This recipe has been on my list for such a long time. I love a good donut, I mean who doesn't? So there are some technical things about this recipe. So I love a good well hydrated wet dough, because it makes the softest, pillowy textures, with wonderful air pockets. So the trick for me was to achieve this same effect but also make the dough easier to work with and hold its shape. SO WE DO A COLD FERMENT! We do this on the first rise, to give the dough more time to hydrate, get the extra bran nice and soft. And it helps the gluten structure create some strength to hold its form better. Also...the flavor. A slower rise/ferment will always bring out more complex flavors in a grain. I did a 3 hour cold ferment on the the first rise. But if you do a cold ferment overnight, just know the grain will have a slightly sour flavor similar to sourdough.
I used a variety of Hard White Wheat called Stardust from Barton
Springs Mill and love the flavor and performance of this grain in the recipe! And if you want to give their grains a try, use code "Michal10" at checkout for a discount on your first order!
Also if you need a visual, I filmed this entire process and put it in a highlight on my instagram titled "Donut Tutorial". That way you can see the whole thing, start to finish and help you feel less intimidated to make these! There is also a quick tutorial on how to make your own powdered sugar in that highlight using any kind of sugar you want.
Alright lets get into it!
Fresh Milled Donuts
Makes 18 donuts, and several dozen donut holes
Ingredients:
1 cup unmilled hard red wheat grain
1 1/2 cups unmilled hard white wheat grain
1/2 cup unmilled soft wheat grain
1 1/2 cup warm buttermilk
1 tbsp instant yeast
2 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup honey + 2 tbsp
Directions:
Mill the grain on the finest setting. Add all the ingredients to a mixer. And knead the dough until you reach window pane. It took 10 minutes in my Nutrimill Artiste. At this point the dough will look and feel wet, which is good. Stay the course. Cover the dough with a lid or plastic wrap in a large bowl and put it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. You can also let it cold ferment overnight.
Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Cut the donuts with a 4 inch circle. and punch out the centers. The centers will be donut holes. Let the dough rest 10-15 minutes after you have punched them out.
Heat your oil of choice. For the best nutrition, I used tallow. I think avocado oil would work well too. You want the oil to be 365 degrees, use a thermometer. I would make sure the oil is at least an inch deep. I used an electric skillet, but any large skillet would be the best because you can fry several donuts at once.
Tip: cut some parchment paper into squares about the same size as the donuts. and place each donut on the parchment squares. This just helps you to be able to transfer them into the oil.
Tip 2: use wooden chopsticks or skewers to flip your donuts in the oil.
Fry the donuts for 1 minute on each side. Use a slotted spatula to get them out of the hot oil. Place them on a cooling rack to drain any excess fat off the donuts. Let them completely cool before you ice them.
Any extra dough, you can ball up and roll it back out to punch out more donuts. And any smaller pieces you can make more donut holes.
Icing Recipes
Plain Glazed:
1/2 cup powdered sugar/powdered sucanat
1/4 cup heavy cream
pinch of salt
Chocolate Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar/powdered sucanat
1/3 cup cacao powder
10tbsps heavy cream
pinch of salt
Natural Colored Vanilla Bean Icing:
1/2 cup powdered sugar/powdered sucanat
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
pinch of salt
3 TBSP dragon fruit powder for pink icing or Blue spirulina powder for blue icing.
Mix the ingredients together until smooth and dip the donuts in the icing. You can use an icing spatula to smooth the thicker icing out. You can also top with your favorite sprinkles!
I hope you make them!
-Michal