Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts - Mark Klebeck [19]
- 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—you won’t be able to see when the doughnuts brown because of the chocolate, but you’ll see a change in texture. Drain on paper towels/absorbent paper.
- When the doughnuts have cooled completely, dip one side of each into the warm Triple Orange Icing. (for icing tips.) Sprinkle on any decorations immediately after icing each doughnut. Let dry on cooling racks, iced side up, until the icing is firm, 10 to 15 minutes.
PEPPERMINT SNOWDRIFT CAKE DOUGHNUTS
MAKES ONE DOZEN doughnuts and holes
WHEN WE RELEASED THIS DOUGHNUT AFTER OPENING OUR FIFTH AVENUE STORE in Seattle, we topped a minty version of our signature chocolate cake doughnuts with a drift of white peppermint icing and shards of peppermint candies and called them Peppermint Avalanches—but something about that name didn’t sit well with us. We prefer Peppermint Snowdrifts, and now we top them with festive red sanding sugar. Add the decorations immediately after icing each doughnut, or they won’t stick.
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CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT DOUGHNUTS
2 cups/225 g cake/soft-wheat flour, plus more for rolling and cutting
1/2 cup/50 g unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp iodized salt
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup/100 g sugar
2 tbsp shortening/vegetable lard, trans-fat-free preferred
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
2/3 cup/165 ml whole milk
Canola oil, for frying
PEPPERMINT ICING
41/2 cups/1 lb/450 g confectioners’/icing sugar, sifted
11/2 tsp light corn/golden syrup
1/4 tsp iodized salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
1/3 cup/75 ml plus 1 tbsp hot water
Red sanding sugar or peppermint candy shards, for decoration
TIME
1 hour 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, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg together into a mixing 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 yolks one at a time, 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 peppermint extracts.
- 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 sticky, like cookie/biscuit dough.
- Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap/cling film, for 45 minutes (or up to 24 hours).
- Meanwhile, make the icing: Place the confectioners’/icing sugar, corn/golden syrup, salt, vanilla, and peppermint extract in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the machine on medium speed, add the 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, large pot, or high-sided frying pan over medium heat to 370°F/185°C. (For frying tips.) Roll out chilled dough on a counter or cutting board sprinkled with 2 to 3 tbsp flour to 1/2 in/12mm thick, or about 8 in/20 cm in diameter, flouring the top of the dough and the rolling pin as necessary to prevent sticking. 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.
- Shake any excess flour off the doughnuts before carefully adding them to the hot oil a few at a time, taking care not to