Doughnuts with LM Revisited

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mwilson on 2 Sep 2025 at 04:04
Doughnuts

Doughnuts with LM Revisited

While pizza is a twice weekly affair, I wanted to put my ever-improving LM to the test by using it in an enriched dough. I cast an on eye over my blog where I found the recipe for doughnuts. Mentally scaling it down to a more manageable quantity, I opted to do a 2/3rds yield.

Applying these mental gymnastics in the moment I made some tweaks on the fly, based on look and feel of the dough. Essentially, I increased the level of enrichment and hydration.

 

Doughnut dough principles: Well-developed firm dough, moderately enriched. Milk being a key common ingredient.

New formulation:

Ingredients(g)(%)
   
Flour W400350100
LM (45%H)9026
Whole Milk10029
Sugar5014
Mashed Potato6017
2 Whole eggs11633
Salt51.4
Butter8825
Total859245.4

Add all the ingredients except butter and salt. Mix until smooth and elastic before adding salt. Then finish the mix with the butter.

 

Previously in 2014 I scaled them at 65g each, this time I went for 80g as it’s easier to arrange on one baking tray but also because I was thinking I might not get as much expansion, however that was unfounded.

These were just too big at 80g. They were huge!

From the dough I scaled 9 at 80g each with a surplus of 130g which became an even bigger fried brioche roll!

 

Custard / pastry cream

 (g)
Whole Milk500
5 Egg yolks88
Sugar100
Corn starch40
1 Vanilla Pod-
1 piece Lemon Peel-

 

Unfortunately, I didn’t quite cook the custard thick enough, so it was tricky to pipe straight in, meaning I had to carve a hole in each doughnut prior to filling.

I tried one and the rest were donated...

I bet, judging from the interior which looks fantastic, they would have made fine glazed, holed doughnuts as well.

 

Thanks Moe. I might try the holey doughnuts next time, does one cut a hole or it bagel looped... being a fiend for custard, I think I would miss the filling, haha!

 

The hole is cut, but if you don't have a doughnut cutter, a shot glass will do.

Don't blame you about the custard. Our local doughnut franchise has a Boston cream which is like yours, but has chocolate on the top.

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WanyeKest on 2 Sep 2025 at 09:48

Oh yeah, those look perfect. Keep it coming!

Jay

These look like they must be very tasty but light, Michael. The size increase in proofing is spectacular. And I like the idea of shallow frying, rather than a full pan of oil.

Are these what are known as bomboloni?

 

Lance

Thanks, Lance. They were about as light as they can be, and also super soft.

Yeah, Bomboloni is the Italian for doughnuts although Massari and others call them Krapfen.

If you search for Bomboloni, I see ol' Maurizio's recipe pop up. I find it difficult to believe that he wasn't heavily inspired my original doughnut bake even if it was by way of another blogger... Oh well, somebody has to take the glory, haha!

The proof was what I call "proper double!" - somewhere between double and triple. This is standard for enriched doughs really. Strong flour, lievito madre, enrichment and advanced gluten development will allow for that kind of rise without over-proofing.

Regarding the fry, I think the pictures are a little deceptive, they are still very much a deep fry, it's just that my doughnuts tend to sit fully on the surface without sinking. The pan is a 24cm sauté pan and I used just over a litre of sunflower oil to fill it half way, about 3cm deep. The doughnuts never touched the bottom of the pan!

Great doughnuts! Reminds me of my childhood. In German "Krapfen" or "Berliner" depending on the region. We ate them with jam. "Punctured" the doughnuts on the side (in the white strip) and used a piping bag to "inject" the jam.

This white / light strip in the middle is the signature feature! At least with good fermentation and if they are traditionally fried like mwilson obviously did! Well done!