Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Donut Bars (with Brown Butter Maple

• porcije: 16 bars
• aktivno vrijeme: 30 minutes
• ukupno vrijeme: 1 hour 55 minutes

Sastojci

3 1/2 cups (420g) cake flour (see homemade version in the notes section below)

2 1/2 tsp (10g) baking powder

1/4 tsp (2g) baking soda

1 tsp (6g) salt

3/4 tsp (1g) ground nutmeg

1/2 cup (110g) brown sugar

1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (58g) salted butter, melted

2 eggs + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature

1 tbsp (12g) vanilla bean paste or extract

3/4 cup (180ml) buttermilk (or 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice mixed with 3/4 cup milk of choice)

Avocado oil (or neutral oil of choice), for frying

1 1/2 cups (190g) powdered sugar

6 tbsp (85g) salted butter, browned

1/3 cup (113g) maple syrup

2 tbsp (30ml) milk of choice

1 tsp (4g) vanilla extract or paste

Pinch of salt

Upute

Start by preparing the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda salt, nutmeg. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together both sugars and the melted butter. Add the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla, and whisk until well combined. Then, whisk in the buttermilk.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and fold to mix until just combined. The dough WILL be sticky, do not be tempted to add more flour. It will firm up in the fridge, and the moisture is what is going to keep the donuts nice and soft in the middle, opposed to them drying out! Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator to chill for at least 30-60 minutes. Mine was personally in the refrigerator for 1.5 hours!

While the dough is in the refrigerator, cut out 16 small rectangles or squares of parchment paper and spread them across 2-3 baking sheets. These will be used for the donuts to sit on once shaped and make it easier to transfer the donuts to the oil once ready to fry.

Then, prepare the glaze ahead of time so you are able to dip the donuts while they’re still warm! In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, brown butter, maple syrup, milk, vanilla, and salt until well combined and smooth. Set aside.

Once ready to cut the donuts, generously flour your work surface (very generously), along with flouring your hands and a rolling pin.

Dump the dough out onto your work surface, sprinkle the top with more flour, and gently roll/pat it out into a large, long rectangle (3”x24”; 1/2” thick), adding more flour as needed while rolling (the dough is very soft, so don’t be afraid to use extra flour).

Flour a bench scraper or knife, and cut the dough in half lengthwise. Flour the bench scraper again, and make 7 cuts widthwise, to get 16 small bars. Each donut bar should now be 1.5”x3”.

Place the donuts onto the prepared parchment paper squares on the baking sheets.

Dip the bench scraper or knife in flour again, and VERY gently press it down the center of each bar lengthwise, as far down as you can go without cutting it in half, making a light indentation (this will give the donuts the classic buttermilk bar look). Set aside while you heat the oil.

Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven with oil, filling ~2” in the pan. Heat on medium-high heat until it reaches 360F-370F.

Line a wire cooling rack with a thick layer of paper towels.

Once the oil is hot enough, carefully transfer the parchment paper squares with the donuts on them slowly into the hot oil, 2-3 at a time. IMPORTANT: start with frying the donuts with the bottom side down, indentation side up (this will help achieve the look of a buttermilk bar). After 10-15 seconds, pull the parchment paper away from the donuts (it should almost immediately release). Fry the donuts for 1.5-2 minutes on each side (3-4 minutes total), until golden brown.

Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the donuts from the oil and transfer to the rack with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining donuts.

While the other donuts are frying, dip the warm donuts into the glaze top side down, and then place onto a cooling rack that’s positioned on top of a baking sheet to let the glaze set.

Dunk each bar, top side down into the glaze. Set on a cooling rack until the glaze sets.

Serve warm with a cup of coffee if desired.

Enjoy!