daring bakers, october.
Rosewater and Pistachio Doughnuts
I haven't been quite so excited about a Daring Bakers Challenge in a while. Perhaps, as our host Lori (of Butter Me Up) noted, my love of doughnuts goes back to my Canadian upbringing. Despite my generally good diet, I do have a real weakness for fried, fluffy, sugared, and sprinkled doughnuts.
Growing up, Tim Hortons was a usual stop for such confections - I remember feeling so grown up at the age of six, eating walnut crunch doughnuts like my father. Dense, almost bitter with cocoa, with sparsely strewn walnuts throughout. But deep down, all posturing aside, I'm a rainbow sprinkle kind of girl.
These doughnuts are floral, fragrant, and sweet - light fried doughnuts with a sweet rosewater glaze, topped with finely chopped green pistachios. I made a few doughnut holes - or Timbits, if you will - with cinnamon and sugar dusted round them, as well as a few custard-filled, chocolate-dipped giants. I liked the rosewater best, and, incidentally, might have given myself a pistachio allergy in the process of eating so many - the doctor has advised me to avoid them for a while after a sudden allergic reaction! That'll teach me to gorge myself on my baking challenges.
The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up.
Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including
Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.
*****
Yeast Doughnuts
Preparation time:
Hands on prep time - 25 minutes
Rising time - 1.5 hours total
Cooking time - 12 minutes
Yield: 20 to 25 doughnuts & 20 to 25 doughnut holes, depending on size
Ingredients
Milk 1.5 cup / 360 ml
Vegetable Shortening 1/3 cup / 80 ml / 70 gm / 2.5 oz (can substitute butter, margarine or lard)
Active Dry Yeast 4.5 teaspoon (2 pkgs.) / 22.5 ml / 14 gm / ½ oz
Warm Water 1/3 cup / 80 ml (95°F to 105°F / 35°C to 41°C)
Eggs, Large, beaten 2
White Granulated Sugar ¼ cup / 60 ml / 55 gm / 2 oz
Table Salt 1.5 teaspoon / 7.5 ml / 9 gm / 1/3 oz
Nutmeg, grated 1 tsp. / 5 ml / 6 gm / ¼ oz
All Purpose Flour 4 2/3 cup / 1,120 ml / 650 gm / 23 oz + extra for dusting surface
Canola Oil DEPENDS on size of vessel you are frying in – you want THREE (3) inches of oil
(can substitute any flavorless oil used for frying)
Directions:
1. Place the milk in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm enough to melt the shortening.
(Make sure the shortening is melted so that it incorporates well into the batter.)
2. Place the shortening in a bowl and pour warmed milk over. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let dissolve for 5 minutes. It should get foamy. After 5
minutes, pour the yeast mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer and add the milk and shortening mixture, first
making sure the milk and shortening mixture has cooled to lukewarm.
4. Add the eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and half of the flour. Using the paddle attachment of your mixer (if you have one),
combine the ingredients on low speed until flour is incorporated and then turn the speed up to medium and beat
until well combined.
5. Add the remaining flour, combining on low speed at first, and then increase the speed to medium and beat well.
6. Change to the dough hook attachment of the mixer and beat on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the
bowl and becomes smooth, approximately 3 to 4 minutes (for me this only took about two minutes). If you do not
have a dough hook/stand mixer – knead until the dough is smooth and not sticky.
7. Transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
8. On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 3/8-inch (9 mm)thick. (Make sure the surface really is well-floured
otherwise your doughnuts will stick to the counter).
9. Cut out dough using a 2 1/2-inch (65 mm) doughnut cutter or pastry ring or drinking glass and using a 7/8-inch (22
mm) ring for the center whole. Set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with a tea towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.
10. Preheat the oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 365 °F/185°C.
11. Gently place the doughnuts into the oil, 3 to 4 at a time. Cook for 1 minute per side or until golden brown (my
doughnuts only took about 30 seconds on each side at this temperature).
12. Transfer to a cooling rack placed in baking pan. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes prior to glazing, if desired.
Rosewater Glaze:
1 cup icing sugar
a few tablespoons rosewater (to desired thickness)
Mix until smooth and slightly runny - it should set thinly but drip down only slightly.
For the pistachios, try to get unsalted, raw nuts - I found them at my local health food store. Toast them lightly in a pan and then chop as finely as you like. The finer the chop, the greener and more delicate the effect.
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