Jelly Doughnuts with Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 3/4 cup bread flour, plus additional for dusting work surface and sprinkling batter
- 1 tablespoon fresh yeast, or 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 2 3/4 cups pastry flour
- 1 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cubed
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar, plus more for tossing doughnuts
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Oil, for deep-frying
- Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam, recipe follows
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, cut lengthwise, seeds reserved
- 2 cups diced rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces, about 4 stalks
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 4 pints small to medium strawberries, hulled and diced
- Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and then spray with nonstick spray.
- Dust lightly with bread flour.
- Crumble the fresh yeast into the bowl of an electric mixer, or sprinkle in the dry yeast.
- In a small saucepan, warm the milk until it is no longer chilled and is just barely lukewarm, about 105 degrees F. Pour the milk over the yeast and whisk to dissolve.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of the pastry flour to the milk and whisk 2 or 3 times to just barely incorporate.
- Sprinkle the rest of the pastry flour over the mixture to cover the top.
- Do not mix this any further.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap so that it is airtight, and place in a slightly warm place until the top layer of flour has cracked noticeably, about 4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, remove the vanilla bean seeds by scraping the length of the bean with the back of a knife.
- Place the seeds in a saucepan with the butter and melt together over low heat.
- Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt.
- Add the vanilla-butter mixture and quickly whisk into the eggs.
- Pour the egg-butter mixture into the mixing bowl with the flour.
- Mix on low speed for a few seconds to incorporate the flour, and then increase the speed to medium and mix for 1 minute.
- Add the 3/4 cup of bread flour and mix on low for a few seconds, then on medium for 2 minutes.
- The batter will be lumpy and quite sticky.
- Transfer to a large greased bowl and cover completely with plastic wrap so it is airtight.
- Return the bowl to the warm spot and let rise until it doubles in size, about 2 hours.
- Once it has risen, sprinkle 1/4 cup of bread flour over the surface.
- With your hands, gently tuck the sides of the dough under itself to deflate it.
- Cover the bowl again and let the dough rise until it has doubled in size again, about 45 minutes.
- You will need a significant amount of bread flour to coat your work surface.
- Choose a surface that is cool to the touch.
- Sprinkle a thin blanket of flour over it, and using a pastry scraper, pour 1/3 of the dough over the flour.
- Then sprinkle the surface of the batter with more bread flour.
- With the palm of your hand, gently press the dough down to about 1/2-inch thick.
- Dip the end of a 1 1/2-inch round cutter in flour and begin to cut the doughnuts out.
- Rather than picking them up with your fingers, use the cutter to push the doughnut off the end of the counter and on to the palm of your hand.
- Or try using a small spatula dipped in flour to lift the doughnut off the counter, being careful to keep the round shape.
- Then gently place the doughnuts on the floured baking sheets.
- Repeat until you have cut all the doughnuts.
- Wrap the baking sheets with plastic and refrigerate the doughnuts as you work.
- (Bring to room temperature before frying).
- To fry, add enough oil to come halfway up the sides of a large saucepan and heat to 350 degrees F.
- Carefully drop the doughnuts into the oil, about 6 at a time, making sure you do not overfill the pot.
- Fry the doughnuts until they are golden on both sides, about 3 minutes total.
- Drain on paper towels, and then toss into a bowl of sugar to coat.
- Fill doughnuts with Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam, if desired.
- Place the sugar and the vanilla bean seeds in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan.
- Add enough water to moisten all of the sugar (about 1/4 cup).
- Be sure to brush down the sides of the pot with a pastry brush to remove any stray sugar granules.
- Cook the sugar over high heat until it caramelizes and turns golden, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the rhubarb and the wine.
- Cook, stirring, over high heat, until the rhubarb softens and becomes a pulp; be careful; the mixture will splatter.
- Add 1/3 of the strawberries to the pot and stir quickly into the rhubarb pulp, working over high heat.
- Cook until the berries turn into jam and the liquid has mostly evaporated from the pot, about 8 minutes.
- Add another 1/3 of the berries and quickly stir until just softened.
- Add the last batch of berries, turn off the heat, and stir gently.
- Allow the jam to sit undisturbed about 10 minutes.
- If using to fill the doughnuts, refrigerate the jam so it sets up and filling is easier.
- Keep refrigerated.
nonstick cooking spray, bread flour, fresh yeast, milk, pastry flour, vanilla bean, butter, eggs, sugar, salt, strawberryrhubarb, sugar, vanilla bean, rhubarb, red wine, pints
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jelly-doughnuts-with-strawberry-rhubarb-jam-recipe.html (may not work)