These are butter, chocolate, sugar. There is no skinny hack. We’ll be dust in 100 years. Eat the doughnut.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water (105 degrees F)
- 1 tablespoon sugar (to proof yeast)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup sugar (add to dough)
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1/4 cup shortening (I like butter flavored Crisco)
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- peanut oil or light olive oil (for frying)
- 1 and 1/2 cups sugar (for rolling donuts)
- Nutella
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine yeast, warm water, and 1 tablespoon sugar. You want the water to be nice and warm but not hot. Let the mixture sit for about 5-10 minutes and make sure it’s nice and foamy. (If it’s not, abandon ship!! You’ve killed your yeast. Toss it out and start over; this time make sure your water’s not too hot.
- Fill a 3-quart pot with water, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat.
- In another medium bowl, combine salt, baking powder, 1/2 cup sugar, and bread flour. Set aside.
- When the yeast is foamy, add the shortening, 3 egg yolks, and vanilla and stir with a wooden spoon.
- Add about half the flour mixture and combine well with the spoon.
- Attach the dough hook to the mixer, if using (if not, just use the spoon) Add the remaining flour mixture and stir well. Once all the flour is mixed in, knead with the dough hook for 2 minutes. Or knead by hand for 2 minutes on a floured surface. The dough should clean the sides of the bowl, it is not very sticky. See photos. Add more flour if necessary (I’ve never had to.)
- Grease a large bowl with nonstick spray or rub with a little bit of oil. Shape the dough into a ball and place in the bowl. Turn it over so that the top is greased. Cover loosely with a tea towel or plastic wrap. After one hour the dough should have doubled in size.
- Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray.
- Punch down the dough and knead it a couple of times on a lightly floured surface.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a circle about 12×12 inches. The dough should be about half the thickness of your thumb.
- Use a 2 and 1/2 inch biscuit cutter to cut the dough into doughnuts. Do not twist the cutter, push straight down.
- Line up the doughnuts on the prepared baking sheets with plenty of space for them to rise. I was able to fit between 12-15 on each pan.
- Place the pans in your oven. I only have two racks, and one pan fits on each, so I put the baking sheets on the racks and the dish of water directly on the floor of the oven.
- Pour the boiling water back into the 9×13 inch dish, and place underneath the doughnuts.
- Do not cover the doughnuts with a tea towel this time. Let rise in the oven for another 45 minutes, until doubled in size.
- About 20 minutes before the doughnuts finish rising, start heating up the oil. It takes a while for the oil to heat up, so don’t wait until the last minute, or your doughnuts might rise too high and then fall before the oil is hot enough.
- In a high sided skillet, add 1 and 1/2 to 2 inches of oil. Turn the heat to medium. If you have a candy thermometer, attach it to the side of your pan. Heat the oil to between 360-370 degrees F. If you don’t have a candy thermometer after 15 minutes test a tiny piece of dough. If it starts bubbling right away, the oil is ready. You may have to adjust the heat a little bit lower than medium, depending on how powerful your burner is.
- Add about 1 and 1/2 cups sugar to a pie plate or shallow bowl. Set a cooling rack nearby.
- Use a large spatula to gently lift the doughnuts one at a time into the hot oil. I usually fry 3-4 at a time, but this depends on how big your pan is.
- Let the doughnuts fry on one side for about a 30-45 seconds, until golden brown. Be careful, they will continue to darken as you remove them from the oil.
- Use tongs to flip each doughnut, and fry for another 20-30 seconds. You will have to use your judgment here, especially if you don’t have a candy thermometer. You don’t want to end up with doughy-centred doughnuts.
- Remove the doughnuts to the lined countertop. Wait for them to cool for just 15 seconds or so (enough to get another batch in the oil) and then roll them in the sugar. Remove the doughnuts to the cooling rack.
- Finish with the remaining doughnuts.
- When the doughnuts are still warm but cool enough to handle, use a couple of toothpicks to poke a hole in the side of each doughnut. Work the toothpicks around a little bit inside the doughnut to create space for the filling.
- Fill a pastry bag with Nutella and fill until the doughnut starts to feel plump. Don’t go overboard or it will just ooze out. Continue with the rest of the doughnuts, you may have to refill the pastry bag.
- When all the doughnuts have been filled, top each doughnut with a dollop of Nutella.
- To store, line several large Tupperware with paper towels. Store covered on the counter for a couple of days.