Monday, February 15, 2016

Jam-Filled Doughnuts



The other day, my mother ever-so-subtly reminded me that it's Fasching time in Munich, her hometown, and that meant Krapfen. Translation: it's Mardi Gras, and I would like doughnuts. I could take a hint. Since Valentine's Day was coming up, I thought the timing was perfect for making doughnuts.

I really liked the last doughnut recipe I posted but it made sooooo many doughnuts! For the record, I froze some of the unbaked dough and tried frying them a few months later. Don't bother. They were a sad under-deflated mess. Doughnuts are best fried and eaten the day they are made. And don't even think about refrigerating them! Yeast doesn't like the refrigerator.

This modified recipe makes about 22 doughnuts. That's still a lot! But it's much more manageable. Plus, the dough fits nicely in a KitchenAid mixing bowl. Although the recipe involves yeast, this is really very simple. All the ingredients except the flour go into the mixing bowl almost like you're dumping them in!

These are filled doughnuts. There's a reason that doughnuts are so often filled with cream or jelly. They go through the pastry filling tip so smoothly! Easy! But we like preserves. Sigh. The easiest way to handle preserves for a filling is to simply put them through a sieve.


My mother used this tip when I was a child!

This is a picture of the pastry filling tip I used. I'm pretty sure I saw them at Walmart the other day, so they shouldn't be hard to find.

Filled Doughnuts

1 packet fast-rising yeast
3 tablespoons warm water (between 105-115 degrees)
3/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup sugar plus a pinch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons shortening (like Crisco)
canola oil
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
jelly or jam
powdered sugar

Add one pinch of sugar to a small bowl. Pour in the 3 tablespoons of water and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let sit about 15 minutes or so. It should double in volume. Meanwhile, scald the milk by placing it in a pot over medium high heat. The second you see it bubble, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Outfit your mixer with the dough blade. Mix the yeast, milk, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, egg, and Crisco in a mixing bowl and combine. The shortening may still be chunky, but that's okay. Add the flour about a cup at a time and mix on low to medium speed. (At a higher speed, the flour will fly all over the place.) Quit mixing when the dough has formed into a ball. Place in a new bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and let it rest in a warm place for one hour.

Take out the dough, and roll it about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the doughnuts with a round 2 1/2 inch diameter cookie cutter. Place on a baking sheet, cover with the kitchen towel, and let rise about 40 minutes in a warm spot.

Pour canola oil in a wide and deep pot. Doughnuts float on the surface so oil about 2 inches deep will do. Bring the oil to 350 degrees. Gently slide a few of the doughnuts in. Don't crowd them! Flip them when brownish on the bottom side, about one minute, and cook another minute until the other side is done. Remove to a rack or paper towel. Continue cooking in batches until all are done.

Put your favorite jam through a sieve. (I used apricot preserves and tart cherry preserves). Outfit an icing bag with a pastry tip and gently push into the middle of the doughnut from the side. Don't overfill or it will ooze out. When all doughnuts are filled, dust with powdered sugar.


Yeast, a pinch of sugar, and water.
Roll out and cut circles.

After rising.
Heat the oil.
After cooking!
Insert tip at the side and squeeze. But not too much!

Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!


Coming June 7th!

18 comments:

  1. My husband would be so pleased if I made him a filled doughnut. Any doughnut for that matter!!!! I am very impressed. They look lovely! Who taught you to make doughnuts or did you learn on your own??? Can't wait to read The Diva Serves High Tea!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jody, I learned on my own. They're not as dificult as you might think. But you do have to carve out some time for them. Give them a shot

      Delete
  2. stunning Krista! I wouldn't attempt to make them because we'd eat all 22. And besides, the fabulous Glazed Donut is only 3 blocks from us, so we visit when we have a craving. But I'd sure eat one or two of yours!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How nice to have a fabulous doughnut place nearby. My trick to not eating them all is to give the majority to my mom. We froze some of the baked doughnuts last night. I'll let you know how they fare.

      Delete
  3. (Chicken! You skipped a picture of all those lovely donuts bobbing in gallons of boiling oil! That part scares me.) I love your stuffing tube--wow, a kitchen implement I don't have!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL! I had no idea you wanted bobbing doughnut photos. They cook so fast I didn't even think about it. Next time, I promise! ; )

      Delete
  4. These look sooooo good! I'd forgotten the term Fasching--I had some German colleagues who used that term. Like Sheila, I am terrified of boiling oil! I used to make fried zucchini sticks but haven't used that much oil since. Grand Rapids is half Dutch and half Polish and jelly doughnuts are a big deal on Fat Tuesday. They call them paczki which is pronounced "pushkey" or something like that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I suppose I should be terrified of hot oil. It's actually kind of cool when the doughnuts slide in and it sizzles around them. Don't you love a day when we're supposed to eat doughnuts? : )

      Delete
  5. I'd be only too happy to help you eat some of these. (Even if it means fewer for your mother!)
    Good doughnut shops, or regular bakeries, are hard to find. Lucy is lucky.

    ReplyDelete
  6. They look so yummy. I will have to try this recipe mbquilts4@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. You have outdone yourself, Krista! Gorgeous and yummy. Thanks. XO MJ

    ReplyDelete
  8. Those look super yummy! The only donuts I've ever made myself involved refrigerator biscuits and hot oil. Maybe I should try again - lol. I love jam donuts, but I make lemon curd all the time (I put it in plain yogurt for a punch!) and bet that would work, too, maybe I'll try some of each. Thanks, Krista! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I should mention that my neighbor across the street is a 95-year-old German lady… Oh my gosh, she brings us the most delicious baked goods all the time! :-)

      Delete
  9. Impressive! I've never tried making donuts except for once in one of those donut baker kids'...they were definitely not real donuts like yours! They're beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mmm, yum! It has been a long time since I have made these. I probably won't make them again now, but they are good!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Krista, I'm so jealous. This is something I'll never be able to have because I simply can't get GF flour to rise like this, but these are so gorgeous!!! I want to be your mom in my next life time. I want a daughter like you. ;) XO

    ~ Daryl

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have made donuts for over 50 years of marriage but my husband prefer the regular homestyle nice and crunchy either plain or with cinnamon sugar. But I love apricot or peach preserve filled soft donuts and they are impossible to find in any donut shop. (I put the preserves into my food processor to get the fruit pureed enough to go through the tips) I have not been able to stand for more than five minutes at a time for a few years now due to severe leg problems, so I am hoping that I can get a batch of these made (just for me if no one else is interested) and indulge in donuts with my favorite filling. Everyone will want them as I have not made any in at least five years though.
    Thank you for the trip down memory lane and my inspiration to make them again.

    Cynthia Blain

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yum!!! Those look delish! Since I'm always too far away from my beloved Krispy Kreme, I may need to try these. Raspberry filled is my favorite. You can get a tip like that made by Wilton to fill the doughnut. I've bought that tip along with the disposable icing bags at Walmart or on Amazon.

    ReplyDelete