La Buona Cucina: Jelly Filled Doughnuts

These doughnuts are made from my Master Yeast Roll Recipe and are easier than you might think especially if you make the dough the day before and have it ready and waiting in the fridge the next morning. Alright I lie, it's not easy........but it is do-able! These doughnuts are light as a feather unlike those heavy cakey doughnuts you get at coffee shops or the grocery store. I started making these doughnuts for my family when my youngest child had food allergies and couldn't have anything made with corn syrup or bleached flour or sugar. We missed going out for doughnuts on Saturday mornings as a family so I decided to start making them myself. I found an Amish recipe and played around with it using my own yeast roll recipe and this is what I came up with. There is nothing like a still-hot-from-the-fryer doughnut and if you make these for your family you will surely be raised to *Rock Star* status in an instant!
Ingredients
Choose 1 of the below dough options:

1)Frozen/Defrosted White Bread or Roll Dough (2 loaves)
2)White Bread Dough From A Bakery (2 loaves)
3)Your Own Favorite White Bread or Roll Dough Recipe (2 loaves)

4) My Master Yeast Roll Recipe
4 - 4 1/4 cups all purpose flour (start with 4 cups adding in the rest if a ball does not form after 1 minute)
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 large egg beaten
1 1/4 cup warm milk (I microwave it for a few seconds )

Other Ingredients
Raspberry Jam small jar (I use Polaner all fruit jam)
canola oil for frying
1 egg beaten with a splash of water (egg wash for sealing)
Tools
parchment paper
Fry Daddy OR cast iron pot OR a deep, very heavy skillet with a 2 inch head space
small pastry brush or paint brush (I use an eye make up brush I got just for this purpose!)

Directions
Mix all your dry ingredients in a Processor or Stand Mixer and then add the wet in a steady stream. I do this by mixing the milk, butter, and egg all together into one measuring cup.
Once a loose ball forms knead for 1 minute in a Processor or 10 minutes in a Stand Mixer.

Or by hand: In a large bowl mix dry (except yeast), make a well in center, add yeast and then pour all the liquid into well and mix together. Once a ball forms put on counter and knead for 15 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Place the dough ball into an oiled bowl and cover with platsic allowing this to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size, a warm place helps.

At this point, after it has risen, you can press the dough down, leaving the plastic on, and place in the fridge over night. The next morning just place on the counter until it has warmed back up to room temp.

On a lightly floured counter roll out the dough to large circle: enough to cut out atleast thirty 3 inch circles.
Using a 3 inch circle cutter or glass (I used a wine glass) cut out as many circles you can, just noting that you need 2 per doughnut. I needed to re-roll the scraps a few times in order to get enough circles. In the end I got 34-36 total and an expert roller could probably have gotten more but 30 will do.
Place these half of these circles on a parchment sheet on the counter.
Brush each circle all along the edges with the egg wash. I do 5 at a time so the egg wash won't dry out.
Add exactly 1 teaspoon of jam (I use a measuring spoon) in the center of each circle.
Add the top circle and lightly press to let air out and then press the edges to seal.
Repeat until all circles are complete. Cover with a towel and rest until risen, 30 minutes.
Pout oil into pot and heat up to 375. When adding oil to the cold pan, leave a headspace, or space at the top of the pan, of at least two inches. This allows a safety margin when the oil bubbles up as the food is added.
Fry 3 at a time or how many fit without over crowding.
Drain on paper towels. Dust with powdered sugar immediately.
These are best eaten right away but are still good later on.

~Doughnut Pictorial~