Piece of life
Nothing is so delicious as a good donut (beigne). In France, they are served more specifically during the Mardi Gras and Carnival festivities, but in North America they are part of our daily candies.
When I arrived in Quebec, it was at Tim Hortons that I tasted my first donut (of course), but there are more interesting options that I discovered over the years. Rémy Couture‘s donuts are some of them. I discovered them on the Olympic Park Esplanade during the food truck festival. And when talking about Remy Couture’s donuts, we are talking about greediness at its pure state. So, for all the greeds like me, you should know that his first book has just been published and the donuts recipe is in details! To learn more about his book, I will tell you about it here.
About the donuts
The recipe I tried is the basic one. The donuts can be further customized: sugar-coated (sugar/cinnamon for me), coated with different glazes or stuffed with cream, jam or other fillings as desired.
The recipe is simple: basic ingredients to be mixed in order to get dough and some rest period to let the yeast do its effect. It is easier to prepare the dough in a food processor using the dough hook (it is always easier to knead)but you can also make it by hand.
Next step, you just need to shape the dough. The classic shape is a ring. You will need 2 molds of different sizes to do it. Cutters, small pie molds, bowls or even glasses will do the job. Cut the dough with the larger mold, then, use the second one to make a small hole at the center.
Save the scraps and roll out the dough again to make more donuts. Finally, save the dough “holes” and fry them with the donuts. If you want to stuff the donuts, do not make the central holes.
The donuts are ready to be fried.
Do not forget to strain them out on paper towels after frying. If you want to add a glaze or filling, wait until the donuts are cooled down.
Rémy Couture’s Donuts (Crémy)
Ingredients
- 600 g flour
- 300 ml warm milk
- 50 g sugar
- 150 g butter
- 15 g fresh yeast
- 8 g salt
- vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Warm the milk. Dilute the yeast in it.
- In the bowl of a mixer equipped with a dough hook, pour the milk/yeast mixture and the egg. Add the sugar, the butter, the flour and the salt. Knead at slow speed during 10 minutes.
- Cover the bowl with a clean cloth or a plastic film and keep it aside in a warm place for about 2 hours.
- Roll out the dough to 2.5 cm height. Cut out circles about 10 cm in diameter, then, cut a hole at the center with a smaller mold [save the holes for frying with the donuts. If you want to stuff the donuts, do not make the central holes].
- Heat the oil in a fryer or a pan to 185°C (360°F). Dip the donuts in the oil and fry them for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
- Place the donuts over the paper towels to remove the oil excess. Wait until they are cold before adding a glaze or stuffing them.
