My grandmother’s FRIED DONUTS
There is one thing I can’t resist: fried donuts, I could eat them until I was sick!
I’m talking about the classic Italian donuts you find at fairs.
They are normally fried and are made with a leavened dough based on water, milk, yeast and flour, flavored with vanilla. After being fried they are, while still hot, dipped in granulated sugar.
The fried donuts have a very soft and airy consistency and are soft and light despite being fried.
Like any traditional recipe, there are hundreds of versions in different regions of Italy, the one I propose to you today is the recipe that my grandmother prepared when I was a child.
It’s a quick and simple recipe, it can be mixed in a few minutes even without a mixer.
At the bottom of the recipe there are also instructions for cooking donuts in the oven even if you won’t get the same result. It is precisely frying in oil that makes them so soft, while cooking in the oven tends to make them dry.
They are a dessert loved by adults and children, suitable for any time of the day, perfect for breakfast, excellent for a snack, as a treat for birthday parties or at Carnival in the dessert buffet.
Follow me and I will reveal all the tricks and tips for preparing them to perfection and for perfect frying and you will see that you will make the best and softest donuts you have ever prepared.
Ingredients
- Power 1.244,85 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 59,66 (g) of which sugars 10,71 (g)
- Proteins 9,68 (g)
- Fat 110,93 (g) of which saturated 12,38 (g)of which unsaturated 93,66 (g)
- Fibers 5,27 (g)
- Sodium 18,70 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Tools
Steps
STEP 1
Place warm milk in a bowl together with sugar and fresh brewer’s yeast. Mix with a fork and let the yeast dissolve completely. Add eggs, seed oil, grated orange zest and vanillin and mix.
STEP 2
Add potato starch and start incorporating the flour little by little while continuing to mix. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead vigorously. The dough must be smooth and homogeneous. Leave to rise covered with a cloth for an hour.
STEP 3
Once the time has passed, take the dough and spread it out on a floured work surface with your hands. Roll out with a rolling pin, you must obtain a thickness of approximately 1 – 1.5 cm. Cut the donuts using 2 round molds (one 8 cm diameter and the other 3 cm diameter). If you don’t have molds you can use a glass to cut the donut and create a hole in the center with the water bottle cap.
STEP 4
You can use leftover dough, after you have made donuts, to knead again and create more donuts. Let the donuts rest in a warm, dry place for 45 minutes. To cook donuts, heat oil in a pan and when it is hot, fry donuts, turning them during cooking to brown all sides. Once cooked, drain them from the oil and place them on a plate with absorbent paper on top. Finally, roll them in granulated sugar while they are still hot. Here are the donuts that my grandmother used to make for me!
NOTE
COOKING IN THE OVEN
If you want to cook donuts in the oven, use a static oven preheated to 180 degrees for about 20 minutes.
TIPS FOR PERFECT FRYING
Always fry in plenty of oil (the more you put the less it will absorb) and a few donuts at a time.
Use peanut oil because it has a higher smoke point.
The temperature of the oil, in case you have a thermometer to measure it, must be between 170 and 180 degrees.
STORAGE
Fried donuts should be eaten immediately.
Varied doses for servings