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By Root 251 0

cup/30 g cake/soft-wheat flour to 1/2 in/12 mm thick, or about 8 in/20 cm in diameter, flouring the top of the dough and the rolling pin with another 2 tbsp flour, or as necessary to prevent sticking— this is a soft, wet dough. Cut into as many doughnuts and holes as possible, dipping the cutter into flour before each cut. Fold and gently reroll the dough to make extra holes (working with floured hands makes the dough less sticky), and cut again. (Note: Because this is such a soft dough, you may find it easier to cut just a few doughnuts at a time, right before you add them to the oil, instead of cutting them all out ahead of time. Transferring them is easiest with a flat metal spatula.)

- Shake any excess flour off the doughnuts before carefully adding them to the hot oil a few at a time, taking care not to crowd them. Once the doughnuts float, fry for about 60 seconds per side, or until deep golden brown on both sides. (You’ll know they’re ready to turn the first time when you see the golden brown color creeping up from the bottom of the doughnut.) Drain on paper towels/absorbent paper.

- While the doughnuts are still quite hot, dip one side of each into the warm Coconut Glaze. (for glazing tips.) If topping with coconut, sprinkle it on immediately after glazing each doughnut. Let dry on cooling racks, glazed side up, for about 15 minutes.

VALLEY GIRL LEMON DOUGHNUTS

MAKES ONE DOZEN doughnuts and holes

TOP POT SERVES VALLEY GIRL LEMON DOUGHNUTS, WHICH GET THEIR NAME from plenty of spunky, sassy flavor, two different ways: as a lemon-spiked cake doughnut with puckery lemon icing, as in this recipe, and as a lemon bismark filled with lemon curd.

If you’re a fan of combining lemon flavor with poppy seeds, stir 1/4 cup/30 g poppy seeds into the dry ingredients, and sprinkle additional seeds over the top, immediately after icing each doughnut.

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LEMON DOUGHNUTS

3 cups/355 g cake/soft-wheat flour, plus more for rolling and cutting

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp iodized salt

2/3 cup/130 g sugar

2 tbsp shortening/vegetable lard, trans-fat-free preferred

1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp lemon extract

Grated zest of 1 large lemon

2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2/3 cup/165 ml whole milk

Canola oil, for frying

LEMON ICING

41/2 cups/1 lb box/450 g confectioners’/icing sugar, sifted

11/2 tsp light corn/golden syrup

1/4 tsp iodized salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Grated zest of 1 large lemon

1 drop yellow food coloring (optional)

3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp hot water

TIME

1 hour 10 minutes active time, plus icing

EQUIPMENT

Doughnut cutter (or 23/4 in/7 cm and 11/4 in/3 cm round cutters)

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- First, make the doughnut dough: Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl, and set aside.

- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the sugar and shortening/vegetable lard for 1 minute on low speed, until sandy. Add the egg and egg yolk, then mix for 1 more minute on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if necessary, until the mixture is light colored and thick. Mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three separate additions, alternating with the milk, mixing until just combined on low speed each time. The dough will be very sticky, like very wet cookie/biscuit dough.

- Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and refrigerate, covered directly with plastic wrap/cling film, for 1 hour (or up to 24 hours).

- Meanwhile, make the icing: Place the confectioners’/icing sugar, corn/golden syrup, salt, vanilla, lemon zest, and food coloring in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the machine on medium speed, add the lemon juice and water in a slow, steady stream, and blend until all of the sugar has been incorporated, scraping the bowl a few times if necessary. Set aside.

- Using a candy thermometer to measure the temperature, heat oil (at least 2 in/5 cm deep) in a deep fryer,