Easy English doughnuts: A lighter carnival indulgence
The carnival sweets season is gaining momentum every day. It will peak on Fat Thursday, which falls on February 27th this year. If you're looking for a recipe for lighter and quicker-to-make doughnuts, English recipes might be the way to go.
Carnival sweets are united by their fat-fried nature. The most popular among them are doughnuts. We have written about the Romanian approach to this treat, but it's also worth knowing how the English prepare them. Their method is straightforward.
Dough for traditional doughnuts
Traditional doughnuts, which we enjoy during carnival, are made from yeast dough. Their essential ingredients are flour, eggs, butter, milk, sugar, and yeast. The preparation begins with dissolving the yeast in warm milk with added sugar to activate it.
The dough needs to be adequately kneaded and set aside to rise. Then, you form and fill the doughnuts, allowing them to rise again. Only then are they fried in deep fat. At each stage, a mistake can be made that will undo all the previous work.
A simple way to make doughnuts
This means that not everyone dares to make traditional homemade doughnuts. However, their taste is hugely tempting, so more and more simplified recipes for this delicacy are appearing. The English also require little effort. Their doughnuts are delicious but very easy, even for beginner bakers. This simplicity is due to the fact that there's no need to knead the yeast dough.
They resemble cheese rings
English doughnuts resemble the well-known cheese rings. They are also based on dairy, but not cottage cheese, but homogenized cheese. They are much more delicate and lighter and do not require filling. Sprinkles and glazes are often used with them.
English doughnuts
Ingredients:
- 320 grams of homogenized cheese (you can also use vanilla),
- 3 eggs,
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour,
- 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder,
- 1 pinch of salt,
- vanilla sugar to taste,
- zest of one lemon to taste.
Additionally:
- oil for frying,
- powdered sugar for serving,
- cinnamon to taste (optional).
Preparation method:
- Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the cheese, and whisk them together; a mixer is not needed.
- Add the flour, baking powder, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Finally, add the lemon zest. Mix again to create a uniform dough.
- Drop teaspoons of the formed dough into the hot oil.
- Fry them for about 8 minutes; the doughnuts will turn over independently.
- Remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on paper towels when they reach a golden colour.
- Once they've cooled slightly, sprinkle them with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
