Showing posts with label doughnuts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label doughnuts. Show all posts
Thursday, November 1, 2012
VEGAN SWEET POTATO YEAST DOUGHNUTS
I always make doughnuts for my granddaughters on Halloween-- it's a once-a-year ritual. I usually make quick drop doughnuts with a yeast batter, but this year I decided to make cut-out doughnuts. I had some sweet potato that needed to be used, so I reworked an old recipe for non-vegan doughnuts made with a potato dough. The dough didn't turn out as colorful as I'd hoped, but the doughnuts were delicious, and not even greasy. The girls lined up in their costumes (a zebra, a sock monkey, a devil, a skeleton, and a pig!) to fill their paper bags with the fresh, aromatic doughnuts, with a bag for Dad, too (much appreciated).
They trooped off for more trick-or-treating and fireworks at the Community Hall, and Nonna's duty-- a precious one-- was done for another year. Yes, we ate a few, but DH took the remainder to his son's house the next day to take temptation out from under out noses!
Doughnuts are not really hard to make, so don't worry if you've never attempted them before. Read the recipe through and organize yourself (as suggested in the recipe text) before you start so that the process will go smoothly. You can make the dough the day before and refrigerate it until you are ready to roll out and cut. This actually makes the soft dough easier to cut and handle. You can use an electric fryer if you have one, or an electric wok, which is shallower, and so will use less oil. Because I hate wasting all that oil, I use a flat-bottomed wok on the burner, with a candy thermometer, and use only about 4 inches of oil.
BRYANNA’S VEGAN SWEET
POTATO YEAST DOUGHNUTS
(With Maple Glaze or
Cinnamon Sugar) UPDATED Dec. 6, 2013
Makes 50 doughnuts (more or less)
TIP: You can make the dough the day before and refrigerate it
until you are ready to roll out and cut. This actually makes the soft dough easier
to cut and handle.
1 packet instant baking yeast OR 1 tablespoon dry active baking yeast
2 1/2 cups warm plain original soy, hemp or almond milk
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato (orange flesh)
1/2 cup oil or softened vegan butter (try my homemade palm oil-free Buttah)
1/2 cup granulated light organic sugar
3 cups unbleached white flour
Egg Replacer— Options are a.)1 tsp. the VEGG beaten with 1/4
cup water;
or b.) 1
tablespoon golden flax seed blended
until “gloppy” with 1/4 cup water
3/4 tablespoon salt
1/2 to 1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice or nutmeg
3 cups additional unbleached white flour
Cinnamon Sugar (I
use this for the holes and the scraps, which are fried into “squigglies”):
1 cup granulated light organic sugar mixed with
2 to 4 tablespoons cinnamon
Maple Glaze:
Mix 2 cups organic powdered sugar with
about 6 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup
until no lumps are left.
Adjust thickness as needed. It should be a bit runny.
Sprinkle the yeast into the warm milk in a large bowl, or
the bowl of your stand mixer. Let stand about 5 minutes. Add the mashed sweet potato, oil, sugar and
first 3 cups of flour. Beat for a minute
or so, cover and let stand 20 minutes.
Add the egg replacer, salt and spices and begin beating in the second 3 cups of flour.
If you are using a stand mixer, knead for about 8 minutes according
to your machine’s directions. If
kneading by hand, knead for 8 minutes on a lightly-floured baking mat or a large piece of baking parchment.
Use as little flour as possible. A little more flour may be needed, but
dough should be soft. Oil your hands rather than flouring them. The kneaded dough
should be satiny.
Place the dough in a bowl large enough for the dough to
double and let rise in a warm place until doubled. At this point, if you are making it ahead,
you can punch down the dough, cover it well and refrigerate the dough for 8-12
hours.
Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of baking parchment to about
1/2-inch thick. Cut out the doughnuts with a special doughnut cutter, or use a
3.5-inch cutter and then cut a center hole out with a 1-inch cutter. Place the
doughnut rings and holes on baking parchment-lined trays (or simply on parchment-lined
counters) and let rise until not quite doubled—30-45 minutes. Do not re-roll
the scraps! You can cut “holes” out of the
larger scraps, or just use long pieces of dough scraps to fry into what I call “squigglies”
(see photos).
You can use an electric fryer if you have one, or an
electric wok, which is more shallow, and so will use less oil. I use a
flat-bottomed wok on the burner, with a candy thermometer, and use only about 4
inches of oil.
Prepare everything for frying, draining and glazing before you start frying! Wear an apron, tie your hair back and roll up
your sleeves. Have ready: 2 large trays lined with several layers of paper towels
(or use old brown paper bags) for draining; a metal skimmer or a slotted spoon;
the Maple Glaze and Cinnamon Sugar in shallow bowls for dipping; cake racks on
trays for the glazed doughnuts.
Fry the risen doughnuts in batches in the hot oil (375ºF)—don’t
crowd them. Fry the doughnuts (fry rings, holes and scraps separately from
each other), turning them occasionally with a metal skimmer or a metal slotted spoon,
until puffed and golden brown, about 2 minutes per batch of rings; 1 minute per
batch of holes or scraps. Transfer the fried dough shapes to paper towel-lined
baking trays to drain. (Return the oil to 375°F between batches.) When the
doughnuts are drained and still hot, dip one side in the Maple Glaze to coat,
or roll the holes and “squigglies” in cinnamon sugar. Place them on cake racks
over baking trays.
You can eat these warm or store in paper bags for a day or
so after they are cool.
NOTE: You can even make these doughnuts without the 2nd rising
(after cutting) if you are in a hurry.
They won’t be quite as tender, but they will puff up quite nicely!
Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
VEGAN MOFO: VEGAN BAKED DOUGHNUTS, TWO WAYS
Do you like doughnuts? Silly question--who doesn't? I love them, but I rarely eat them from doughnut shops and bakeries because they are a.) fried, probably in questionable fat, and b.) usually not vegan. But, over the years, I have discovered two ways to make yummy vegan doughnuts without frying them.
It took quite a bit of experimenting because "veganizing" the baked doughnut recipes that I found did not seem to work, so I had to start from scratch. Below is what I have come up with, and the recipes are open to variation!
RECIPE #1:
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S BAKED MAPLE-SPICE CAKE DOUGHNUTS (Wheat-free? Possibly!)
Yield: 12 doughnuts
If you are lucky enough to have some of those black, nonstick baked doughnut pans (you need two pans for this recipe, or you can make 2 batches in succession), you are in for a treat! These are truly satisfying for doughnut cravings! WHEAT-FREE VERSION? I haven't tried this yet, but I think this recipe would work with my High-Fiber Gluten-Free Flour Mix in place of the pastry flour— see recipe here.
Liquid Mixture:
1 cup soymilk
1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
2/3 cup light unbleached sugar
2 Tbs oil
1 tsp vanilla
Dry Mixture:
2 cups cake or pastry flour (white or wholewheat, or a mixture)
1/4 cup soy or chickpea flour
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp freshly-ground nutmeg
Glaze and Topping
1 cup organic powdered (icing) sugar
1/4 cup real maple syrup (Grade B is good)
1 cup chopped roasted nuts of choice (walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts/filberts are excellent choices)
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Spray the pans (see photo of pans below recipe) with an oil pump-spray bottle and sprinkle each one with a little unbleached sugar (this makes the bottoms crispy).
Beat the liquid ingredients together in a medium bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients together in another smaller bowl, then add to the liquid ingredients and stir briefly, just to mix.
Divide the batter evenly between 2 nonstick doughnut pans and smooth it out evenly (use about 3 Tbs. batter per doughnut). Bake 15 minutes. Remove the doughnuts to a rack to cool.
Whisk together the sugar and maple syrup. Dip the doughnuts in the glaze, or spread it over the top of the doughnuts. Sprinkle the tops with chopped roasted nuts while the glaze is still wet.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per doughnut): 227.1 calories; 36% calories from fat; 9.6g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 184.0mg sodium; 172.3mg potassium; 33.5g carbohydrates; 3.6g fiber; 16.2g sugar; 4.5g protein; 4.6 points.
Nonstick doughnut pan
RECIPE #2:
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S VEGAN MINI DONUT MAKER DOUGHNUTS
Yield: 30 small doughnuts
I found one of those old Salton mini donut makers at a thrift store. It looks like a big white doughnut and has 6 nonstick doughnut-shaped depressions for the dough, with a lid with matching depressions that comes down over it. There are quite a few new models on the market now-- for example, here and here and another one.
Also look for these in thrift stores, at garage sale, or online auctions, etc.
Most of the recipes I found online contain not only eggs, but a fair amount of fat. I have been experimenting with vegan doughs and have found out that, contrary to the directions for this type of machine (other companies make similar ones), a pourable vegan batter does NOT work. You need a thicker batter. It's a bit more trouble spooning the batter into the bottom depressions than pouring it, but it works beautifully! This batter contains no added fat, but the doughnuts are tender and tasty.
Cooking Tips
Glaze these doughnuts with a plain glaze of organic powdered sugar and hot water (1/2 cup powdered sugar and start with 1 tbs. boiling water-- mix, adding more water as necessary, but in minute amounts, until a dipping consistency), or any favorite glaze. Then they can be dipped in colored sugar, etc., if you wish. OR use a chocolate icing. OR brush with melted Earth Balance and dip in cinnamon sugar.
WET MIX:
8 oz medium-firm tofu OR extra-firm SILKEN tofu
3/4 cup vegan sugar
1/2 cup water
1 Tbs vinegar or lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
DRY MIX:
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
6 Tbs corn flour (grind cornmeal in a coffee mill until fine, if necessary)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
VARIATIONS:
Spicier Version:
Use brown sugar, if you like. Use 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger, and 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg. Optional is 1/4 tsp. ground cloves or allspice.
Chocolate Version:
In the basic version, use 6 Tbs. organic cocoa instead of the corn flour. Omit spices and almond extract and use 1 Tbs. vanilla. You can use cold liquid coffee or coffee substitute instead of water
Instructions:
Plug in your donut maker. Spray the top and bottom depressions well with oil from a oil pump sprayer. Close the lid and let heat for about 10 minutes.
Blend the Wet Mix ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Whisk the Dry Mix ingredients well in a medium bowl. Add the wet mix and whisk in just until blended-- briefly, like a muffin batter.
When ready to cook, scoop out EXACTLY 1 level Tbs. of batter (use a measuring tablespoon, not a soup spoon) and use your finger to scoop it into one of the bottom depressions, evenly spreading it around the center. Repeat until all are filled. Immediately close the machine and set a timer for 4 minutes.
When 4 minutes is up, the cover should open easily and the doughnuts will be golden-brown. Use a wooden skewer to loosen and remove the doughnuts to a baking rack. Repeat until all of the batter is gone.
Glaze the doughnuts while still hot, setting them on a baking rack over a cookie sheet to let the glaze drip.
Nutrition Facts (analyzed without glaze)
Nutrition (per doughnut): 46.6 calories; 5% calories from fat; 0.3g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 57.7mg sodium; 54.5mg potassium; 10.1g carbohydrates; 0.8g fiber; 5.1g sugar; 1.4g protein; MyPoints 1.1
Enjoy!
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