Champagne Donuts
Donuts
Ingredients
1 cup whole milk, warmed to about 110°F
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 – 2 quarts vegetable oil (for frying)
Method
Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes. The mixture should be a little frothy on top after 5 minutes.
Add the eggs, butter, vanilla, allspice, salt, and 2 cups flour. Beat on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add remaining flour and beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If needed, add more flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Don’t add too much flour, though. You want a slightly sticky dough.
Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 2 minutes or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 2 minutes.
Let Dough Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1.5-2 hours or until double in size.
Shape Doughnuts: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Remove dough from the bowl and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. If needed, punch down again to release any more air bubbles. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is 1/2 inch thick. Using a 3-3.5 inch doughnut cutter, cut into 12 doughnuts. If you can’t quite fit 12, re-roll the scraps and cut more.
Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Place doughnuts and doughnut holes on each. (Feel free to discard doughnut holes if desired.) Loosely cover and allow to rest as you heat the oil. They will rise a bit as they rest. Place a cooling rack over another baking sheet.
Pour oil into a large heavy-duty pot set over medium heat. Heat oil to 375°F. Add 2-3 doughnuts at a time and cook for 1 minute on each side. Carefully remove with a metal spatula or metal slotted spoon. Place fried doughnuts onto prepared rack. Repeat with remaining doughnuts, then turn off heat.
Glaze
Ingredients
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/4 cup left over champagne from New Year’s Eve
1/2 lemon juiced
1 pinch of salt
Method
Combine the powder sugar, champagne, lemon juice and salt in a small bowl and mix until smooth.
Breakfast
Method
Take the cooked off donut and dip it into the glaze. Place the donut on the baking sheet with a rack and allow the glaze to harden.
If desired when the donut is wet with the glaze add some fresh chopped strawberries and top with melted dark chocolate for an extra special treat.