Doughnuts work using high yeast for rapid expansion, plus high sugar to soften the dough, and high fat to lubricate the protein-based gluten chains. I don't see that sourdough can contribute anything to help the above principles.
I'm a devoted real bread baker, and I really live teaching my students how to make doughnuts. But the 2 really have nothing in common to me.
That makes sense...thanks for saving me from wasting my time on that. What's a good simple doughnut to make for someone that is making them for the first time?
My recipe uses an Improver, and works on no time basis.
You could make it without the improver, but it would need some bulk fermentation, obviously. They are not the healthiest food on the planet, as you will quickly realise when reading through the recipe:
DOUGHNUTS
MATERIAL
FORMULA
[% OF FLOUR]
RECIPE
[GRAMMES]
Strong White Flour
100
1000
Salt
1.5
15
Dough Conditioner
2
20
Shortening
10
100
Yeast [fresh]
6
60
Sugar
10
100
Water
56
560
TOTALS
185.5
1850
Method:
Mix all the ingredients in a mixing machine with a hook attachment for 2 minutes on first speed and 6 minutes on 2nd to 3rd speed.
Scale into 50g pieces and mould round. Rest covered for 8 minutes.
For ring doughnuts, press dough piece down to flatten and remove the middle using a suitable sized cutter [eg, large end of a metal piping nozzle]. For rounds, flatten gently. For fingers, roll out to a 9cm sausage.
Prove on a lightly oiled, perforated tray, 38 - 40°C, 80%rH.
Fry the doughnuts at 190°C for 2 - 4 minutes.
Dredge in sugar immediately after frying.
Ring doughnuts are served plain. Round doughnuts should be filled with jam using a piping bag. Finger doughnuts are split and filled with whipped cream piped in using a star tube. Top this with a thin layer of jam piped in.
You will struggle to get hold of a dough conditioner/improver used in the recipe. It is only available commercially. I teach bakery in a College, so can get it through wholesale supplies.
I know that is of little use to you. Apologies, I can't do much about that.
The Improver consists of 2 additives which work to influence the structure of the dough. There are a number of other mystery materials from a host of derivatives, and you will gather that I am not at all a fan of the addition of such nonsense to our bread. The advantage is that it allows for a far more rapid processing of dough, which speeds up the manufacturing time taken...commercially time = money, yes?
So, the additives which work on structure: 1] an additive such as l-ascorbic acid [vitamin c] which strengthens the network of gluten formed by mixing, by encouraging the development of cross bonds to give an elastic dough. 2] a reducing agent, which works to breakdown these inter-linking cross-bonds, so encouraging the dough to become extensible, in order to successfully incorporate gas from the fermentation, thus allowing the dough to expand. Traditionally the reducer was l-cysteine in the UK. Now the clever ingredients manufacturers use enzymes instead. Due to loopholes in EU legislation, these enzymes do not have to be declared on the packaging labels. This is because they are categorised as "processing aids". Make what you will of this, but some of us are extremely unhappy about it over here!
The traditional way to soften the gluten, and thus create an extensible dough, is through a longer fermentation process; now you can maybe get to see where sourdough may have a role to play. Trouble is doughnuts need the high fat/sugar/yeast mix I was explaining to you, to cope with the huge expansion as the dough balls hit the hot fat.
I know it's probably not the simple answer you wanted, but I hope this is both of interest and instructive for you.
Hi
Doughnuts work using high yeast for rapid expansion, plus high sugar to soften the dough, and high fat to lubricate the protein-based gluten chains. I don't see that sourdough can contribute anything to help the above principles.
I'm a devoted real bread baker, and I really live teaching my students how to make doughnuts. But the 2 really have nothing in common to me.
Best wishes
Andy
That makes sense...thanks for saving me from wasting my time on that. What's a good simple doughnut to make for someone that is making them for the first time?
Hi jayc32,
My recipe uses an Improver, and works on no time basis.
You could make it without the improver, but it would need some bulk fermentation, obviously. They are not the healthiest food on the planet, as you will quickly realise when reading through the recipe:
DOUGHNUTS
MATERIAL
FORMULA
[% OF FLOUR]
RECIPE
[GRAMMES]
Strong White Flour
100
1000
Salt
1.5
15
Dough Conditioner
2
20
Shortening
10
100
Yeast [fresh]
6
60
Sugar
10
100
Water
56
560
TOTALS
185.5
1850
Method:
If you need any more help, give me a shout
Thanks
Andy
Hi Andy,
What is the dough conditioner and where do I get it?
Hi jayc32,
You will struggle to get hold of a dough conditioner/improver used in the recipe. It is only available commercially. I teach bakery in a College, so can get it through wholesale supplies.
I know that is of little use to you. Apologies, I can't do much about that.
The Improver consists of 2 additives which work to influence the structure of the dough. There are a number of other mystery materials from a host of derivatives, and you will gather that I am not at all a fan of the addition of such nonsense to our bread. The advantage is that it allows for a far more rapid processing of dough, which speeds up the manufacturing time taken...commercially time = money, yes?
So, the additives which work on structure: 1] an additive such as l-ascorbic acid [vitamin c] which strengthens the network of gluten formed by mixing, by encouraging the development of cross bonds to give an elastic dough. 2] a reducing agent, which works to breakdown these inter-linking cross-bonds, so encouraging the dough to become extensible, in order to successfully incorporate gas from the fermentation, thus allowing the dough to expand. Traditionally the reducer was l-cysteine in the UK. Now the clever ingredients manufacturers use enzymes instead. Due to loopholes in EU legislation, these enzymes do not have to be declared on the packaging labels. This is because they are categorised as "processing aids". Make what you will of this, but some of us are extremely unhappy about it over here!
The traditional way to soften the gluten, and thus create an extensible dough, is through a longer fermentation process; now you can maybe get to see where sourdough may have a role to play. Trouble is doughnuts need the high fat/sugar/yeast mix I was explaining to you, to cope with the huge expansion as the dough balls hit the hot fat.
I know it's probably not the simple answer you wanted, but I hope this is both of interest and instructive for you.
Best wishes
Andy