Hazelnut-Chocolate Filled Donuts

• servings: Makes 20 donuts

Ingredients

DOUGH

2¼ teaspoons (78) dry yeast

¼ cup (55g) warm water (110°F)

5 tablespoons (62g) granulated sugar

4½ cups (585g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

I cup (220g) milk

¼ teaspoon (2g) kosher salt

2 large eggs (104g)

I teaspoon (5g) vanilla extract

6 tablespoons (3 oz/86g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

TO FINISH

I cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Neutral oil, for deep-frying

Hazelnut-Chocolate

Spread (page 108)

Directions

Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the yeast, water, and I teaspoon of the sugar. Let it rest s to 7 minutes, until foamy. Add the flour, milk, remaining sugar, the salt, eggs and vanilla. Snap on the dough hook and knead the dough on low speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until well combined. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 1o minutes.

Using your hands, make a hole in the middle of the dough. Add the butter in the middle and close the dough over it. Knead the dough on medium-low speed for io minutes, periodically using a bowl scraper to incorporate everything on the sides of the bowl back into the dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 5 to 6 minutes. Knead again for 7 to Io minutes; the dough should look smooth and shiny at this point and no longer stick to the sides of the bowl. To make sure it is fully kneaded, perform a windowpane test (see page 73). If it is not ready at this point, continue to knead and rest periodically until it is ready.

Very lightly flour a work surface. Slap and fold (see page 21) the dough 5 to 7 times, until smooth. Round the dough (see page 22) and place in a large bowl with the open edge down. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, then move to the refrigerator to rest overnight. (Alternatively, you can let it rest at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes, and then in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours, until doubled in size.)

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Flour a work surface and place the dough in the middle. Roll the dough into a log and use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut it into 20 equal

portions (about 55g each). Round each piece of dough into a smooth ball (see page 22). Place on the prepared baking sheets and flatten each with your hand until about ½ inch thick. Loosely cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and rest again at room temperature until almost doubled in size, I hour to I hour 15 minutes. (If the dough wasn't in the fridge overnight, rest for 40 to 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.)

To finish: In a shallow dish, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon. Line a plate with paper towels and have near the stove.

Pour 2½ inches of oil into a medium saucepan and heat the oil over medium heat to 350°F.

Working in batches of a couple of donuts at a time, fry each side until golden brown with an internal temperature of 185° to 190°F, 3 to 4 minutes in total, flipping periodically with a straining spoon. (Monitor the oil temperature to make sure it is not too hot or it will be difficult to cook the donuts evenly.) Transfer the donuts to the paper towels to drain. While still hot, dip the donuts into the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Fit a pastry bag with a 1/-inch round tip and fill the bag with the hazelnut-chocolate spread. Using the end of a wooden spoon, make a hole in the side of each donut. Pipe the filling into the donuts. Serve within a day.

Notes

Notes * If you are filling your donuts with a sweet filling, this sweetness level works perfectly. If you are not adding a filling, you can add i tablespoon additional sugar to the dough for a sweeter donut. * As an alternate method of shaping the dough, you can divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece until it is ½ inch thick. Use a 2½-inch round cookie cutter to cut the dough before placing on the lined parchment paper to rest.

* You can also fill your donuts with pastry cream (see page 222). In that case, I like to dip the donuts in melted sugar instead of granulated sugar for a caramel shell.