Photo by Tim Pierce
These doughnuts play on the classic flavor combo of chocolate and orange but you can swap out the orange flavoring for whatever strikes your fancy, extract or liqueur-wise.
Doughnuts
9 ounces milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 packet yeast
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 eggs
4 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon orange water, or orange liqueur
Glaze
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup warm milk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon orange extract
2 cups powdered sugar
4 ounces chocolate, chopped
In a large mixing bowl combine half of the flour with the yeast.
In a saucepan heat milk, sugar, butter and salt until butter melts.
Stir milk mixture into the flour/yeast mixture and add the eggs.
Beat with a heavy-duty electric mixer on low for 30 seconds, just to combine. Increase speed to high and beat 3 minutes.
Add the remaining flour, a little at a time, until you have a firm dough.
Knead dough on lightly-floured work surface for about 5 minutes until it is smooth and pliable.
Place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let dough rise until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
Flip the dough out back onto the floured surface, punch down and roll out to about 1 /2- inch thickness.
Cut out doughnuts with a floured doughnut cutter, a circular cookie cutter, a biscuit cutter or a glass — anything round and doughnut sized will do.
Gather up any leftover bits and centers and roll trimmings and cut them into more doughnuts too. More doughnuts, more better.
Transfer doughnuts to baking sheet, cover and let rise again for about another hour. You will know when they are ready.
Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 360 degrees F. Fry doughnuts, in batches until golden all over.
Use a slotted spoon to remove doughnuts from the oil and place on a rack to drain — don't let drain on paper towels. While that works for many fried foods, doughnuts will stick. Paper towel flavored doughnuts, not good.
Let doughnuts cool and then dip into glaze.
Glaze:
Combine butter, milk, corn syrup, and orange extract in medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until butter is melted.
Decrease the heat to low, add the chocolate, and whisk until melted.
Remove pan from heat, add the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth.
Dip the doughnuts right away.
Allow glaze to set for 30 minutes before moving or serving.