Recipe: New Year’s Champagne Donuts

New Year’s Champagne Donuts
From the new cookbook, 150 Best Donut Recipes by George Geary

Makes 12 Donuts

You’ll Need:

• Stand mixer with paddle attachment
• 3-inch (7.5 cm) round donut cutter
• Baking sheet, lined with parchment paper
• Digital candy/deep-fry thermometer

Ingredients:

• ½ cup plus 1 TBSP whole milk, warmed to 110F
• 1 package (1/4 oz) quick-rising (instant) yeast
• 1/4 cup dry champagne
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 TBSP unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 TBSP granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• Canola oil

Directions:

1. In a mixer bowl, sprinkle yeast with milk and stir with a fork. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Attach bowl to mixer with fitted paddle attachment and add champagne, egg whites, butter, vanilla, 1 cup of the flour, sugar and salt to the yeast mixture. Let stand in bowl for 10 minutes. On low speed, mix until just blended, then add just enough of the remaining flour until dough starts to pull away from the sides of bowl. Increase speed to medium and beat for 1 minute.
3. Transfer dough to a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
4. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Roll out dough to slightly thicker than ¼ inch. If dough is tacky, dust with additional flour. Cut dough with cutter into 12 doughnuts, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Place at least 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a large, deep pot or deep fryer, heat about 4 inches oil over medium heat until temperature registers 360F. Deep-fry 4 donuts at a time in hot oil, turning once with wooden chopsticks, until golden brown, about 15 seconds per side. Using a slotted spatula, transfer to paper towels to absorb excess oil. Fry remaining donuts, adjusting heat as necessary between batches to maintain oil temperature.
6. Let donuts cool completely prior to icing.

Ice with Honey Glaze or Simple Sugar Glaze.

*Recipe courtesy of Robert Rose, Inc.