Donuts basic recipe

I used to love donuts incredibly much.

Fortunately, for a few years now you have also been getting vegan variants in stores and in some cafes, but when I became a vegan I really missed them forever.

That's why I developed my own donut recipe for my bistro back then, which I'm pretty happy with. I have now revised the recipe again and would like to share it with you. You can decorate the donuts with whatever you want, whether just cinnamon and sugar, pink icing with sprinkles, chocolate icing with caramel and pretzels or maple syrup and "bacon". There are really no limits to your imagination.

Duration: 2.5 hours

Difficulty: medium

Makes 12-14 donuts

Ingredients:

Tangzhong

40g flour

160g (soy) milk, but other plant-based milk should also work.

Remaining dough

100g warm (soy) milk

90g warm water

21g fresh yeast (1/2 cube)

60g sugar

500g flour

5g salt

10g gluten powder

40g aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas)

25g butter alternative

Pinch of vanilla

Oil for frying

Preparation:

I really fell in love with the Tangzhong method, as it simply makes the baked goods much more fluffy and stays "juicy" longer.

That's why we first mix the flour with the plant-based milk, I recommend soy and then bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Stir it all the time, because from a certain point the whole thing thickens very quickly and of course we don't want any lumps. When the mixture is really thick, take it off the stove and let it cool down.

When the Tangzhong has cooled down a bit, you can mix the warm water, the rest of the plant-based milk, sugar and yeast in a bowl.

Then the remaining ingredients are added.

Now knead the dough with a machine for about 8-10 minutes. It takes a lot longer by hand and you will probably need around 20-25 minutes. The dough will still be relatively moist and sticky at the end, but that is also intended so that the starch has more liquid to absorb later during baking and the bread becomes extra fluffy.

If you absolutely cannot handle the dough, you can of course still add a little flour little by little until you get a smooth dough and can make a "gluten window". If you can separate a small part of the dough and pull it apart with your fingers until it becomes very thin, almost transparent like a "window", without tearing directly, then the gluten in the dough has developed well enough.

Then the dough can rise in a lightly greased bowl, covered, for 45-60 minutes in a warm place until its volume has roughly doubled.

I know that a lot of donuts just cut out, but I have to admit that it's always a little too annoying. I just weigh 75-80g dough pieces, roll them into balls, press them a little flat, poke a hole in it with my finger and then carefully pull them apart as evenly as possible until they have a donut shape.

The hole should be a little bigger because the donuts will open again and also in the direction of the middle.

When all donuts are formed, they can rise again for 45 minutes covered in a warm place.

Towards the end of the walking time you can heat up the oil to fry it. If you can set a temperature, I recommend 160°C. Then the donuts don't brown too quickly and have enough time to cook in the middle.

When the oil is hot, you can deep-fry the donuts individually or in pairs, depending on the size of your deep fryer.

In between they have to be turned so that they brown evenly. This will likely take about 1 minute and 15 seconds per side.

Then you should have got so wonderfully fluffy donuts.

For most decorations, it is advisable to let the donuts cool down completely. So you can let off steam as soon as they are cold.

Fresh yeast pastries, especially fried ones, unfortunately don't last very long if you don't use any additives or humectants, so I can only recommend that you devour all donuts on the same day. ;)

Guten Appetit!

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