Dough:
- 2 1/2 c. all purpose flour (havent tried any other flour, i read that bread flour makes it really tough).
- 4 T. sugar
- 3 T. Earth Balance or butter
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 c. almond milk
- 1 egg (did not attempt to substitute Soy or Sunflower Lecithin, but i'm sure you could try and it would be fine)
- 2 tsp. yeast
- 1/2 c. tangzhong
- 1/3 c. all purpose flour or brown rice flour both work well
- 1 c. water
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 T. water
1. Make the tangzhong--
Blend the flour and water in a small sauce pan, and heat over medium while stirring with a whisk. As soon as the mixture thickens, and swirl lines appear, remove from heat and allow to cool. (This recipe will provide a double batch of tangzhong – store the unused half in the refrigerator for your next loaf, for up to 3 days.)
2. Make the Dough--
Activate the yeast by adding the yeast to a little bit of water, stir and let sit for a few minutes.
whisk together flour, sugar, salt. then add Earth Balance(or butter), egg or lecithin, almond milk, tangzhong and yeast mixture.
you can do this in a stand mixer with the dough hook or in a bowl with your hands.
Cover and allow to rise 45 minutes,
then punch down and allow to rise another 45 minutes
2. When the dough is done, roll it out into a rectangle on a floured surface – somewhere between 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch thick.
3. cut out the donuts--
you can use a cookie cutter and a smaller one for cutting the hole out the center, or what i did was cut the dough into relative sized oval/squares and shape into a circle yourself. then with a knife cut out a hole in the center.
you might needs to do this on a floured wood surface so the donut dough doesnt stick to the surface or fall out of shape.
(optional step: let final shaped donuts rise for another hour, not necessary though.)
5. Make the glaze by whisking all the ingredients together.
most efficient way is to add sifted powedered sugar to the wet , slowly while mixing.
6. For frying you can use a deep fryer or a deep pan.
Heat about 1-2″ of oil in a large pot or pan. (I used canola oil in a deep fryer)
Heat the oil up to about 365 degrees F – this is the proper temperature for deep frying doughnuts.
7. Carefully lower a few donuts into the hot oil, and fry for 30-45 seconds. they should float.
8. flip over and fry for another 30-45 seconds, then remove to a rack to cool.
9. When done – and cool enough to handle without burning your fingers, use a kitchen brush to paint the glaze on, let dry on one side, flip over and glaze the other side.
