Strawberry Jam: Doughnuts

I love fried doughy food and could eat my way around the world seeking out different types - from churros in Spain to beignet in France or New Orleans, and it just wouldn't be New Year's Eve in Holland without visiting every neighbour and sharing oliebollen (literally 'oil balls'). There is a strong theory that suggests American doughnuts originated from oliebollen recipes brought to the States by early Dutch settlers, so with an American mother and Dutch father I think doughnuts must be in my blood.

Here in Melbourne I can get my deep fried dough fix with hot jam doughnuts from a van at the Vic Markets called the American Doughnut Kitchen which, for me, is one of the few reasons to venture to the 'merchandise' end of the Vic Markets - well, that and the poffertjes stall... but what could be fresher than making them myself with the lovely homemade strawberry jam I was given that I am consuming at an alarming rate.

I do not bake with yeast often and always feel it will be too difficult with dissapointing results but these turned out so beautifully and were suprisingly easy to make - all 40 of the original batch!!! I have slightly modified the recipe I used from Best Recipes (here) to reduce the quantity, change to inserting the jam after cooking and expand on the given method.

 

Ingredients (makes approximately 20 golf ball sized doughnuts):

• 7 g yeast
• 30 ml warm water
• 125 ml warm milk
• 25 g caster sugar
• 30 g butter, melted
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 280 g plain flour, sifted
• jam, for filling**
• vegetable oil, for frying
• caster sugar and powdered cinnamon, for dusting

you will also need a piping bag with a long thin nozzle for jam insertion

**it needs to be a smooth jam, as my strawberry jam has lovely chunks of fruit I put it in the food processor for 30 seconds



Method:

1. combine yeast, warm water and sugar in a small bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for 10 mins
2. in a seperate bowl, melt butter then add milk and eggs, stir well to combine 
3. stir milk mixture into yeast mixture to make the 'wet mix' 
4. sift flour into a large bowl then add wet mix and stir into a sticky dough; cover with a teatowel and stand in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size
5. turn onto lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, until soft and elastic
6. lightly oil a baking tray (I use a light olive oil spray); pinch off walnut sized balls of dough and roll into balls, place a good distance apart on tray
7. loosely cover tray with oiled clingfilm and stand in a warm place for 15 minutes (until they puff up again to a golf ball sized)
8. during this 15 minutes, prepare a large bowl with paper towel for draining the doughnuts once cooked, another bowl with a cinnamon and caster sugar for tossing the doughnuts in, and fill your piping bag with jam
9. heat oil in a deep pot (with enough oil to fry doughnuts without the oil splashing over the edges)
10. fry doughnuts in batches of 4 in hot oil until well browned, turning regularly (the doughnuts should bubble when added to the oil but not go dark brown too quickly or the centre will not be cooked)
11. drain on paper towel then toss in cinnamon and sugar 
12. poke nozzle of piping bag into the bottom of the doughnut and squeeze in the jam
13. eat warm (but be carefull of hot jam, even when filled after frying it heats up fast!)