Super Soft Sugar Doughnuts

To make these super soft sugar doughnuts, start by preparing all the ingredients for the dough.

Doughnut dough: Heat the milk in the microwave until it reaches about 35°C.

Pour the warm milk into the stand mixer bowl...

...and add the fresh baker's yeast.

Mix with a hand whisk to fully dissolve the yeast in the milk.

Add the type 45 flour...

...and the whole eggs.

Also add the caster sugar...

...as well as the fine salt...

...and the melted butter (cooled down beforehand).

Knead all these ingredients together with the dough hook attachment for 1 minute at low speed.

After one minute, a rough dough should form. Use a dough scraper to scrape the sides of the bowl and bring all the dough to the center.

Continue kneading for about 5 more minutes at medium power until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowl, as shown in the photo.

This is what the result should look like.

Scrape the sides of the bowl to gather the dough in the center.

Then stretch a sheet of plastic wrap over the bowl...

...and poke small holes with the tip of a knife. Place the bowl in a proofing chamber at 28°C for 1 hour. If you don't have a proofing chamber, place the bowl near a heat source like a heater, or in an oven preheated to 30°C and turned off.

After proofing, the dough should have doubled in volume.

Remove the plastic wrap.

Lightly flour the surface of the dough...

...and knock it down with your fist to deflate it.

Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Note that the 30 grams of T55 flour will be used throughout the kneading and shaping process.

Sprinkle more flour over the dough, which is quite sticky at this stage, until it becomes manageable and no longer sticks.

Fold the dough over itself...

...and roll it out with a rolling pin to an even thickness of 1.5cm.

Stretch the dough well with the rolling pin until you get the desired thickness.

Transfer the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Run the rolling pin over it once more...

...and cover the dough with a sheet of plastic wrap (or a polyethylene sheet) in direct contact. Chill for at least 30 minutes (or 10 minutes in the freezer, not longer).

Remove the firm dough from the fridge and detach the plastic wrap.

Cut out dough discs using a round plain cutter Ø 10cm...

...placing the discs as close together as possible to reduce scraps.

Then cut out the center of each disc with a round plain cutter Ø 3.5cm to create rings.

Remove the excess dough. The pastry scraps can be rolled again to make more doughnuts. Leave to rise in the proofing chamber at 28°C for 1 hour.

Cooking: Heat a good amount of oil (preferably peanut oil) in a saucepan until it reaches 180°C. Using a laser thermometer is recommended at this stage. You can also use a deep fryer.

After proofing, the doughnuts should have puffed up.

Slide the parchment paper onto the work surface and use a box cutter to cut the parchment around the doughnuts to avoid having to handle them too much.

This is what the result should look like.

Lift a doughnut with the parchment paper and gently slide it into the hot oil at 180°C. If using a saucepan, make sure you regularly check the oil temperature to keep it at 180°C.

After a few seconds, the doughnut will naturally detach from the parchment paper.

Fry the doughnut on one side for 1 to 1.5 minutes.

When the bottom is golden, flip the doughnut using a skimmer...

...and fry the other side for 1 to 1.5 minutes. The doughnut is ready when golden and soft. Remove it from the oil and place it on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.

Repeat the process for the remaining doughnuts, always handling them with the parchment paper to maintain their round shape.

Fry the doughnuts on one side, cooking two or three at a time depending on the size of your saucepan.

Flip the doughnuts with the skimmer to fry the other side.

Once cooked, carefully remove the donuts from the saucepan...

...and drain them on paper towels.

Finish: Roll the doughnuts in granulated sugar to coat them evenly.

Place the sugar doughnuts on a serving platter. I recommend eating them on the day, however you can store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight plastic or metal container. Enjoy!