French donuts. Ben-yay! In France it means fritter. Who could ask for anything more? I went to New Orleans a couple years ago and discovered these sinfully delicious treats. This one calls for deep-frying; I have the appliance, you can do it on the stovetop, it's a bit more work but possible.
Ingredients
1/2 cup milk, warm 122g
1/2 cup water, warm 118g
1 tsp vanilla extract 4g
4 oz cream cheese, softened, pcs 112g
1/4 cup butter, soft pcs 56g
2 eggs, warmed
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup white sugar 28g
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 390g
Oil for deep frying
1-2 cups icing sugar aka powdered sugar
Instructions
Please read Susy's Tips and Tricks below.
Place the first 9 ingredients in order as suggested by your bread machine. You may need to add up to 1/3 cup more flour to have a smooth slightly tacky dough ball using the Dough setting. Watch it during the first 5 minutes to get an optimum result.
Let rise in the machine. Remove and place in a well-oiled container. Cover and place in the fridge. You can refrigerate this dough for 1 hour (minimum) and for as much as 24 hours.
Let dough come up to room temperature. This may take 1-2 hours.
I do this in batches. Take a handful of dough and roll out on a lightly floured counter to 1/4" thick. Cut in square shapes. Traditionally these are 2 1/2".
Heat your oil in a frying appliance or use a large pot and proceed using a stove. With a thermometer keep the oil at a steady 370F/187C.
Let the cut donuts sit, covered for 5 minutes. Then place in the oil. Do not crowd.
The donuts will float and turn golden brown rather quickly. Flip over at about the 40-60 second mark. Continue cooking the other side.
Remove donuts from the oil and let sit for 1-2 minutes to drain off the oil.
Now place donuts in a tall container so you can shake the powdered sugar all over the treat. It's also nice if you have a hand sifter and gently sprinkle icing sugar all over the treat.
Susy's Tips and Tricks
Be sure your ingredients are the temperature suggested by your machine. Typically around 75-80F.
Warm eggs; shelled in some hot tap water.
Measure flour by weight or stir flour then spoon it into a measuring cup. Scrape with a flat edge to have a nice measure.
Test a small donut. If your fritter turns dark brown rapidly, turn the temperature down.
The donut will sink to the bottom then float.
Watch the temperature. If its too low they will have giant puffy hollow.
Traditionally, these aren't made with cream cheese. I tried about 6 versions of this recipe and came up with this recipe. This secret ingredient gives it such a lovely flavor.