How about these Nutella filled gingerbread man shaped doughnuts (thats a mouthful, right?) may just be the best thing to make and share this holiday season.
They may take a. little bit of time to make but boy, are they worth it. It’s only simply ingredients and time… While you may not have all the time in world, don’t worry. This is one of those recipes you can ,make and leave, as long as you check on it now and again.
Let me tell you that home-made doughnuts are always better than the store bought version you can get, honestly. It may seem like a time consuming challenge but once you’ve made them, you’ll realise how much you can get done while they’re proving and how customisable they are when it comes to the filling and decoration.
I have been making doughnuts at home ever since I made them for the first time at college back in 2013… I realise thats ages ago but it still feels so recent.
Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?
Ingredients:
Dough:
450g Strong white bread flour (not plain flour).
1 tsp Salt.
7g Dried yeast.
60g Butter.
1 Egg.
60g Granulated sugar.
150ml Milk, slightly warmed.
100ml Water, slightly warmed.
Filling and coating:
Nutella, in a piping bag.
Sugar, to coat the doughnuts.
Ferrero Rocher, to top the Nutella filling – optional.
Method:
Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Start by weighing up all of your ingredients, getting any equipment you may need, such a stand mixer and spatula as well as finding a warm space.
To start on the doughnuts, you’ll want to get yourself a mixing bowl (I’m using my stand mixer, but you can use whatever you’d like to). Into the bowl, you’ll want to place the flour and salt, then give it all a good mix until its incorporated.
After that you can add the remailing ingredients, which are; dried yeast, butter, egg, granulated sugar, milk and water, then give it a good mix on a low speed. Once a dough starts to form, you’ll notice the dough is quite soft and may be a little sticky to the touch (this is okay, it’s an enriched dough).
Briefly knead the dough on a floured surface until its smooth and elasticated (this is a good sign that the gluten is developing correctly).
Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, I used vegetable oil but you can use any flavourless oil you have. Cover the bowl with cling film and allow to sit for around an hour or until its doubled in size (this is the first proof, allowing the yeast to do its thing and for the gluten to relax).
Once the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl and knock it back on a lightly floured surface. The process of knocking the dough back is where you remove the gases that have built up in the dough while it was proving the first time around.
Roll out your dough, using a rolling pin. Ensure the dough is still around 1-2cm thick – remember that they will proof up, so leave some space around each doughnut. Cut the gingerbread men out using a cookie cutter, I found the medium one from a set of three works best.
Cut out as many from your first roll, then roll once more but don’t do it more than twice. Discard any remaining dough (There shouldn’t be much, if any). Place each cut out onto a piece of parchment paper and place onto a baking tray, place as many as you can (with space to increase in volume). Cover loosely with clingfilm and leave somewhere warm to prove for a second time – allowing them to prove up well, not quite double in size. You’ll know when they’re ready, as when they’re gently pressed, the dough springs back.
While you wait for the doughnut to proof, preheat your oil to 180˚c/350˚f. I recommend using a thermometer to ensure that the oil temperature is correct.
Once the doughnuts have proved and are ready, take two doughnuts and place them into the oil and fry off for around 60 seconds each side or until they are golden brown and baked through. Once removed from the fryer, place on kitchen roll to absorb some of the excess oil.
Allow them to cool a little, then use a skewer or something similar, then fill toss them in sugar until coated and generously fill with Nutella.
Then you’re good to go – I recommend eating these within 24 hours of making them, otherwise they’ll go stale and they’re not enjoyable that way.
That’s all for today guys, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, don’t forget to share this recipe with your family and friends and enjoy it. I’ll be back soon with another blog post and YouTube video, so join me then. In the meanwhile, don’t forget to check out my other social’s – Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. The YouTube tutorial will be linked down below.
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