103. Glazed doughnuts (American recipe like at Dunkin' Donuts)

I've already complained about the lack of a McDonald's in Izhevsk while giving you the recipe for puff-pastry cherry pies. Now it's time to complain about the lack of a Starbucks in Izhevsk and give you a recipe for glazed doughnuts, which, judging by American films, are the daily food of every European cop, the Simpson family and ordinary office clerks.

If you'd also like to know how to make those Dunkin' Donuts doughnuts, with an airy but unsweetened dough and all kinds of glaze, welcome under the cut.

Cooking time ≈ 2 hours.

Ingredients (for 15):

• 0.5 glass of icing sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (vanilla or vanilla sugar will do — I used vanilla sugar)
• 0.5 glass of milk
• 50 g butter
• 2 glasses of flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg

For the chocolate glaze:

• 100 g chocolate
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp butter
• 100 g icing sugar

For the apple* glaze:

• 200 g icing sugar
• 3 tbsp apple juice
• 1–2 tbsp hot water

* — replacing the apple juice with any other juice gives you different glazes. Food colouring can be added if you like.

For decoration you can use various creams and glazes, desiccated coconut, coloured sprinkles and so on, and to give the doughnuts the right shape you can use:

• for the outer circle — a cut-down bottle about 10 cm across, for example
• for the inner one — a bottle cap.

First heat the oven to 200°C. While it heats, rub the vanilla sugar and the egg together in a bowl.

Add the icing sugar and the melted butter, mix thoroughly.

Stir in the milk and gradually add the flour mixed with the baking powder.

The dough should be quite thick and stretchy. Cover it with cling film and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Take the dough out and knead until it's smooth and elastic (add flour if you like). Roll it out to a sheet ≈ 1 cm thick and cut out the doughnuts.

Lay the future dunkin donuts on a baking tray lined with baking parchment.

Put in the oven for 15–20 minutes. The doughnuts should roughly double in size and brown.

While they cool to room temperature, make the glaze. Break the chocolate into pieces, add a little hot water and heat until the chocolate melts. Then add the softened butter and the icing sugar and rub into a smooth glaze.

Make the apple glaze in a similar way. Rub the icing sugar, mix it with the apple juice and hot water. Work it with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and glossy.

Put the glaze into a wide bowl, dip the doughnuts in it, lay them on a plate and sprinkle with desiccated coconut or edible confetti. Since the doughnuts were baked rather than fried, they're a little like biscuits, only much tastier ;). If you want a perfect match for the Dunkin' Donuts taste, just fry doughnuts made from the same dough in hot vegetable oil.

Bon appétit!