Chocolate dipped (raised) Donuts

Recipe No: 209
There are two types of Donuts, Cake Donuts which uses Baking Powder/ Soda as the leavening agent and raised Donuts, which uses Yeast as the leavening agent and I should say the latter is hard to make but taste better than the other (at least for me).
My son is a big fan of Donuts and every now and then he will ask me to make it. He like it with Chocolate glaze, I like it with Powdered Sugar and my husband like it without any coating. So when I make it at home, I usually make an assortment of these three varieties.

Ingredients                                                Makes 12-14 

To make the Donuts

• Milk………………………..1/3 cup
• Butter……………………..2 Tablespoons
• Sugar…………………..…1 ½ Tablespoons
• Warm Water…………..1/4 Cup
• Instant Yeast……….….1 ½ Teaspoons
• Egg…………………..……1 Large
• Salt……………………..…1/8 Teaspoon
• Bread Flour…………....1 ¾ - 2 Cups (Can be substituted with All Purpose Flour/ Maida)
• Oil for deep frying

To make the Chocolate topping

• Semisweet Chocolate chips…1 Cup
• Heavy Cream/ Milk………….1/4 Cup
• Instant Coffee Powder……...1/2 Teaspoon
• Vanilla Essence………………..1/2 Teaspoon
• Sprinkles to decorate

Method of Preparation
To make the Donuts

1. Heat Milk, Butter and Salt till they are warm and the Butter is melted thoroughly. Keep aside till it cools down.
2. Dissolve Yeast and Sugar in Warm Water and keep aside for 5 minutes till it becomes frothy.
3. Mix Yeast mixture, Milk mixture, Egg and 1 cup of Flour thoroughly in a stand mixture attached with a dough hook. Do it with a whisk if you don’t have a stand mixture.
4. Add the rest of the Flour till you get a moist, sticky yet manageable dough.
5. Knead it for 5 minutes in a stand mixer on speed 2 or 8-10 minutes by hand or till it becomes elastic.
6. Keep the dough in a big container covered with a wet cloth and let it rise in a warm place till doubles in volume.

7. Once doubled in volume, punch it down and roll it till it is ½ inch thick.
8. Cut out Donuts using a Donut cutter and place in a lightly oiled tray; cover with a damp cloth and let it rise again for 20-30 minutes.
9. Heat at least 2 inches of Oil in a pan on medium high heat and deep fry the Donuts till golden brown on both sides.
10. Roll it in powdered Sugar (Add Cinnamon Powder if you like) while still hot or let it cool down for a Chocolate coating.

To make the Chocolate coating

1. Combine Chocolate chips, Heavy Cream, Coffee Powder and Vanilla Essence; heat it on a double boiler. (Heat the bowl with Chocolate on another pot with simmering Water without its bottom touching the Water)
2. Once melted and combined thoroughly, mix it for a minute or till it becomes shiny.

To assemble the Donuts

1. Dip the cooled Donuts in the Chocolate; allow the extra Chocolate to fall back; put sprinkles on top and serve.

Notes:

• The Water in which the Yeast is dissolved shouldn’t be very hot or it will kill the Yeast.
• If the Yeast mixture is not frothy after 5 minutes either you have killed the Yeast or it is old. In both cases start over again.
• Don’t make the dough too stiff or the donuts will become very dry.
• Bread Flour and All Purpose Flour (which is same as that of Maida) are different. Bread Flour contains a higher amount protein that will in turn develop a higher amount of Gluten while kneading. This Gluten is responsible for the elasticity. Thus Bread flour will make soft raised Donuts than All Purpose Flour. But you can substitute one with the other using the same measurements, even though, the results may vary slightly. Bread Flour is available near the All Purpose Flour in most of the grocery stores.
• Heating milk and then cooling it seems like a step that can be avoided, but it is very crucial in determining the texture. So please don't avoid that step.  
• Kneading is very important as it makes the Donuts soft. (I still remember the first time I made this... it was ridiculously hard!!!)
• Don't use too much Flour to make the dough. Even though the dough is sticky if you can manage it, then don't use more Flour. That will make the Donuts hard and dry.
• The doubling time for the dough will depend on the power of the Yeast and the temperature of the surroundings. So please wait till the dough doubles in your cooking conditions.
• Instead of Donut cutter, you can use one glass and one bottle cap to make Donut rings.
• You can gather all the scrap dough; knead it and let it sit for 10 minutes before rolling it again to make Donuts. 
• You can make the Chocolate topping in the Microwave, but stop and mix every 30 seconds.
• The Coffee and Vanilla in the Chocolate won't be tasted separately, but it will make the Chocolate more chocolaty.
• Be very careful when you melt the Chocolate. If you apply strong heat, then instead of melting, it will attain a hard texture which is irreversible and is called scorching. So make sure that the Water is only simmering (not boiling) when you double boil.
• If you are not planning to coat all of the Donuts with Chocolate, then please  half the recipe.

 



 Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…