The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Doughnuts

abro100's picture
abro100

Doughnuts

Hi, 

My name is Michael, I am an ex chef looking to start selling some doughnuts in a market. However i am having a few problems. 

The first doughnut recipe i a used was

  • 1 1/8 cup whole milk, warmed to 90°F
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons (one package) active dry yeast
  • 2 whole eggs, beaten, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
  • 4 cups bread flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 quarts frying fat (lard, crisco, or neutral oil)
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 pinch salt

Whilst American and in cups which i don't like it worked out OK. It was an overnight prove then a roll and proove then fry, The doughnuts came out really nice however they didn't seem to keep as well as i would have liked. 

I then tried the sourdough hybrid doughnut off this site. However i dont think my inconsistent selling schedule will benefit from that recipe. 

I have also tried this recipe, but i used SAF GOLD and it seemed to rise the dough like rocket fuel. 

55 g

Butter

55 g

Vegetable oil

530 g

Milk

, whole

150 g

Egg

, whole, beaten

21 g

Active dry yeast

940 g

Bread flour

170 g

Sugar

, granulated

6 g

Kosher salt

47 g

Diastatic malt powder

,I think the dough got too hot in the mixer which ruined the dough, i kept half the dough in the fridge and the next day it tasted too strong of yeast. 

I am also struggling to get the blond band in the middle of the doughnuts. I am frying at 190 and 180 but it doest seem to happen. The doughnuts dont seem to float aswell as some i have seen. Anyway, i am looking for some help on a doughnut recipe and just some advice on how i can go about organising them. 

Kind regards

Michael 

Dana D's picture
Dana D

I used this recipe for many years as a pastry chef, feel free to add mix-ins or fillings

110 g melted butter

1100 g milk

110 g veg oil

300 g egg

42 g active dry yeast

1900 g Bread Flour (not AP!)

12 g salt

340 g sugar

94 g diastatic malt powder

Whisk oil, milk, butter, and egg. Heat to 35 Celsius. Bloom yeast in wets for 5 minutes. Add dries, mix 15-20 min (this was in an industrial mixer, imagine it takes longer in a kitchenaid) until dough is supple, shiny, and pulls from the side of the bowl. ideal dough temp is 25-27 C. Book fold the dough and retard in fridge for 20-30 minutes, depending on final dough temp. Roll out to desired thickness, from here I would freeze the dough for approx. 1 hour to make them easier to punch. Punched donuts can then be frozen and pulled/proofed as needed. When ready to fry: I found that the white ring around the donut was really a result of #1 punching them thickly enough and also about them being properly proofed. The dough should feel soft but spring back when poked and not be slack. Time varied greatly based on room temp. I fry donuts low and slow, about 5 min each side at 155 C; flipping with chopsticks and drying on paper towels. Good luck! 

Dana D's picture
Dana D

If you drop a donut into the hot fat and it doesn't immediately float, it is not properly proofed! Let them sit 10-15 minutes longer and try again.

abro100's picture
abro100

Hi, 

Thanks for your help Dana, i will give them a try and get some photos to see if they improve.

Also i am noticing my Kenwood Titanium heating the dough up to 32 which is too hot i am thinking maybe chilling some ingredients. 

I will probe the dough temp to see. 

Thanks 

Mike

gerhard's picture
gerhard

I find the rise in temperature puzzling, I don't think the mixing action of the Kenwood is much different from our Kitchen-aid.  Maybe try reducing the mixing speed and/or time.  I have had dough become warm but only because my attention was distracted and it was left running much longer than planned.

Gerhard

clazar123's picture
clazar123

I would think AP would make a more tender/less chewy donut. What happens if AP flour is used?

abro100's picture
abro100

I think i may have found a reason why i am having some trouble. I took the dough out of the mixer today and it was 40 degrees celcius. This is why it will have balooned first time. I am looking at ways around this, possibly a second hand hobart or other commerical mixer. What effect will this have on the baking.

Thanks 

Michael 

gerhard's picture
gerhard

friction of mixing I don't know that a Hobart mixer is the solution.   How long are you mixing your dough?  It would seem to me if you are mixing the dough and raising it's temperature that much it would also be sticky and the gluten would be well past developing and on it's way to degrading which may be partially responsible for the lack of the white ring.   I know in the summer time, in bakeries that have no air conditioning, they will use ice water to slow things down, if you use this solution use crushed ice as it is easier on your equipment.

Gerhard

abro100's picture
abro100

That's right it became sticky. I mixed it for 15 minutes on medium high. I only had 700g of mix in also so that shouldn't have been a problem. I assumed a more powerful machine would have helped as it wouldn't be a high load although you my kenwood has a 7litre capacoty. It is only 18 degrees  in my kitchen. I will put my ingredients in the fridge tonight also and try again tomorrow.  

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

or crushed ice into the liquids.  Chilling the bowl and blade or dough hook and/or autolyse before mixing the dough.  That would be, allowing the flour to absorb the milk-egg mixture (set aside just enough to dissolve yeast) without salt or yeast in the dough.  Just rest the roughly moistened flour and let gluten develop without using the mixer.  After 30 minutes covered rest, add yeast and then salt with the aid of the mixer using less time at a lower setting. 

gerhard's picture
gerhard

Another thought, you are allowing the scalded milk to cool to room temperature before adding to the recipe?  If not may be good plan to next time. 

abro100's picture
abro100

Yes I did. I may fridge it next time as well.  The blade of the mixer gets so hot you see. Nearly cooking the bread 

 

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

commercial mixer until the blade is hot enough to the cook the dough just doesn't sound good for 1 loaf of bread.  I believe this is what bakers call beating the heck out of the dough until  it is dead, really, really  dead ..... the poor dough would  be screaming out in agony if you spoke dough:-)