DOUGHNUTS – the food dept. bring you more of what you love, 4 more fabulous doughnuts

Chocolate sprinkle doughnuts

A luscious shiny glaze and the crunch of homemade sprinkles on top of a fluffy light doughnut, you won't be able to stop at one - Mmmmmm

Makes approximately 12.

• 3 teaspoons instant dry yeast

• 2 cups plain flour and a little extra for rolling

• 2 tablespoons caster sugar

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 2/3 cup warm milk

• 2 eggs, at room temperature

• 60g unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced

• vegetable oil, for deep frying

• 1 quantity Dutch cocoa glaze

• 1 quantity Chocolate sprinkles

1. Place the yeast, flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and gently mix to combine.

2. Add the milk and eggs and beat to form a soft dough. With the mixer running drop in the butter, a few cubes at a time and beat until all of the butter has been added and is well combined into the yeast dough. The dough will be soft but should not be so sticky that you can’t roll it out.

3. Remove the dough from the mixer and place into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and allow the dough to prove in a warm place for 45 minutes or until it has doubled in size. The dough can be allowed to stand overnight in the refrigerator and you can make fresh doughnuts to order in the morning! The refrigerator slows the proving process.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured bench and give it a gentle knead. Roll out to 1 ½ cm thickness and cut approximately 12 rounds of dough with a 7cm cutter. Then using a 2cm cutter, cut the holes out of the doughnuts. Gently reroll the excess and cut out more doughnuts. Place onto a tray lined with baking paper, cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 45minutes or until they have doubled in size.

5. Heat the vegetable oil in a large open pot, I find a wok works well, to 180C. Carefully lower the doughnuts into the oil and fry for 2-3 minutes each side until golden brown.

6. Using a slotted spoon lift the doughnuts from the hot oil, drain on absorbent paper. Place onto a cake cooler lined with baking paper.

7. Once cool dip the doughnuts half way into the chocolate glaze and then turn glaze side up and top with the Chocolate sprinkles.

8. Allow the glaze to set and then serve. These will keep for a day but best eaten the day they are made.

Dutch cocoa glaze

• 2 cups sifted icing sugar

• ½ cup Dutch cocoa powder

• ¼ cup milk or water

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla essence

1. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a mixing bowl; gradually add the combined milk and vanilla essence. Beat well to a smooth consistency. Use as required.

2. If the icing is allowed to stand for too long it may harden, add a little more milk and beat again until smooth.

Chocolate sprinkles

the food dept. made chocolate flavoured sprinkles but you can make your own sprinkles in plain white and colours to suit whatever it is your making. You will need to start at least 24 hours before you need to use them. If you’re concerned about artificial colours try naturally colouring you own sprinkles with beetroot, spinach or carrot juice.

           

• 1 cup royal icing mix (available at the supermarket or specialty cake decorating stores)

• ¼ cup Dutch cocoa

• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

• 1 tablespoon water

1. Sift the royal icing mixture and cocoa into a bowl.

2. Add the vanilla and then the water a little at a time until you reach a piping consistency.

3. Place the icing mixture into a piping bag fitted with a plain, fine nozzle.

4. Line a baking tray with paper, pipe lines of icing the length of the tray. The easiest way to get them straight is to touch the icing nozzle onto the baking paper, squeeze out the icing and then lift it up and along the length of the tray, let the icing fall onto the tray in a straight line. Stop squeezing at the end of the tray and the icing will fall away from the nozzle.

5. Allow to dry for 24 hours and then break into the required lengths, short or long, whatever takes your fancy.

Honey bombolini with vanilla bean custard

These doughnuts use a sweet yeast dough made with honey instead of sugar. The honey helps the yeast to prove and gives them a delicious flavour. They are cut into small rounds and once cooked they are rolled in icing sugar and then a slit is cut on the side and filled with custard.

Makes approximately 24. 

• 3 teaspoons instant dry yeast 
• 2 1/3 cups plain flour and a little extra for rolling

• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ cup warm milk
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 60g unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced
• vegetable oil, for deep frying
• icing sugar for rolling
• 1 quantity Vanilla bean custard 
                                              

1. Place the yeast, flour and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and gently mix to combine. 
2. Add the honey, milk and eggs and beat to form a soft dough. With the mixer running drop in the butter, a few cubes at a time and beat until all of the butter has been added and is well combined in the yeast dough. The dough will be soft but should not be so sticky that you can’t roll it out.

3. Remove the dough from the mixer and place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and allow the dough to prove in a warm place for 45 minutes or until it has doubled in size. The dough can be allowed to stand overnight in the refrigerator and you can make fresh doughnuts to order in the morning! The refrigerator slows the proving process.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured bench and give it a light knead. Roll out to 1 ½ cm thickness and cut approximately 24 rounds of dough with a 3 ½ cm cutter. Gently reroll the excess dough and cut out more bombolini. Place onto a tray lined with baking paper and set aside in a warm place for 45 minutes or until they have doubled in size.

5. Heat the vegetable oil in a large open pot, I find a wok works well for deep frying and using a thermometer heat the oil to 180C (360F). Carefully lower the bombolini into the oil and fry for 2-3 minutes each side until golden brown.

6. Using a slotted spoon lift the bombolini from the hot oil and drain on absorbent paper, toss in the icing sugar until well coated.

7. Cut a slit across the middle of each bombolini and pipe in some of the vanilla bean custard. Sprinkle with extra icing sugar and serve. Best eaten on the day they are made but they can be served the following day.

           

Vanilla bean custard

• 1 cup milk

• 1 vanilla bean pod, split

• 3 egg yolks

• 3 tablespoons caster sugar

• 2 tablespoons plain flour

• ½ cup double cream

1. Place the milk and vanilla pod in a medium saucepan over a low heat and bring to a simmer. Combine the egg yolks, sugar and flour in a medium bowl and whisk until light and creamy. Gradually drizzle in the hot milk while whisking the egg mixture. Once all of the milk has been added to the egg yolks return to the saucepan over a low heat and stir until the custard has thickened, 2-3 minutes.

2. Remove from the heat and transfer for a medium bowl, cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and cool. Once cold fold through the double cream.

3. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle and use as required.

 

Rhubarb and vanilla jam berliners

Berliners are pillowy soft doughnuts without a hole filled with a delicious sweet jam, custard or cream. We have filled ours with Rhubarb and vanilla jam. Believed to have originated in Germany there are many variations of this type of doughnut from around the world. The best known is probably the American jelly doughnut or what Aussies call a jam doughnut.

Makes approximately 10-12.

                        

• 3 teaspoons instant dry yeast

• 2 cups plain flour and a little extra for rolling

• 2 tablespoons caster sugar

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 2/3 cup warm milk

• 2 eggs, at room temperature

• 60g unsalted butter at room temperature, diced

• vegetable oil, for deep frying

• extra, caster sugar for rolling

• 1 cup Rhubarb and vanilla jam or you own favourite store bought jam

1. Place the yeast, flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and gently mix to combine.

2. Add the milk and eggs and beat to form a soft dough. With the mixer running drop in the butter, a few cubes at a time and beat until all of the butter has been added and is well combined in the yeast dough. The dough should be soft but not so sticky that you can’t roll it out.

3. Remove the dough from the mixer and place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and allow the dough to prove in a warm place for 45 minutes or until it has doubled in size. The dough can be allowed to stand overnight in the refrigerator and you can make fresh doughnuts to order in the morning! The refrigerator slows the proving process.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured bench and give it a light knead. Roll out to 1 ½ cm thickness and cut rounds of dough with a 7cm cutter. Gently reroll the dough and cut more berliners. Place on a tray lined with baking paper and set aside in a warm place for 45 minutes or until they have double in size.

5. Heat the vegetable oil in a large open pot, I find a wok works well for deep frying and using a thermometer heat the oil to 180C (360F). Carefully lower the doughnuts into the oil and fry for 2-3 minutes each side until golden brown.

6. Using a slotted spoon lift the doughnuts from the hot oil , drain on absorbent paper and toss in the extra caster sugar until well coated. Place onto a cake rack lined with baking paper.

7. Using a narrow pointed knife cut a slit into the side of the doughnuts to create a pocket for the jam. Warm the jam slightly in the microwave and place into a piping bag with a plain nozzle and pipe into the slit in the side of the doughnut. Serve warm.

Rhubarb and vanilla jam

This recipe uses jam sugar, which you can buy in the supermarket. It has the pectin, which sets the jam, already added to the sugar. This ensure that the jam will set every time even when you are using fruits low in pectin, like rhubarb. It also means that the fruits are not cooked for a long time, making sure they keep their vibrant colour and fresh fruity taste.

• 500g rhubarb, trimmed and finely sliced

• ¼ cup water

• 2 x 125g punnet raspberries

• vanilla bean, scrape the seeds and reserve both

• 750g jam sugar

1. Place the rhubarb and water in a large open pot and bring to a rapid simmer, cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally to break up the rhubarb.

2. Once the rhubarb is pulpy stir in the raspberries and give a quick wiz with a stick blender to break them up. Stir through the jam sugar over a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved.

3. Increase to a rapid boil and cook for 4 minutes or until the jam wrinkles when tested on the back of the spoon. Using the jam setter ensures the jam will set every time.

4. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Use as required.

Recipes: Sally Courtney.