Fluffy donuts here we go!

With these donuts, I’ve gone with 50g for large and 20g for minis. Note that large is smaller than your usual as I tend to make smaller-sized desserts, for ease of sharing and also mindful of fridge space. Not saying these donuts should be in the fridge, because they should really be enjoyed the same day, but that’s exactly why smaller portions are good – you can eat them throughout the day. Especially the minis.

Once we got the preferred dough size sorted, it was the beginning of a month-long ideation phase on the key question: what do we fill it with???

The quest began with the easiest: mascarpone cream with chocolate sauce. This would be perfect for when you don’t have time to make a custard or creme patisserie/diplomat/ mousse (more recipes about those to come).

Simply mix in your favourite chocolate sauce with mascarpone cream, and pipe it into the fluffy and light treat.

Leave me a comment with your favourite filling, so we can give that a go too.

Ingredients

(Makes about 1 kg dough; 20 large pieces (50g) or 50 small ones (20g))

Dough:

• 40g caster sugar
• 12g instant yeast
• 80ml milk
• 70ml water 
• 180g eggs (3 size 7 eggs)
• 500g baker’s flour
• 4g salt
• 150g butter, unsalted, softened
• For frying: 2L canola oil

Chocolate Mascarpone Cream Filling:

• 250g mascarpone cream
• 100g chocolate sauce (I use Barkers)
• chocolate sprinkles
• dutch cocoa powder (I use Valrhona)

Instructions

Donut dough

1. Place sugar, yeast, milk and water in a bowl. Stir to mix and let rest for 10 mins.
2. Place the rest of the dough ingredients, except the butter, into the bowl of an electric mixer with a beater attachment and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes. The  dough should start to shape into a ball. Switch to a dough hook.
3. With the mixer on medium speed, add softened butter in, a few bits at a time. Do this slowly to give the dough a few minutes to incorporate the butter fully.
4. Now turn the mixer to high speed and knead for 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic (it will look glossy and stretches to a thin pane when pulled).
5. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm spot to prove for 1.5 hours, or till doubled in size (you can also leave it in the fridge overnight).
6. Lightly flour the surface you are working on. Tip the dough out from the bowl and shape it into a rough rectangle, rolling it to about 1.5-2 cm thick.
7. Use cookie cutters to cut out uniform discs of dough. Gather offcuts and roll into a rectangle, cutting more discs of dough. Use the last bits to make mini ones (they are great as testers).
8. Place all dough pieces well-spaced apart onto baking paper-lined trays. Cover with food wrap and leave it to prove in a warm spot, till doubled in size (about an hour. If dough was made overnight, then proving time will be 2-3 hours, ambient temperature dependent).
9. Prepare the frying vessel. Using a wide heavy-based pot, add oil up to about halfway of the pot. Have a cooking thermometer inserted to monitor the temperature of the oil – maintain it between 180C and 190C. Set up a cooling rack over a baking paper-lined tray next to your frying station.
10. Gently pick up dough from the tray and drop them into the hot oil. Depending on the size of your pot, fry only 3 – 4 at a time to avoid overcrowding (it drops the temperature of the oil and results in unevenness.)
11. Donuts should float and expand almost immediately – fry for 1.5 mins each side. If they are expanding too much, you may have to flip it over after only 15 seconds of cooking, to ensure they inflate evenly. Don’t flip too often though, or you will lose the signature “tan lines” in the middle.
12. Remove from the fryer and place on the cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Set aside to cool before filling.
13. Prepare filling as below and transfer these into a piping bag.
14. Holding a donut ‘tan line’ up, cut a slit down past half way, with a pairing knife.
15. Pipe filling into the donuts and garnish with chocolate pearls.

Chocolate Mascarpone Cream filling

1. Combine mascarpone and chocolate sauce in a bowl and mix till combined.