Thursday, May 31, 2012

Fresh Strawberry Glazed Doughnuts

I have had strawberries on the brain for the last month, but have been having such a hard time finding any! It is the very beginning of strawberry season here in Queensland so lucky for me strawberries are slowly coming into stores. After a shopping trip last weekend I came home with two punnets of sweet little strawberries and knew exactly what to do with them. 
While wasting time on pinterest I came across these drool inspiring strawberry doughnuts by Heather Christo Cooks , I've been thinking about them since and was excited to try them for myself.

I was so super impressed by the recipe, the dough is the nicest I think I've made, its silky smooth and when it rises it's so fluffy! And just to let you know how yummy the Strawberry glaze is, I seriously had to talk myself out of eating it by the spoonful. Although I kind of enjoy fake strawberry flavouring, the flavour of the fresh strawberries in the glaze is really amazing.
When I was making the dough for the doughnuts I remember thinking 'hmm that's a fair bit of flour', but it didn't dawn on me until I was cutting out 30 plus doughnuts and doughnuts holes that this recipe made a lot.
Lots of doughnuts means sharing, If the people you share them with aren't your friends now, pretty sure they will be after. As soon as they open the container it will be like bam! punch of strawberry smell to the nose and then bam! You have a new best friend.
For the Doughnuts (scroll to the end for full recipe)
15 grams instant rise yeast
¼ cup warm water
1 ½ cups whole milk
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (room temperature)
1/3 cup Crisco (I used half butter, half vegetable shortening)
2 ½ cups plain flour
3 cups fine cake flour

1 litre vegetable oil (for frying)

To make the Doughnuts- Pour the milk into a small saucepan and bring it to the boil, once boiled turn off the heat and allow to cool.

While the milk is cooling prepare the yeast. Add the warm water to a small bowl and empty in the sachets of yeast. Mix the water and yeast together. Set the bowl aside in a warm spot for ten minutes while the yeast activates, it will bubble and double in size.
Add the milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening/ butter and the plain flour to a large mixer bowl, mix well.
Pour in the yeast mixture and beat until smooth, add the cake flour and mix until combined.
Continue mixing the dough on high for about 3 minutes until it is smooth.
Cover the mixing bowl with cling wrap and place in a warm breeze free spot for 1 to 4 hours, the dough will rise and double in size. I always love this part, the dough got so huge it almost filled my kitchen aid bowl.
Sprinkle a clean work surface with a little plain flour, turn out the dough and roll to around 1/2 an inch thick..
Using a doughnut cutter cut out your doughnut rounds and holes. If you don't have a doughnut cutter a large and small circle cutter are just as good.
Transfer the doughnut and hole cutouts onto a tray lined with baking paper and allow to rise once more for at least 30 minutes.
To fry the doughnuts heat the oil to 180 degrees c. (350 f.) in a large saucepan. I'm so happy I finally got a thermometer.
Carefully drop the doughnuts into the oil and fry until light golden brown.
 Flip the doughnuts over with a wooden skewer or oil safe strainer, fry until evenly coloured on both sides.
Remove the doughnuts from the oil and place on a wire rack with paper towel underneath to catch any excess oil. Continue frying the remaining doughnuts and doughnut holes.
  See how fluffy and yummy looking they are!
For the Strawberry Glaze
2/3 cup pureed strawberries
½ cup butter
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the Strawberry Glaze- Puree the strawberries in a food procressor.

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Add the vanilla, strawberries and icing sugar to the melted butter. Stir the glaze until smooth. Take it off the heat. (I mad the mistake of cooking mine too long and it got too thin)
Dip the doughnuts into the glaze. At this point most of the doughnut holes somehow disappeared.
Place the glazed doughnuts on a wire rack and allow the glaze to set. Have a tray or paper under the rack to  catch the drips of glaze.
Enjoy!!
Doughnuts
15 grams instant rise yeast
¼ cup warm water
1 ½ cups whole milk
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (room temperature)
1/3 cup Crisco (I used half butter, half vegetable shortening)
2 ½ cups plain flour
3 cups fine cake flour
1 litre vegetable oil (for frying)
  • Pour milk into a small saucepan and bring it to the boil, once boiled turn off the heat and allow to cool.
  • Prepare the yeast. Add the warm water to a small bowl and empty in the sachets of yeast,mix together. Set the bowl aside in a warm spot for ten minutes while the yeast activates, it will bubble and double in size.
  • Add the milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening/ butter and plain flour to a large mixer bowl, mix well.
  • Pour in the yeast mixture and beat until smooth, add the cake flour and mix until combined. Continue mixing the dough on high for about 3 minutes until smooth.
  • Cover the mixing bowl with cling wrap and place in a warm breeze free spot for 1 to 4 hours, the dough will rise and double in size.
  • Sprinkle a clean work surface with plain flour, turn out the dough and roll to around 1/2 an inch thick.
  • Using a doughnut cutter cut out your doughnut rounds and holes. If you don't have a doughnut cutter a large and small circle cutter are just as good.
  • Transfer the doughnut and hole cutouts onto a tray lined with baking paper and allow to rise once more for at least 30 minutes.
  • To fry the doughnuts heat the oil to 180 degrees c. (350 f.) in a large saucepan.
  • Carefully drop the doughnuts into the oil and fry until light golden brown.
  • Flip the doughnuts over with a wooden skewer or oil safe strainer, fry until evenly coloured on both sides.
  • Remove the doughnuts from the oil and place on a wire rack with paper towel underneath to catch any excess oil. Continue frying the remaining doughnuts and doughnut holes.
Strawberry Glaze
2/3 cup pureed strawberries
½ cup butter
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Puree the strawberries in a food processor.
  • Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. 
  • Add the vanilla, strawberries and icing sugar to the melted butter. Stir the glaze until smooth. Take it off the heat. (I mad the mistake of cooking mine too long and it got too thin)
  • Dip the doughnuts into the glaze.
  • Place the glazed doughnuts on a wire rack and allow the glaze to set. Have a tray or paper under the rack to  catch the drips of glaze.

1 comment:

  1. Finally, the part of the buffet that everyone will be looking for - dessert. Of course you'll serve coffee and tea, but it will be the items that are with those drinks that everyone will be fawning over. Think about; caramelized apples, glazed pastries with fruit popping out of them, and cheesecake dripping with strawberry glaze.

    Strawberry Glaze

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