Chocolate Doughnuts

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

¼ cup warm water

1 ½ cups warm milk

½ cup sugar

2 large eggs

½ teaspoon salt

5 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup butter or shortening, softened

Oil for frying

 
Optional chocolate glaze

A bag of chocolate chips (white, milk or dark)

Sprinkles

Piping bag

 
In a small bowl, stir the yeast and water together. Set the mixture aside for 5 minutes. (If it doesn't get foamy, toss it out!)

In a large bowl, stir the milk, sugar and eggs. Add the yeast mixture and mix until well-combined.

Add 2 cups of flour and the ½ teaspoon of salt and beat until all the ingredients are well-blended. Add the softened, or melted, butter and beat until incorporated. Add the rest of the flour gradually mixing until the dough comes together and is not too sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Cover and let sit for an hour or until doubled in size.

Roll or pat the dough out. Cut into doughnuts: if you do not have a doughnut cutter, use a round cutter or a glass rim for the larger circle and another smaller round cutter for the centre. Set them aside on a floured surface or tray. Keep the doughnuts covered with a light kitchen towel for a half an hour to an hour or until the dough rises again (they’ll rise even more as they cook).

Heat a couple of inches of oil in a heavy frying pan until hot but not smoking. Gently cook the doughnuts in batches, without crowding, turning as needed until golden on both (or all) sides. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.

Serve warm or wait until cool. If desired, toss in a shallow bowl of cinnamon sugar or plain icing sugar to coat. You can also glaze the doughnuts with chocolate or top them with jam for variety.

Great for Iftar! And with Eid round the corner, you'll have enough time to perfect them!

For the glaze, melt chocolate chips in a glass bowl over a pot of hot (not boiled) water. Make sure to stir until all pieces are melted. Once melted, dip the cooked doughnuts in your chocolate of choice. Top your doughnuts with some colourful sprinkles or drizzle some with another type of melted chocolate using a piping bag. For example, you can drizzle melted white chocolate onto your milk chocolate-glazed doughnuts. Place them on a cooling rack or wire to cool completely and serve.

Ramadan Mubarak!

Find more of Farhat's simple, gorgeous and yummy foods, find her on her Facebook page, Farhat Yummy Food  and  her Instagram food account,  Farhat Yummy Food

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