Salted Doughnuts

Prep Time: 0:15
Cook Time: 0:15
Makes: 12

Ingredients / Shopping List

250g flour
1 tsp flour
10g sugar
7g instant yeast or 15g fresh yeast
100ml milk
1 large egg
40g softened butter
Filling:  50g Feta cheese cubed
Glaze coating: Melted butter
Sprinkle: Cornish sea salt
 

Prep to Cook: Remember the dough needs to prove so this recipe takes longer than is appears.  Allow 20 minutes rise time.

Mixing bowl, wooden spoon, measuring jug, teaspoon, baking tray, pastry brush, plate

Prep:

1. Sieve flour, salt and sugar into a mixing bowl, add instant yeast

2. Crumble fresh yeast into milk and together with the egg 

3. Combine  all the ingredients to form a dough incorporating the softened butter.
 
4. Knead lightly.
 
5. Place dough in the bowl and leave to rise
 
( Stage 1:  Option dough could be frozen at this stage)
 
Thaw and rise dough in the fridge. 
 
6.  Knead and divide into 12
 
7.  Flatten the dough and place a cube of cheese centrally
 
8.  Carefully wrap the dough round and pinch the edges. 
 
9.  Check the seal of each doughnut
 
10. Allow to rise until wobbly
 
Cooking Options
Deep fry
Heat the oil in the deep-fat fryer with thermostatic control.
Lower the basket with 3 doughnuts and cook until golden  (3 minutes)
Turn the doughnut and cook the other half.
Remove from oil with slotted spoon onto parchment paper
OR  
Bake
Brush the risen doughnuts with melted butter
Bake in a hot oven 210°C or Gas Mark 7 for 12 - 15 minutes
 
11. Remove and sprinkle with sea salt.
 
12. Leave to cool. 
 
Check it out!

This enriched dough includes egg and the filling is Feta cheese.  You can choose to bake them or deep fry.  

They make a nutritious lunchbox or picnic snack.

Recipe Science

Cooks Know How:

Doughnuts imply deep frying as a method of cooking. I think they are just as nice baked.  Try both ways!
The dough is enriched with an egg and butter which makes it soft and tender when cooked.  The idea is not to work the dough too much.  Mix up the dough and keep it a soft texture.  The yeast will work on the tiny amount of sugar and begin to produce gas making the dough puffy.   This is a good sign that carbon di-oxide is raising the dough.  Divide the dough into portions the size you want, remembering they will double in size when they rise.  Add the cube of Feta cheese or other ingredient of your choice and wrap the dough round, pinching the join to ensure a good seal.  Place with the smooth size of the roll uppermost and leave on parchment paper on a baking tray to rise.  A warm kitchen is usually enough to make the doughnuts prove.
When they are wobbly to touch, a sign that the gas is trapped in the dough you need to cook them quickly either by deep frying or baking.  In either case the dough will cook so that the gluten in the flour sets.  The outer crust will turn golden, more so in the case of deep frying because of the hot fat.  Turn the doughnuts as they cook if you deep fry so that the browning is even all over.
If you bake them, use a hot oven and once they are firm and golden bring them out and brush quickly with melted butter. You can pop then back in the oven to brown a little more.  Sprinkle the cooked doughnuts with sea salt or seeds immediately they are cooked and whilst they are hot.  Cool on wire racks.