June 20, 2014 - 7:33pm
Doughnut Help
Hello everyone. I am not sure if anyone will know but, I stuck. Me and a few friends decided to see who can make a doughnut most similar to Krispy Kremes. I have tried a few recipes and this one has gotten the closest. http://www.cookingclassy.com/2014/01/copycat-krispy-kreme-doughnuts/ the problem is they are a bit to firm. "Based on ingredients they have listed online they use emulsifiers, gluten, thickener, firming agents and other additives, which I’m guessing is what gives their doughnuts such a delicate texture." Any ideas on what I can add to give them that texture?
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Cooked mashed potato or potato flour may help you with soft texture. I'm sure they are not in KK's original recipe but it does help keep doughnuts fluffy. Potatoes are part of what makes Spudnuts soft.
I'm assuming when you say they are "too firm" you mean that the dough texture is too tight and not fluffy/light enough.
My doughnut recipe calls for 6 egg yolks which give a beautiful soft doughnut.
Take a look at Japanese Milk Bread - Tangzhong. A flour/water roux gives the bread a soft, velvety texture.
Wild-Yeast
Thanks I will try these. That Japanese Milk Bread - Tangzhong looks interesting.
1) how much potato flour should you add? Completely replace the flour?
2) Would simply adding gluten do anything?
How much potato flour? Start with 1 tablespoon (about 12g) potato flour per cup of flour in your recipe and see how it affects the outcome. You can increase up to 25% of the AP flour by weight (see this recipe for an example: https://upstartkitchen.wordpress.com/tag/potato-doughnuts/)
Gluten is tricky. Too much might make your doughnut too chewy. OTOH, "Doughnuts" author Lara Ferroni suggests high gluten flour (like bread flour), and if you don't like the outcome, try blending with all-purpose flour (start with 50%/50% and see how it goes).
The URL below is the Tanzhong "Krispy Kreme" copycat recipe:
http://www.the350degreeoven.com/2012/05/pastries-pies/homemade-glazed-donuts-krispy-kreme-doughnut-copycat-recipe/
The recipe calls for Tangzhong which is a thickening agent made by cooking a flour water mixture until it thickens. The recipe is contained in the same author's recipe for Tangzhong Japanese Milk Bread. URL is below:
http://www.the350degreeoven.com/2011/09/japanese-hawaiian/japanese-milk-bread-tangzhong-or-water-roux-method/
I have a suspicion that Krispy Kreme may have "borrowed" Dim Sum Tangzhong for their donut recipe. A corporate secret revealed? Dim Sum Donuts anyone?
Wild-Yeast
A few months ago the quest for the perfect donut led me to this site, close enough to the Krispy Kreme to satisfy my family (but then they are easy when it comes to fried dough dripping in that sugary glaze :-)
http://canadianrecipesofthegreatwhitenorth.blogspot.com/2010/02/chef-bari-original-spudnut-recipe.html
The first time I used potato flour, second time mashed potatoes, the third time I went back to the potato flour. Less trouble and I think it gave them a more delicate texture.
Good luck, will look forward to seeing your results
Barbra
Another question.
Does baking before frying do anything? I found this http://www.dimasharif.com/2011/05/doughnuts-at-home-along-with-sugar.html and they are baked before frying as you can see they look a lot smoother and uniform in color.
LoL.....Never mind it says bake or fry.
After thinking about the subject it occurred that the "Kreme" part might stem from the use of exactly that, "Cream" or a modified form - condensed milk or butter. It's the only additional ingredient to the traditional doughnut dough recipe. Leaving out the vegetable shortening for the butter is an additional option.
The founder of Krispy Kreme claimed that he bought a secret recipe from a New Orleans chef and founded Krispy Kreme in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1937. Beignets (pronounced ben-yays) are the traditional "doughnut" of the Big Easy - that and a cafe au lait and you're good till noon. Could it be that this, or a modification of the French original, be a clue to the original recipe?
I checked through a few internet recipes for Beignets most all include evaporated milk in the recipe - some contain butter.
Checking French resources indicate there are several accepted ways to make them. The one that's most intriguing is the use of Choux Puff Pastry dough. Choux Puff Pastry combines butter, water and salt by heating the water, butter and salt to the boiling point followed by mixing in the flour beating rapidly for several minutes until fully blended. The pan is then returned to the heat and the eggs are added stirring rapidly all the while. This in effect is making a soft roux (cooked butter and flour mixture).
I am left wondering whether there's a connection? Combining the butter, flour, salt and some of the milk (water?) in a cooked roux followed by adding in the eggs for a Choux component - to be added to a main brioche dough that then follows the raised doughnut sequence is, I think, worth considering. The amount of Choux dough percentage is the question.
Leaving the eggs out of the Choux Puff Pastry would be more in line with a buttered (creamed-evaporated milk?) Tangzhang.
Also wondering about a levain recipe - a la crispy sourdough waffles...,
Wild-Yeast
Is the brioche dough the Beignets dough? I have read a few recipes online and have seen it mentioned that simply removing the egg from the recipe gives it a kripsy kreme feel.
Brioche is a rich yeast bread. It contains flour, water, milk, butter, salt, eggs and sugar.
In France Beignets are generally made from Choux pastry dough - in New Orleans they're made from brioche dough which is the same as doughnuts. Egg whites tend to dry out the dough which is compensated for by adding butter. The egg yolks can be left out but will affect both the rising of the dough and the shelf life of the cooked brioche.
To make a crisper dough you might try clarifying the butter and allow it to cool before incorporating it into the recipe or replace it all together with a light tasting vegetable oil though it pays to remember the old chef's adage "There is not substitute for butter"...,
Wild-Yeast
Interesting thread. I would like to try the recipes suggested. They use similar ingredients so, it should not be a hassle. If I read correctly so far there is:
1) Tanzhong "Krispy Kreme" recipe
2) Beignets recipe "brioche dough"
3) Beignets recipe "brioche dough" with addition of a Choux
Correct?
I will say when you look online Beignets look very similar both inside and out.
Yes. Number 3.) implies the use of clarified butter for a crispier texture.
Note that 1.) and 3.) use cooked flour to attain a finer texture.
Wild-Yeast
Thanks
When making the beignet dough for donuts would you still have a second rise? Most recipes mention letting rise in a dough then rolling it out cutting into pieces and then immediately into oil. For donuts should I roll out cut and let rise again? If so for how long?
A second rise is Ok - the only issue is the doughnut will become mishapen due to "Oven Spring" when they're fried if the second proofing is taken too far. A little is Ok...,
Wild-Yeast