Peanut butter doughnuts

Peanut butter doughnuts are the trendiest doughnuts of the season ;). Soft, fluffy doughnuts filled with a creamy peanut butter filling. After frying, they’re coated in sugar, drizzled with chocolate and sprinkled with salted peanuts. Absolutely delicious!

Makes about 12.

Ingredients for the dough:

• 450 g strong white bread flour (+ 20 g for dusting)
• 180 ml milk
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 egg yolk
• 60 g butter, melted
• 60 g sugar
• 20 g fresh yeast or 10 g dried yeast
• 1 tablespoon Amaretto, vodka or vanilla extract

Additionally:

• caster sugar, for coating
• peanut butter cream (see below)
• oil for frying (rapeseed, coconut oil or lard)
• salted peanuts, finely chopped

Sift the flour and mix with the dried yeast (if using fresh yeast, prepare a starter first). Add the remaining ingredients and knead the dough, adding the melted butter towards the end. Knead for several minutes until smooth and soft (the dough may be slightly sticky – avoid adding extra flour if possible; using a stand mixer with a dough hook is recommended). Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl, cover and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size (about 1½ hours).

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead briefly. Divide into portions: about 50 g for smaller doughnuts or 70 g for larger ones. Shape into balls and place on a floured surface or cloth. Cover and leave to rise again until doubled (about 25 – 40 minutes, depending on room temperature).

Fry in deep oil at 175°C until golden brown on both sides. The oil should not be too hot, or the doughnuts will brown too quickly on the outside while remaining raw inside. Drain on kitchen paper, then while still warm, roll in caster sugar. Leave to cool.

Transfer the peanut butter cream into a piping bag fitted with a filling nozzle and fill the doughnuts. Decorate with chocolate drizzle and sprinkle with chopped salted peanuts.

Ingredients for the peanut butter cream:

• 125 g peanut butter
• 125 g mascarpone, chilled
• 100 ml double cream, chilled
• 80 g icing sugar
• 1½ tablespoons Amaretto

Beat the peanut butter and mascarpone until smooth. Add the icing sugar and Amaretto, mix briefly. Add the cream and whip until thick and smooth. Use immediately.

Ingredients for the chocolate drizzle:

• 30 g dark chocolate
• 30 ml double cream

Melt together over a bain-marie, stir until smooth, then transfer to a piping bag and snip off the tip.

Note: That characteristic light “ring” around the doughnut forms when the dough is perfectly proofed – airy, fluffy and light. It floats easily on the oil. Covering the pan has nothing to do with it – those are just myths. The oil simply needs to be deep enough for the doughnuts to float freely.

Method for bread machine users:

Place all the yeast dough ingredients into the bread machine in the following order: liquid ingredients first, then dry ingredients, and finally the yeast. Select the ‘dough’ programme (kneading and first rise). Once the programme has finished, remove the dough, knead it lightly, and continue according to the main recipe above.

Enjoy!