English doughnuts: A simpler, lighter carnival delight
The carnival sweets season is gaining momentum every day. It will peak on Fat Thursday, which falls on February 27th this year. If you're looking for a recipe for lighter and quicker-to-make doughnuts, English recipes might be the way to go.
Carnival sweets are commonly fried in fat, with doughnuts being the most popular. We have previously discussed the Romanian approach to this treat. It's also worthwhile to learn how the English prepare them. Their method for this treat is straightforward.
Dough for traditional doughnuts
Traditional doughnuts, which we enjoy during carnival, are made from yeast dough. The essential ingredients are flour, eggs, butter, milk, sugar, and yeast. The preparation begins with dissolving the yeast in warm milk with added sugar to activate it.
Next the dough needs to be kneaded properly and set aside to rise. After that, you begin forming and filling the doughnuts, after which they must rise again. Only then are they fried in deep fat. At each stage, a mistake can undo all the previous efforts.
A simple way to make doughnuts
All this means that not everyone dares to make traditional homemade doughnuts. However, their taste is highly enticing, so more and more simplified recipes for this delicacy are appearing. The English don't exert much effort either. Their doughnuts are delicious yet easy to make, even for beginner bakers, thanks to there being no need to knead the yeast dough.
They resemble cheese rings
English doughnuts can somewhat resemble the well-known cheese rings. They are also based on dairy, but instead of cottage cheese, they use homogenised cheese. They are much more delicate, lighter, and do not require filling. Sprinkles and glazes are often used with them.
English doughnuts
Ingredients:
- 300 grams of homogenised cheese (you can also use vanilla),
- 3 eggs,
- 1 cup of plain flour,
- 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder,
- 1 pinch of salt,
- vanilla sugar to taste,
- zest of one lemon to taste.
Additionally:
- oil for frying,
- icing sugar for serving,
- cinnamon to taste (optional).
Preparation method:
- Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the cheese, and mix them with a whisk; there's no need to use a mixer.
- Then add the flour with baking powder, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Finally, add the lemon zest. Mix again to create a uniform dough.
- Drop teaspoons of the formed dough into the hot oil.
- Fry them for about 8 minutes; the doughnuts will turn over on their own.
- When they reach a golden colour, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on paper towels.
- Once they've cooled slightly, sprinkle them with icing sugar mixed with cinnamon.
