A few months ago my cousin had a fiesta-themed baby shower, and we got to make some really delicious desserts. One was lime cupcakes, which were great, but the other was churros. I love fried food, and I love churros. They remind me of Disneyland, of the PNE, of fun childhood summers where you get to eat those iconic fair foods in context. And sure, context is everything, but why not bring the fun home?
So this week I did, and made cinnamon sugar-coated and glazed donuts.
Although the churro-making experience was really fun, and the end result amazing, we didn't properly ventilate the kitchen and the smell haunted me for days. I took that lesson to heart, and this time had my kitchen fan on high, and all the doors and windows open. Big difference. My apartment only smelled like a donut shop for a few hours. Unless it's still there and I've just gotten used to the smell-- in which case, shit.
I was going to tell you how surprisingly easy these are to make, but apparently my definition of "easy to make" is eye-roll inducing, so I'll just tell you they aren't so scary after all, and encourage you to give them a try.
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Donut Recipe:
From The Little Teochew
*These directions have been updated a few times. If your questions aren't answered in the comments, you can email me at leannebakes[at]gmail[dot]com and I'll do my best to get back to you as quick as I can.
A brief note: I recommend a scale, as not all flours (and cup measurements) are made equal. 2 cups of my Canadian flour in my Canadian cups on my scale might be more or less than yours. I have a cheap one like this and it's AMAZING. :) If you don't have a scale, start at 1 1/2 cups and work your way up from there.
Happy baking!
Ingredients
3 tablespoon milk
3 tablespoon boiling water
1 teaspoon dry active yeast
8 oz all purpose flour (a little under 2 cups -- I recommend you measure and weigh. See my note above)
1 1/2 oz sugar (about 3 tablespoons)
1 egg
1 oz butter, cold to room temperature (just don't melt it, okay?)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Enough oil to cover the bottom few inches of a wok, or a deep fryer (I have one similar to this).
For the glaze:
For the cinnamon sugar coating:
1 cup sugar
2-3 tablespoons cinnamon
Directions:
In a large measuring jug, combine the milk and boiling water. Add a teaspoon of the sugar and the yeast. Stir it gently, then leave it in a warm place for the yeast to activate (aka foam).
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, the rest of the sugar, and the salt. Cut in the butter using your fingers or a pastry blender, until it resembles crumbs.
Add the egg (give it a quick beat) and yeast mixture to the flour mix, and mix into a smooth dough. This usually takes about 5 minutes of mixing.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured counter and knead for about 5 to 10 minutes—it should feel springy and little bubbles should form under the surface. Place it back in the bowl, cover with a cloth or plastic wrap, and let rise for about an hour until double in size.
Once risen, place the dough onto the counter and cut it into 4 pieces. One piece at a time, stretch it into a long rope about an inch to an inch and a half wide. Cut strips about an inch long, ball em up with your hands, and place them on a baking tray or wire rack to wait.
Cover the doughnuts holes with a cloth to rise while you heat the oil to 375F.
Place the doughnuts into the oil and fry until golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes. Be sure to fry only a few at a time so they don’t overcrowd and stick toget