Donuts

Donuts have wandered into the spotlight over the past six months. They are popping up on dessert menus all over the place. From traditional glazed to herb infused or savory topped, people just can't seem to get enough donuts these days. I am personally a huge fan of donuts. They have sentimental effect with me. When I was growing up, my dad would go get donuts every Saturday morning. When I eat a donut, I am temporary warped back to my childhood. Based on this new donut rage, I'd imagine it has a similar effect on other people.

While the trend of the donut is new, the donut itself is not. In America, the iconic breakfast indulgence dates back to the early 1800's. As 'American' as they seem, donuts can actually be found in various formats all over the world.     

When we made donuts in class, it was important to be innovative and align with the donut trend. Because donuts are icon a breakfast food, we thought it would be good to try out a breakfast theme, therefore we settled on the following: Coffee glazed , brown butter glazed and maple bacon. I added a chocolate ganache glaze to the mix. They were all delicious and the maple bacon was my personal favorite. 


Production: 
Sponge starter
Ingredients: 4 3/8 oz bread four; 3 oz water; 1/8 ounce of instant yeast

Process: mix all ingredients together and ferment for 90 min at room temperature. When the dough is ready, it will have tripled in size.

Final Dough:
4 3/8 oz bread flour; 3 7/8 oz of pastry flour; 5 1/2 ounces of eggs; 1/4 oz of salt; 7 5/8 oz of sponge starter; 2 1/4 oz sugar; 2 3/4 oz butter

Process: Combine the flours, salt, eggs and and sponge on low speed for five min. Once everything is mixed well, mix on high speed to develop the gluten. Gradually add the sugar, then the soften butter. Mix for another couple of min then roll the dough out on to a sheet pan and wrap in plastic and proof for 20 min at room temperature. Roll out the dough into a half inch sheet and cover with plastic. Let the dough proof for an additional two hours or let retard overnight. Cut the dough into desired shapes and let proof for another 20 min. Heat the oil to 365 and fry until they are a beautiful golden brown.

The post cut proof is really important and you need to keep a close watch on the time. If you wait too long the will become too soft and start to loose their shape.

Once the donuts have completely cooled, ice them with desired icing/frosting and or topping. When making donuts, oil temperature control is the critical point. It's fine to fry several at once, be sure to have a landing pad ready before starting. It you want to roll or toss donuts in cinnamon sugar, this needs to by done when the donuts come out of the oil.