delightful doughnuts

ok, so this doesn't really look like your typical doughnut. granted, it is a little black...well, lets just say i learned a thing or two about making doughnuts. obviously, you need to make sure the temperature of the oil is just right or you will get perfectly black balls of crust, like i did here; instead of getting gloriously golden and beautiful doughnuts (which you WILL SEE later, after a while of playing with the temperature i got it to the perfect temperature to make my balls of dough golden and BEAUTIFUL). well, the story of these babies is pretty simple, i was surfing the net for some new recipes to try out. my aunt had sent me a recipe for "peanutella" a while back. i know, i know, you may be asking yourself "what the heck is peanutella?" well, i will tell you^_~ peanutella is a wonderful concoction of peanuts ground up with cocoa powder to make a spread similar to nutella. i have to say i don't know why someone didn't come up with this sooner because i personally loooooove peanut butter and chocolate, the perfect mixture of flavors. ok, totally went off in a tangent...as i was saying, i was surfing the net for new recipes and i landed upon Smitten Kitchen and Tartelette. both equally amazing blogs and both used as inspiration for my dive into the world of doughnuts.

Peanutella (Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen):

2 cups shelled and skinned raw peanuts *I bought peanuts that were already shelled, skinned, AND roasted; saved me loads of time from having to roast my own nuts^_~*
1/2 cup of your darkest, richest unsweetened cocoa powder *I used Ghiradelli...YUM*
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt plus additional to taste (I used an extra 1/8 teaspoon)
3 tablespoons peanut oil

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the peanuts evenly over a cookie sheet and roast until they darken, about 10 minutes, rattling them around a bit halfway through to they toast evenly. (If you, like me, were unable to find raw peanuts, just toast them for a 5 minutes to deepen their flavor.)

Transfer the peanuts to a food processor and grind them for about 5 minutes. First they’ll become a paste and will cause any toddler in your midst to have a meltdown from the ruckus. Then they’ll become more of a paste and finally, they’ll liquefy. Scrape down the sides as needed.

Add the cocoa, sugar, salt and two tablespoons of the oil to the food processor and continue to process until well blended, about 1 minute. Add more salt if needed. Add the last tablespoon of oil if the consistency seems too thick.

Store in refrigerator up to a week in a covered container. When it is full chilled, like peanut butter, it will become thick and swipe with a teaspoon will leave a telltale impression. Look, I’m just warning you, okay?

Basic Raised Dough (Courtesy of Tartelette):

3 tablespoons (22grams) active dry yeast, divided
1 cup of whole milk, heated to 110ºF, divided
2 to 2 1/2 cups bread flour, divided
2 tablespoons (30 grams) superfine sugar *I used honey instead, it worked just as well*
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 egg yolks
½ stick (4 tablespoons / 2 oz) unsalted butter or vegetable shortening
vegetable oil for frying

In a medium bowl, dissolve 2 tablespoons of the yeast into ¾ cup of the milk. Add ¾ cup of flour and stir to create a smooth paste. Cover and let rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

Combine the remaining milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the rested flour mixture along with the sugar, salt, vanilla, and egg yolks. Mix until smooth. Turn off the mixer and add ½ cup of the remaining flour. Mix on low for about 30 seconds. Add the butter and mix until it becomes incorporated, about 30 seconds. Switch to a dough hook and add more flour, about ¼ cup at a time with the mixer turned off, kneading the dough at medium speed between additions, until the dough pulls completely away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth and not too sticky. It will be very soft and moist, but not so sticky that you can’t roll it out. You may have flour left over. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (and up to 12 hours).

Line a baking sheet with a lightly floured non-terry dish towel *I just used plain old parchment paper*. Roll out the dough on a slightly floured surface to ½ inch thick. With a doughnut or cookie cutter (can use a glass, too) cut out 3-inch-diameter rounds with 1-inch-diameter holes (for filled doughnuts, don’t cut out the holes).

Place the doughnuts on the baking sheet at least 1 inch apart and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm spot to proof until they almost double in size, 5 to 20 minutes, testing at five-minute intervals. To test whether the dough is ready, touch lightly with a fingertip. If it springs back immediately, it needs more time. If it springs back slowly, it is ready. If it does not spring back at all, it has overproofed; no worries- you can punch it down and re-roll it once.

While the doughnuts are proofing, heat a heavy-bottomed pot with at least 2 inches of oil until a thermometer registers 360F. With a metal spatula, carefully place the doughnuts in the oil. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on a wire rack over a paper towel, and let cool before glazing.

my lovely dough all ready to be molded...

spoon full plus extra of the peanutella...

place the smaller circle on top the larger with the filling, a little bit of milk and pinch...

voila! your doughnut, ready to be cut one last time...

PERFECT! now, let them rise one more time for 20 minutes in a warm place...

testing with some strawberry guava jelly!!

puffed and ready for their oil bath...

make sure your oil is the right temperature!! we don't want black balls!!

so golden^_^

after i took the temperature down they came out beautifully!! and i just had to dust them with some powdered sugar...

eat these hot! i love hot doughnuts!! they are so delicious and i melty...the way the peanutella and the soft dough mix...mmmm...completely swaying. i hope you enjoy these yummy treats for any day of the week!!^_^