So the final course of Boy’s birthday dinner was the lychee coconut sorbet and GREEN TEA DOUGHNUTS!
I was really excited to try making doughnuts for the first time. They’ve been on my “to try” list for awhile and so when the October DB challenge came out I was overjoyed. To make it fit into my Asian-themed dinner, however, I made a few adaptations to the original recipe and added some green tea to the mix. I also chose to add a green tea glaze to the doughnut holes as an experiment. They came out a bit ugly but the glaze definitely added some extra green tea flavor so I highly recommend it!
I originally tried to make the yeast doughnuts but, alas, they did not rise very well for some reason (the yeast was not cooperating that day!) so very last minute I made the cake doughnuts instead. They were much easier, didn’t require a rising time, and were done start to finish within an hour which made my day a lot better. In the time it took to heat up the oil I had the doughnuts all set and ready to go! Definitely a plus for a recipe. If you’re afraid of making doughnuts, these cake doughnuts are a breeze. And if you’re afraid of the oil, I’m pretty sure you can bake them as well but these are NOT oily by any means. At the perfect temperature of oil, the oil doesn’t actually soak into the doughnuts so you don’t feel like a total fattie by eating more than one (or two.. or five).
Boy said I should sell these they were THAT good. And then he wanted me to make these in lieu of a birthday cake when we went out to dinner with all our friends last weekend. Um.. no. (I made the full-sized version of the Black Pearl Cupcakes I posted about a few weeks ago and it was well received by all.)
The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.
Green Tea Cake Doughnuts
adapted from a Daring Bakers recipe
Makes approximately 15 doughnuts and 15 doughnuts holes.
Ingredients
- 3 inches of vegetable oil in whatever vessel you are using
- 1/4 c sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 3 1/4 c all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 3/4 c granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tbsp matcha powder
- 1 1/8 tsp active dry yeast
- 3/4 c + 2 tbsp buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
* also need frying thermometer
Instructions
Heat oil to 375F.
Heat sour cream until just warm in a small bowl set over a pot of simmering water. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and matcha. Make a well in the center and sprinkle yeast into the well. Pour the warmed sour cream over the yeast and allow to sit for a minute or so.
Pour the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla into the well. Using one hand, draw in the dry ingredients, working in a little bit at a time until completely incorporated. It will be quite sticky!
Wash and dry your hands and dust them with flour. Sift a layer of flour onto a work surface, scrape dough onto the surface, and sift more flour on top. Pat dough into an even 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out the doughnuts and holes using cookie cutters, glasses of different sizes, piping tips, or what have you. Place cut-out doughnuts and holes onto a floured surface. Continue gathering, patting, and cutting.
When ready, drop doughnuts into the hot oil. Take care not to overcrowd. They should only cook 20-30 seconds per side or until golden brown. As they finish, transfer to a baking sheet covered with paper towels to drain.
For green tea glaze on the doughnut holes in the first image, I didn’t exactly measure things out but it was approximately 1 tsp matcha powder, 1/4 c powdered sugar, and a couple tbsp of milk whisked together until thick.
