I can remember walking in the kitchen at my dad’s restaurant when Irma was frying up fresh doughnuts. I certainly ate enough of them to testify that they were to die for. Totally amazing that I did not gain a ton of weight just sniffing them. I can still remember the smell.
So here is my next best favorite thing…Brioche Donuts with Chocolate Ganache. Sorry – it’s the weekend. Weekend cheat. Remember?
I’ve looked at a lot of recipes. These just look dangerous. I like dangerous so read on.
Bon Appetit!
Brioche
4 cups all-purpose flour, and more if you need it
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsps. instant yeast
8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks, and some to grease your pans
3 eggs and 1 egg yolk
1/2 cup milk, plus 2 tbsps.
1/3 cup water, plus more if necessary
Ganache:
10 oz 64% chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a food processor and blend for 5 seconds. Add the cold butter chunks and the three whole eggs and process for ten seconds.
With your food processor running, pour the 1/2 cup milk and the 1/3 cup water through the feed tube. Make sure you don’t drizzle because you want the dough to be wet enough to spin, not clunk around your food processor. Process for about 30 seconds.
The dough should be batter-like. If it’s too dry, slowly add additional water, 1 tbsp. at a time. It’s also ok if your butter doesn’t completely blend. I actually like have little tiny chunks of butter in the dough because when it bakes, you get these beautiful, tender little pockets dispersed throughout the loaf.
Grease a large bowl with butter and scrape your dough into it. Cover and let rise until at least doubled in size, about 2 to 3 hours. Deflate the dough and use just enough flour to handle the dough. Divide the dough into two lumps and shape them into rectangles. Place each loaf into a buttered loaf pan, cover, and let rise for another hour.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough approximately a half-inch thick. Cut doughnuts with a cookie cutter and cut hole in the middle of each doughnut using a smaller cookie cutter. Or you could cut them out using a glass and then cut out the center with an apple corer, which is what I did. Set aside to rise in a warm, draft-free space until they’ve risen and are slightly puffy, about 30 minutes.
While doughnuts are rising, make ganache. Roughly chop chocolate and place in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside. In a small sauce pot, bring heavy cream to a boil. Pour over the chopped chocolate, coating entirely. Let sit one minute, then whisk cream and chocolate together to form a smooth, shiny ganache.
Attach a deep-fry thermometer to a heavy pot, and heat about three inches of canola frying oil to 350 degrees. Fry the doughnuts two or three at a time, about one minute per side, until golden brown. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels and toss in granulated sugar to coat while still warm. Serve warm with a small bowl of chocolate ganache for dipping.
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