Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts - Mark Klebeck [36]
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- To make the doughnut dough: Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon 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 yolks, 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. Stir in the vanilla and maple extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three separate additions, alternating with the sour cream, mixing until just combined on low speed and scraping the sides of the bowl 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 glaze: Place the confectioners’/icing sugar, corn/golden syrup, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla and maple extract in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the machine on medium speed, add the maple syrup and milk 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 to 325°F/165°C. Roll out the chilled dough on a generously floured counter or cutting board 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 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 crowd them. Once the doughnuts float, fry for 15 seconds, then gently flip them. Fry for 75 to 90 seconds, until golden brown and cracked, then flip and fry the first side again for 60 to 75 seconds, until golden. Transfer to a rack set over paper towels/absorbent paper.
- While the doughnuts are still quite hot, dip the side with the deepest cracks on each into the warm glaze. (for glazing tips.) Let dry on cooling racks, glazed side up, for about 15 minutes.
OUTSIDE THE BOX
Here are a few recipes for doughnuts as you rarely see them—baked into bread pudding, made with whole-wheat/wholemeal or gluten-free flour, or supersize, in the case of the Top Poppa, our giant chocolate doughnut cake.
TOP POPPA (GIANT CHOCOLATE DOUGHNUT CAKE)
MAKES 10 SERVINGS
MADE WITH THE DOUGHNUTS-AND-COFFEE LOVER’S BIRTHDAY IN MIND, this moist sour cream cake has the hint of nutmeg Top Pot doughnuts are known for, but doesn’t require any frying. Bake it up, top it with coffee icing and sprinkles, and it’s bound to draw both attention and compliments. For an extra-fancy version, layer it with the pastry cream used for the Bavarian Cream Bismarks.
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CAKE
Vegetable oil spray
11/4 cups/145 g all-purpose/plain flour
1/2 cup/50 g unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
11/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp iodized salt
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup/115 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup/100 g sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
11/4 cups/300 ml sour cream
COFFEE ICING
21/3 cups/235 g confectioners’/icing sugar, sifted
3/4 tsp instant espresso powder
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1 tsp light corn/golden syrup
3 tbsp leftover brewed coffee
Chocolate sprinkles/sugar strands (optional)
TIME
25 minutes active time
EQUIPMENT
10-cup/2 L tube pan/tin
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- To make cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C/gas 4. Spray a 10-cup/2 L tube pan/tin with the vegetable oil spray, and set aside.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg into a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In the work bowl of a stand mixer