly beaten

• extra, 125g butter, melted

• ½ cup buttermilk

• ½ cup icing sugar

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (360F).  Combine the pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter in a mixing bowl and rub together with your fingertips to make the pecan crumble.

2. Sprinkle approximately 1 teaspoon of the crumble mixture into the base of the greased doughnut moulds.

3. Combine flour, sugar and mixed spice in a bowl.

4. Combine the egg, extra butter and buttermilk in a jug and gently fold into the dry ingredients, do not over mix, a few small lumps are ok. Carefully spoon into a large piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle.

5. Pipe the batter into each doughnut mould until 2/3 full. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until cooked when tested.

6. Place the icing sugar into a small mixing bowl, add the lemon juice and mix until smooth. It should be the consistency of pouring cream. If needed add more icing sugar or lemon juice to get it to the right consistency.

7. Once cooked remove the doughnuts from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before turning out. Turn the doughnuts over so the crumble is on the top and drizzle while warm with the lemon glaze.

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Almond cruller with orange blossom glaze

From the otherside of the world, this doughnut can be found across Europe as well as parts of the USA. Cruller meaning ‘to curl’ can be formed into sticks or rings, by hand or piped. This recipes uses a choux pastry that is piped into rings, topped with almonds and then fried until golden and light, then dipped in a fragrant orange blossom glaze.

Makes approximately 20.

• 1¼ cups water

• 125g butter

• 1¼ cups flour

• 4 eggs

• ½ cup slivered almonds

• vegetable oil, for deep-frying

• 1 quantity Orange blossom glaze

1. Place the water and butter into a saucepan and heat over a low heat until the butter melts.

2. Increase the heat and bring to a rapid boil, add the flour and stir continuously until the batter comes away from the saucepan and becomes a ball. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

3. Turn the dough into the bowl of an electric mixer and allow to cool for a few minutes while you break the eggs into a jug and whisk.

With the mixer running gradually add the eggs in 4 lots and beat well between each addition, until the dough is glossy.

4. Place the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star pipe and set aside.

Line an oven tray with baking paper. Pipe a ring of dough approximately 10cm across, sprinkle with the slivered almonds and place into the freezer for 30 minutes. This makes the dough firm and easy to handle.

5. Heat the vegetable oil to 180 C (360F). Carefully lower the crullers into the oil, almond side down, cook for 1-2 minutes on the first side and then turn and cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden.

6. Drain on absorbent paper. While still warm dip the crullers into the glaze and drain on a cake cooler.

Serve once icing has set, these are best eaten the day they are made.

Orange blossom glaze

• 2½ cups icing sugar, sifted

• 2 tablespoons milk

• 1½ tablespoons orange blossom water

1. Place the sifted icing sugar into a bowl and set aside.

2. Combine the milk and orange blossom water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.

3. Pour into the icing sugar and whisk to combine. The glaze should be a drizzling consistency. Use as required.

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Chocolate molten doughnut balls

Are you a chocoholic? Then this is the doughnut for you, they are chocolate heaven.

Makes approximately 12-14 balls.

• 1¾ cups plain flour

• ½ cup cocoa

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate soda

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ½ cup raw sugar

• 1/3 cup milk

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

• 1 free range egg                  

• 100 bitter sweet chocolate, cut into ½ cm cubes

• vegetable oil, for deep-frying

• extra, ¼ cup cocoa powder

• ¼ cup icing sugar

1. Place the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer, mix to combine.

2. Add the milk, butter and egg and beat until it just comes together into a ball. Roll out the dough between lightly floured baking paper until 1cm thick.

3. Using a 6cm cutter, cut rounds. Reroll the dough and continue to cut rounds.

4. Place a cube of chocolate into the centre of each round of dough and pinch together to enclose the chocolate, roll into a ball shape and place onto a lined tray until ready to fry.

5. Heat oil in a large open pot or wok to 180C (360F). Carefully lower a few of the balls at a time into the hot oil and cook for 2-3 minutes, turning so that the doughnuts cook evenly.

6. Using a slotted spoon lift the doughnuts from the hot oil and drain on absorbent paper.

7. Combine the extra cocoa and icing sugar in a bowl and toss the warm doughnut balls in the icing sugar mixture and serve immediately.



Thank you!
If you liked the plates and bowls in this feature you will love the http://www.thefortynine.com.au, 
the food dept. would like to thank the gang for supplying us with their Flip Flop ceramics for our shoot. Please check out the forty nine website and stay tuned for the launch of their shop.