Hanukkah Doughnuts

★★★☆☆
Serves: 24 doughnuts Origin: Contemporary

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup whole milk180 ml whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast15 ml active dry yeast
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour (plus 1 tablespoon)720 ml all-purpose flour (plus 1 tablespoon)
  • 1/3 cup superfine sugar80 ml superfine sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature, diced)90 ml unsalted butter (at room temperature, diced)
  • 1 egg (large)1 egg (large)
  • 4 teaspoons Armagnac or apple brandy20 ml Armagnac or apple brandy
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract5 ml pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt2 ml kosher salt
  • 5 cups canola oil (plus more for brushing)1.2 L canola oil (plus more for brushing)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar240 ml granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon15 ml ground cinnamon
  • 3 cups strawberry jam720 ml strawberry jam

Instructions

  1. Make the Dough
  2. In a small microwavable bowl, warm the milk at high power to 110°F, 1 minute. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
  3. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour with the superfine sugar. Add the milk mixture, the butter, egg, Armagnac, vanilla and salt. Knead at low speed, scraping down the side of the bowl, until the dough starts to come together, about 4 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is soft and pulls away from the bowl, about 10 minutes.
  4. Shape and Proof
  5. Lightly brush a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Lightly brush 2 rimmed baking sheets with oil. Punch down the dough and cut in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch log. Cut each log into 12 equal pieces, roll into balls and arrange on the prepared baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
  6. Fry and Fill
  7. In a medium bowl, combine the granulated sugar with the cinnamon.
  8. In a large saucepan, heat the 5 cups of oil over moderate heat to 325°F. Working in batches, fry the doughnuts, turning once, until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the doughnuts as they're done to the cinnamon sugar and toss to coat. Let cool on a rack, about 15 minutes.
  9. Spoon the jam into a pastry bag or small resealable plastic bag with 1 corner snipped. Pipe about 2 tablespoons of jam into 2 opposite ends of each doughnut and serve as soon as possible.
The doughnuts can be stored in an airtight container overnight. Originally appeared: December 2017.
Wine Pairing: Dessert Wine — Sauternes — honeyed sweetness to echo the dish without overwhelming it.
Source: Andrew Zimmern / Food & Wine
wine-unreviewed