Doh! Nuts!

If you've been living under a rock for the past few days, you probably haven't heard the news that a Krispy Kreme's opened in Perth; donut lovers everywhere rejoiced. Apparently Perth broke the record for most donuts sold on an opening day; not sure if that's something to be proud of, but hey, take what victories you can!

Perth wasn't without quality donuts before Krispy Kreme came (try saying that ten times fast), my favourite donut could be found in a humble stall in Freo Markets. It's called Levi's Donuts and they do some of the best donuts I've ever had. They offer one of three choices: traditional, blackberry and dark chocolate; and man, there's nothing sweeter than sinking your teeth in a steaming hot, fluffy donut. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the markets.

Now when the craving for donuts struck, my solution was simple: make my own. But why go to all that effort of making the dough then frying it when you could've easily just driven to the store, I hear you ask, and I'll answer 'because I can' and honestly, home made trumps store bought. Plus there's something very satisfying about making something that and I quote sloth dad, 'are good as the store ones!'.

awwwww yeeeeeeeeeaahhhh

Cinnamon and sugar: classic combo

Icing sugar and mulberry jam: winning

Jammy innards

 Now this recipe hails from Masterchef Australia (I'm beginning to sense a pattern emerging) from Gary Mehigan (one of the judges if you're unfamiliar with the show). His recipe called for lavender sugar and while I have lavender outside in the garden, I'm not sure it's suitable for human consumption. I also decided to halve the original recipe, but you still make a decent amount depending on how big you intend the donuts to be (mmm mega donut). I also decided to try and be 'health conscious' and substitute margarine for the butter but I mean, you're basically deep frying dough then rolling it in sugar. So. Up to you.

The dough that this recipe makes is quite soft, so I tried to pipe the donuts into the oil. For me, at least, not a good idea although I would've probably had more success if I had used an actual pastry bag and wiped the knife clean between each separation of dough from the bag (hindsight's always 20/20) but I found two spoons do the job well enough. Plus you've got more of a chance of making round ones and not...well, I'll let the picture speak for itself. 

I really should invest in actual piping bags.

A vague quenelle shape

I've affectionately named the long one Bristol Stool 4

The two spoon method is definitely prettier.

This recipe is a bit time consuming so make sure that you set aside some time for it, especially the proving of the yeast and the frying. If you don't have a deep fryer, you can also use a saucepan or (my personal favourite) a wok. Just be mindful of heating the oil to the right temperature; a handy hint is to test it with a chunk of bread. If the bread fries to a golden brown in roughly thirty seconds to a minute, your oil's ready. Alternatively, you can look for a 'shimmer' (it's a bit hard to explain without pictures, but the surface of the oil seems to shimmer as if there's a mirage?) or if you have a bamboo chopstick; when you stick the tip in the oil, bubbles should form around the chopstick (again, hard to explain without pictures). Also between batches, wait for the oil to reheat: the longer they soak in the oil, the more oil they'll absorb. 

Everything you need: try to make sure the yeast is as fresh as possible!

I used a microwave to heat up the milk, sugar and margarine; make sure it's body temperature (you can test it by dropping a bit of milk on your wrist like you'd check a baby's bottle)

If the milk's not hot or too hot, the yeast won't work as well (tricky buggeryboo)

The yeasty, eggy, milky mixture

Looks like absolute rubbish but keep mixing it until...

It should be thick enough to form a ribbon when you lift the whisk

Use the 45 minutes - 1 hour to pamper yourself, you deserve it

The batter pretty much doubles in size, but be careful..

I dropped it on the counter and it deflated a bit

Golden brown and slighty round, don't overcrowd the fryer!

Donuts (adapted from Gary Mehigan's recipe)

Makes about 20-24 donuts about the size of a plum

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• 220mL milk
• 50g butter or margarine
• 37.5g (1/4C) caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 10g fresh yeast OR 1 dry yeast packet
• 2C plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• vegetable oil for frying
• cinnamon, sugar,  jam of your preference 

METHOD

1. Heat milk until tepid (~37'C) either on the stove in a saucepan or in a microwave safe bowl, then whisk in the butter, caster sugar and eggs.
2. Place the yeast in a bowl and add roughly 1/2C of the milk mixture. Break up the yeast with a fork or balloon whisk until smooth.
3. Transfer the yeast mixture back to the rest of the milk mix and whisk to combine.
4. Combine the flour and the salt in a separate bowl and form a well in the middle.
5. Pour the yeast and milk mixture into the well and stir with the whisk until everything is combined and the batter is able to form thick ribbons when the whisk is lifted from the mixture.
6. Set aside in a warm area for 45-60 minutes until batter has doubled in size.
7. Heat sufficient oil for deep frying (or use the appropriate temperature setting of the deep fryer)
8. Using two spoons, form quenelles and gently place in the hot oil.
9. Fry until both sides are golden brown, flipping if necessary. 
10. Remove from the oil to drain on absorbent paper, then while still warm, roll in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Alternatively, slit the donut down one side then add a spoonful of jam, then dust with icing sugar.  

Happy slothing!!

xx