These are such a treat! I can’t explain to you how yummy these are! A light fluffy doughnut glazed with a sweet raspberry glaze with flavours of rose running through. It’s spring in a mouthful!
When making this recipe please take care with the deep frying. If you have a deep fat fryer then great! But if you don’t you can cook them in a pan of oil. But be careful when cooking with oil. I recommend having a temperature probe with you to monitor the heat, so that it doesn’t get too hot so that your doughnuts will cook properly and that it is completely safe! The best oils to use are neutral flavoured oil, like sunflower or rapeseed. Olive oil or nut oils have too much flavour and will effect the taste of the doughnuts. The optimum temperature for frying is around 170-180 degrees celsius. For doughnuts this size, they should take a couple minutes on each side to cook, I recommend having a test doughnut initially so you can check the oil and temperature. Plus you can test it with a cheeky taste!
HOW TO GLAZE THE DOUGHNUTS
- Consistency is key! Make sure the glaze is the right consistency. If it is too liquid it will run everywhere. If it is too stiff, it won’t properly stick to the doughnut. The trick is to draw a line through the glaze and if it takes 5 seconds to disappear, it is ready.
- When you dip the doughnut into the glaze, make sure to shake off the excess before flipping it over, this will ensure excess glaze won’t drip over.
- Leave to set completely before handling the doughnut
WHAT YEAST TO USE?
Now yeast can be a scary ingredient if you aren’t familiar with it. Plus there are lots of different types of yeast which makes it the more confusing! But I am going to go through each one step by step so you know which one to pick and also how you can switch them up so you don’t mess up the recipe.
- Instant Dry Yeast (also known as easy bake, fast action, easy blend or quick): This is the most commonly used yeast. It is the one where you add directly to the flour mixture and begins to work quickly.
- Active Dry Yeast: This yeast can be easily confused with the instant dry yeast. The difference is that you need to activate the yeast in a warm liquid. So before you add the yeast to the flour, you need to add the yeast to the liquid and let it sit for about 10 minutes to activate. However the measurements are the same for the instant as it is for the active.
- Fresh Yeast: This type of yeast is perishable, so it must be kept refrigerated and used within a couple of weeks of purchase. When using fresh yeast, it is dissolved into a liquid prior to adding to a recipe. Fresh yeast should be proofed, or tested for potency, before each use. To proof yeast, dissolve in warm water and add a pinch of sugar. If the yeast does not begin to foam within 5 to 10 minutes, it is no longer active. To switch a recipe from fresh yeast to dry yeast the ratio is 1g dry yeast to 3g of fresh yeast. So 5g dried yeast you will need 15g fresh yeast.
- Liquid Yeast: Liquid Yeast is purely used for sourdough. Another word for this is called a ‘starter’. It is a living yeast. All you need to do is to add fresh carbohydrate for it to survive and to continue to replicate.
- Nutritional Yeast: This yeast is NOT used for baking. This is purely to add flavour to savoury foods
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Firstly, the dough. In a small pan, melt the butter and add the milk. Heat until body temperature. Make sure it isn’t too hot otherwise you will kill the yeast.
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In the bowl of a free standing mixer, place the flour, salt, yeast, sugar, eggs and warm milk and butter. Using the dough hook, mix until it has all come together. Keep the machine on a medium speed for about 5 minutes. The dough should have all come together, it should be tacky and very elastic. This is when it is ready to be proved.
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Place the dough in a bowl, cover with cling film or a clean tea towel. Leave for about an hour, until it has doubled in size.
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Coming back to the dough, it should have doubled in size. Remove from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough to the thickness of an inch. Using a 7cm round cutter, cut 8 rounds from the dough, then using a 3 cm cutter to cut a middle out.
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Place the doughnuts onto a tray lined with baking paper. Cover with cling film and leave to prove for another 45 mins.
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Whilst you are waiting for the dough, it’s time to heat up the oil. If you have a deep fat fryer set the temperature to 170 degrees. If you are using a pan. Place a full litre of oil into a pan, making sure there is enough oil for the doughnuts to be fully submerged with space to spare. Heat on a medium to low heat, constantly checking the temperature with a probe until you reach about 160 degrees. Once you reach this temperature, reduce the heat to low so that it doesn’t get too hot. The oil is now ready for frying.
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In a shallow bowl, mix together the sugar and spices for the coating and set aside when ready.
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Your doughnuts should be ready to be fried. They should have doubled in size. Take one doughnut at a time, and carefully place into the oil. Cook on one side for about 1 minute until it is golden brown, then flip it over to cook the other side. This should take another 1 minute or so. Using a slotted spoon remove from the oil and place onto some kitchen towel to soak up any excess oil.
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To make the glaze, mix together the icing sugar, raspberry puree and rose water. Mix until all combined. Draw a line through the glaze and if it disappears in 5 seconds it is the right consistency.
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Holding the doughnut by its edges, dip it halfway into the glaze making sure to let the excess drip off. Flip the doughnut over and leave to set.
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Sprinkle with rose petals and decorate with fresh raspberries.
