Secrets to perfect doughnuts: Mastering grandma's techniques
My grandmother's doughnuts were always crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Although they were always fried in lard, they never felt greasy, and Grandma knew how to avoid that.
Doughnuts are quite a challenge for amateur home bakers. We don't attempt them often now, but they are essential on Fat Thursday. Our grandmothers were masters of these yeast delicacies and would fry them not only during Carnival. It's still worth following their tips today.
Homemade doughnuts are a challenge
Yeast-based, classic doughnuts are an extremely demanding bake. Every detail counts: the right proportions of ingredients, kneading the dough which needs to rise, and even skilful frying.
Traditionally, doughnuts are fried in deep fat. Whether it's lard or oil, the key is for the doughnuts not to absorb too much of it. Otherwise, they become heavy, lose their delicacy, and become greasy.
What to add to doughnut dough to prevent it from absorbing fat?
One well-known way to prevent doughnuts from "drinking" too much fat is to add a little alcohol — vodka or spirit to the dough. Alcohol affects proteins by speeding up the coagulation process. This makes the dough more compact and less porous, preventing fat from quickly reaching inside the doughnut.
The alcohol does its job and evaporates during the frying process. Adding vinegar to the dough offers a similar effect. It changes the gluten structure in the dough, making doughnuts fluffier and absorbing less fat.
What to use in the dough instead of alcohol?
My grandmother knew the tricks with alcohol and vinegar, but she didn't always use them. She also used potato starch for the doughnuts. It thickens dough, making it more cohesive and allowing it to absorb less fat.
Starch also absorbs moisture well, which affects the proper structure of the dough. When it's not too moist, much less fat penetrates it during frying. Four tablespoons of potato starch are enough to add to every kilogram of wheat flour.
