Sweet Tooth Experiments

Category Archives: Doughnuts

Apple Aniseed and Lemon Doughnuts

Posted on Posted in Doughnuts .

Apple Lemon and Aniseed Doughnuts

Apple Lemon and Aniseed Doughnuts recipe

There are so many doughnut recipes in the world that vary in base ingredients as well as methods, shapes, sizes, flavours and filling types (if any). On top of this many counties have their own traditional doughnuts; the Dutch with (oliebollen), Mexico (churros), Middle East (awwami), France (beignet) and the list could go on and on.

Then there is the use of different core ingredients such as flour, potato, semolina, apple, ricotta, rice, cream cheese, milk powder just to name a few.

Then there is yeast or no yeast, dry or soaked, iced or filled, round or ring shaped….there must be thousands of varies all special to someone in the world.

As this is such an interesting sweet treat I decided to have a day of experimenting with traditional and new age (injection filled doughnuts), different key ingredients for ultimate fluffiness and interesting flavour combos to stay true to my passion of unusual but amazing tasting flavour pairings.

It will take me a long long long time to list all the experiments, suffice to say this recipe I’m posting is fluffier than a pancake and delicious in taste – you won’t stop at one! Though you do need to be an aniseed/star anise/fennel/licorice fan as I heavily feature aniseed for something delicious and different.

 

Ingredients:

Batter:

  • 250ml milk
  • 100g sugar
  • 2 tsn yeast
  • 1 apple (130g)
  • 250g plain flour
  • 250g self raising flour
  • 1 tbsn ground aniseed
  • ½ tsn aniseed essence
  • ¼ tsn salt
  • 80g butter, at room temperature
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 lemon

Extra:

  • Oil for frying
  • 100ml ouzo liquor
  • 100g sugar

 

Method:

  1. Warm the milk to a luke warm temperature.
  2. Add 15g sugar and the yeast to the milk and stir. Set mix aside in a warm place for 10 minutes to bubble and activate.
  3. Meanwhile, peel the apple and grate it (a 130g apple will produce 110g grated apple), place into a bowl.
  4. Add the flours in a bowl along with the ground aniseed, aniseed essence, salt, butter, eggs and 1 small lemons zest.
  5. Place the flour mix bowl into an electric mixer with a paddle attachment and beat on medium until well combined.
  6. Next pour the milk into the flour mix slowly in a stream, beating for 5 minutes.
  7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside somewhere warm for 90 minutes to rise.
  8. Place paper towel sheets onto a large plate for later use.
  9. Place the 100g extra sugar into a shallow bowl.
  10. Pour the oil into a saucepan and heat on medium on a stove top until 175c degrees is hit.
  11. Oil 2 tbsn’s (to stop the batter sticking to the spoon) and spoon a large tbsn of batter into the frying oil, using the other spoon to scoop the mix into the saucepan.
  12. Cook the doughnuts for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and crispy on the outside.
  13. Using tongs remove the doughnuts from the oil and place on the paper towel to absorb excess oil.
  14. Following, using a pastry brush add the ouzo to a doughnuts on both sides.
  15. Place the doughnuts into the sugar, ensuring even coating.
  16. Repeat ouzo and sugar steps until all doughnuts are done.
  17. Place doughnuts on a plate and enjoy!

 

PN: If you don’t have aniseed essence you can replace with an extra tbsn of ground aniseed. Ouzo can be replaced with Black Sambuca or any other aniseed/licorice flavoured liquor.

 

Apple Lemon and Aniseed Doughnuts recipe

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Apple Lemon and Aniseed Doughnuts recipe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ricotta Doughnuts with Orange Syrup

Posted on Posted in Doughnuts .

Ricotta Doughnuts with Orange Syrup

Ricotta doughnuts with orange syrup recipe

There are so many varying doughnut recipes that exist, with different methods and flavor combinations, to be honest the list is endless.

However after come recent doughnut making experimenting I made one doughnut in which I think is the most fluffy and soft doughnut I have ever eaten.

The secret? All I did was made a very simple and quick batter that was made predominately of ricotta cheese.

The cheese created the fluffy melt in your mouth texture that is easy to shape and crisps up like a perfect doughnut.

The zest in the batter provides a lovely citrus flavor without overpowering, while the syrup adds extra punch to the doughnuts flavors that delivers sweet luscious excellence.

 

Ingredients:

  • 270g ricotta
  • 2 eggs
  • 20ml milk
  • 50g sugar
  • 1 + 1/4 orange’s zest
  • 1 tsn lemon zest
  • 50g flour
  • 2 tbsn baking powder

Syrup:

  • 60g sugar
  • 40ml water
  • 100ml orange juice
  • 1 tbsn honey

Extra:

  • Vegetable oil to fry
  • Sugar to dust

 

Method:

  1. Place the ricotta, eggs, milk, sugar and zests into a bowl and using a hand whisk beat until smooth.
  2. Add in the flour and baking powder and beat until just combine.
  3. Fill a saucepan with vegetable oil and place a small amount of batter into the oil on a high heat.
  4. Once the batter starts to fry remove and turn down the temperature to medium.
  5. Using 2 tablespoons scoop up the batter and shape into a ball, following with dropping into the oil.
  6. Allow to fry for 2 minutes or until the doughnut is golden brown, turn the doughnut and allow to cook for a few more second and then transfer onto a plate lined with absorbent paper towel.
  7. Repeat until all batter has gone.
  8. Place the doughnuts into a bowl and sprinkle with the extra sugar, top with a plate and shake the bowl to allow for full sugar coverage.
  9. Transfer onto a clean plate.
  10. Make the syrup by placing all the ingredients into a saucepan on a high heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.
  11. Turn heat to medium and stir until the mix resembles a syrup consistency, place into a clean jug.
  12. Serve doughnuts with vanilla ice cream, drizzle doughnut with the syrup and enjoy.

 

 

Ricotta doughnuts with orange syrup recipe

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Ricotta doughnuts with orange syrup recipe

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Ricotta doughnuts with orange syrup recipe

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Ricotta doughnuts with orange syrup recipe

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Ricotta doughnuts with orange syrup recipe

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Ricotta doughnuts with orange syrup recipe

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Ricotta doughnuts with orange syrup recipe

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Ricotta doughnuts with orange syrup recipe

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Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts

Posted on Posted in Doughnuts .

Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts

Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

This little dumpling/doughnut treat was sparked after some recent experimenting with varying jam filled round doughnuts. I don’t really know what they are traditionally called or where they come from but they are amazing little doughnuts that massively over-exceeded my expectations and were so easy to make!

They are kind of a mix of a doughnut, a Saudi Arabia Luqaima, an Asian Jao Tze, an Arabic Ma’Amoul and a Greek loukoumades…this treat will delight.

The addition of the cream cheese makes the texture creamy and the star anise in the syrup makes it so good you want to eat it by itself!

 

Ingredients:

  • 290g sugar
  • 1 tsn cinnamon
  • 1 tsn cardamom
  • 3 star anise
  • 1 tsn rosewater essence
  • 75g self raising flour
  • 25g full cream milk powder
  • 125g cream cheese
  • 10 pitted dates
  • 200g vegetable oil, for frying

 

Method:

  1. Place 335g of water, the sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and star anise into a saucepan on the stove on high and stir until the mix boils.
  2. Leave the syrup for 6 minutes to thicken.
  3. Take the syrup off the heat, stir in the rosewater essence and leave aside to cool.
  4. In a bowl place the flour, milk powder and cheese and with your hands combine until a dough has formed.
  5. On a lightly floured surface kneed the dough for 5 minutes.
  6. Cut the dates in half vertically.
  7. Roll 12-13g pieces of dough into balls, flatten and then place the date half in the center. Roll again into a ball to ensure the date is fully embedded in the dough.
  8. Heat the oil in a saucepan to 180c degrees or until a piece of bread sizzles in the oil.
  9. Cook the dumplings in batches for around 2 minutes or until they are golden brown.
  10. Place on paper towel to drain then add to the syrup.
  11. Allow the dumpling to be fully submerged in the syrup for at least an hour before serving.
  12. Serve dumpling with the remaining syrup.

 

Notes:

  • If you don’t like dates you can use dried prunes instead.
  • This treat goes well with a side of vanilla ice-cream.

 

Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

Ingredients

Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

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Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

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Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

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Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

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Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

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Date Spiced Syrup Doughnuts recipe

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Malibu Rice Doughnuts

Posted on Posted in Doughnuts .

Malibu Rice Doughnuts

Malibu Rice Doughnuts recipe

 

This little doughnut (though not really a doughnut) is a mix of a few recent baking treats I have played with. I basically took elements of some recipes I have trialed to make a unique, quirky and tasty sweet treat.

Not a fluffy usual doughnut you would eat, more a fritter, though fried and round like a doughnut with a little special something in the middle.

I wanted to take the texture of creamed rice and turn this into a doughnut backed full of a flavour infusion.

Therefore I decided to make a doughnut with rice and infuse the summer time pina-colada flavours such as coconut, rum, a little citrus and of course a big pineapple hit (or surprise in this case).

Thus introducing my Malibu (Pineapple surprise) Rice Doughnuts!

Ingredients:

  • 550g milk
  • 250g rice (arborio or sushi rice)
  • 30g butter
  • 1 tsn vanilla essence
  • 1 lemon
  • 140g plain flour
  • 110g sugar, plus 130g extra
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ tsn bicarbonate of soda
  • 4 tsn rum essence
  • 1 tsn coconut essence
  • 140g can pineapple pieces
  • Oil for frying

 

Method:

  1. Bring the milk, rice, butter, vanilla essence and the zest of the lemon to the boil in a saucepan.
  2. Stir the mix over a medium heat until the mix boils.
  3. Turn the heat to low and simmer, covered for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir occassionaly.
  4. Remove off the heat and set aside covered for 10 minutes.
  5. Now place the cooked mix in a bowl and set aside to completely cool.
  6. Add the flour, sugar, egg, soda, rum and coconut essence to the rice mix and stir to combine.
  7. Place in the fridge for 3 hours to completely set.
  8. Once the mix is set, with wet hands roll the mix into 30g balls, poke a hole in the middle of the ball and place a piece of pineapple in the middle.
  9. Push the sides of the ball in the hole to seal the pineapple in and roll again with your hands to ensure a ball shape. Repeat with the whole mix. No pineapple should be showing or gaps.
  10. Heat the oil in a large saucepan to 160c degrees.
  11. Place the balls (no more than 6 at a time) in the oil and fry in batches for 3 minutes or until the balls are golden.
  12. Place the cooked balls onto absorbent paper towel on a plate.
  13. place the extra 130g sugar in a bowl and roll the balls to cover the doughnuts completely.
  14. Enjoy!

Notes:

  • The pineapple piece should not be any bigger than a 5-cent piece.

 

Malibu Rice Doughnuts recipe.

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Malibu Rice Doughnuts recipe

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Malibu Rice Doughnuts recipe

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Malibu Rice Doughnuts recipe

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Malibu Rice Doughnuts recipe

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Miso Doughnuts

Posted on Posted in Doughnuts, Unique .

Miso Doughnuts

Miso Doughnuts recipe
 

Taking some flavor inspiration from Japanese cuisine and mixing it up with one of the most well know treats in the world being America’s Doughnut (assumed to have originated in Manhattan pre-mid 1900s), this recipe will surprise and delight.

I have dabbled in using Japanese stable ingredients in baking recently (black sesame macaroons to some) so I decided that I would make doughnuts but put my spin on them by using the black sesames as the chocolate sprinkles and miso paste with sugar as the doughut glaze.

To enhance the Miso flavor I have modified the doughnut batter to also incorporate the Miso paste.

The outcome was actually a really fluffy and surprisingly delicious doughnut.

I actually took these to work and no one knew they had miso paste and I had great feedback.

 

Ingredients:

Doughnuts:

  • 180ml milk
  • 1 tbsn dry yeast
  • 60g sugar
  • 300g flour
  • 2-egg yolk
  • 30g butter
  • 1 tsn miso paste

Icing:

  • 30g butter
  • 50ml water
  • 1 tbsn miso paste
  • 290g icing sugar

Extra:

  • 1 tbsn black sesame seeds
  • Oil

Method:

  1. Place warm milk, 1 tbsn sugar and the yeast in a bowl and stir until the mix is combine.
  2. Leave the milk mix aside to bubble for 20 minutes.
  3. Place the remaining sugar, flour, yolks and the butter softened in a bowl.
  4. Pour in the milk mix and stir until well combine.
  5. Flour the bench and kneed the dough for 10 minutes until elastic and smooth.
  6. Spray a bowl with oil spray and place the dough in covered with cling wrap for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
  7. Flour the benchtop again, adding the miso paste to the dough and kneed for 3 minutes.
  8. Using a rolling pin roll the dough out to 1cm and using a 7cm cutter cut out the doughnuts.
  9. Following cut out the holes with a 2cm circle cookie cutter.
  10. Place the doughnuts aside for 30 mins and cover with a tea towel.
  11. Place the sesame seeds in a saucepan and on a medium heat warm through until the seeds are slightly roasted and release their aroma.
  12. Place oil for frying on a saucepan and using a candy thermometer heat the oil on medium until it reaches 175c degrees.
  13. Place the doughnuts in the oil for 30 seconds on each side until golden brown.
  14. Place the cooked doughnuts onto paper town to absorb the excess oil.
  15. For the icing place the water, miso and melted butter into a bowl and stir until combine.
  16. Add the icing sugar and using a hand whisk beat until combine,
  17. Place the doughnuts onto a tray and using a pastry brush ice the top of all the doughnuts until all the icing has been used.
  18. Top with the sesame seeds and enjoy.

 

Miso Doughnuts recipe

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Miso Doughnuts recipe

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Jam Cheesecake Baked Doughnuts

Posted on Posted in Doughnuts .

Jam Cheesecake Baked Doughnuts

Jam Cheesecake Baked Doughnuts recipe

For a long long time I have been wanting to make doughnuts but have been a bit put off my the frying step, not being an expert in dough and how to recreate this very common (even worldwide) baking treat making it improved not inferior.

Now there are thousands and thousands of doughnut recipe versions that appear in recipe books and the internet so how do you analyze and investigate to not only find the best one but the best one and make it better.

Step 1. Find the best doughnut dough recipe. This was actually quite interesting as I then became exposed to a few ‘baked’ doughnut recipe versions. This then made me keen to do a fried v baked experiment.

Step 2. To fairly compare which makes the better doughnut fried or baked I ensured the method’s steps were identical (apart from the crucial 3 steps). These steps entailed frying the doughnuts before rolling in the cinnamon sugar or baking in the oven.

Jam Cheesecake Baked Doughnuts recipe

The key reviews (friends/family/me in a blind taste test) of the comparison are:

  • The fried version is much darker in colour and more evenly coloured.
  • The baked version is slightly bigger for some reason.
  • Both are extremely spongy and take to the sugar crumb well.

Outcome = the baked version, which was unexpected. Which leads to the questions – If baking doughnuts produce a better results then why do we bake them? Tradition? Also the baked version is so so so much more healthier why would you fry when you can bake? And baking is much easier than frying…

Regardless I still needed to put my twist on this and decided that instead of just a plain jam filling I would turn the doughnut into a ‘cheesecake’ by making a low fat ricotta and jam filling for a more fulfilling and satisfying doughnut.

Just putting it out there, I love this recipe and can guarantee you if I make doughnuts again I will for sure be baking them!

Ingredients:

  • Oil for frying

Dough:

  • 5g dried yeast
  • 225g flour
  • ½ tsn salt
  • 40g sugar
  • 120ml milk
  • 30g butter
  • 1 egg

Filling:

  • 180g ricotta cheese
  • 75g raspberry jam

Sugar crumb:

  • 190g sugar
  • 1 tsn cinnamon

 

Method:

  1. Stir the yeast with 40ml of warm water and set aside for 7 minutes or until foamy.
  2. Dust a bench with flour.
  3. Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl and make a well in the middle of the bowl.
  4. Place the sugar and cinnamon into a large bowl for dusting later, set side.
  5. In a small bowl microwave the milk until it is luke warm, add the butter, whisk and place in the well.
  6. Add the egg yolk to the well.
  7. Using your hand massage the ingredients together until a sticky dough has formed and the mix is well combine.
  8. Transfer the dough to the pre-floured bench and knead adding flour as you require until the dough is elastic and smooth (approx. 7 minutes).
  9. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover with cling wrap for 1 – 1 ½ hours or until the dough is doubled in size.
  10. Flour the bench again and transfer the dough to the bench.
  11. Lightly give the dough a little knead then roll the dough out with a rolling pin lightly. to 1.5cm in height.
  12. Using a cookie cutter around 7cm in radius cut out doughnuts.
  13. Place the doughnuts onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and cover with cling wrap for 40-45 minutes of until doubled in size again.
  14. Meanwhile to make the filling beat the cheese and jam until smooth and place in the fridge for later.
  15. Pre-heat the oven to 180c degrees and bake the doughnuts in the oven for 12 minutes until golden brown.
  16. Brush cooked doughnuts with butter then toss in the bowl of sugar&cinnamon.
  17. Place the doughnut onto a cooling rack to completely cool.
  18. Using a long tube piping nozzle pierce each doughnut, ensuring a hole through the doughnuts.
  19. Once the doughnut is cooled spoon the cheese mix into a piping bag fitted with a long tube nozzle.
  20. Pipe each doughnut with the cheese in the pre pierced hole until the doughnut starts to swell slightly, repeat until all doughnuts are filled.

 

FRYING METHOD (replace steps 15-17 with the below):

  • 15. Heat oil in a saucepan until the temperature hits 170c degrees.
  • 16. Add the doughnuts 3 at a time to the oil and fry for approx. 4 mins, turning the doughnut after a few minutes to ensure the doughnut gets fully cooked and golden.
  • 17. Once completely golden in colour place the doughnut into the sugar&cinnamon bowl, toss and place the doughnut onto a cooling rack to completely cool.

 

Jam Cheesecake Baked Doughnuts recipe

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Jam Cheesecake Baked Doughnuts recipe

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Jam Cheesecake Baked Doughnuts recipe

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Jam Cheesecake Baked Doughnuts recipe.

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Jam Cheesecake Baked Doughnuts recipe

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Jam Cheesecake Baked Doughnuts recipe

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Jam Cheesecake Baked Doughnuts recipe

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