Buttermilk Doughnuts I
Submitted by Asha128
Old-fashioned buttermilk doughnuts spiced with ginger and nutmeg, fried golden in just minutes. Tender, cake-style doughnuts with a slight tang from real buttermilk.
YIELD
30 servingsPREP
45 minCOOK
10 minREADY
1 hrsThese are the cake doughnuts your grandmother made on Saturday mornings. Buttermilk gives them that subtle tang and incredibly tender crumb you can’t get from regular milk, while ginger and nutmeg add warm spice that hits you right when you bite through the crisp outer shell.
The big secret in this recipe is patience. Let the batter rest before rolling. Those 5-10 minutes allow the flour to hydrate and the batter to firm up naturally, so you don’t keep adding flour and end up with tough, dense doughnuts. Less flour means a lighter, more delicate result.
Fry them just 1 ½ minutes per side. They should be deep golden brown with a thin, crackly crust and a soft, almost custardy interior.
Kitchen Tips
- Use a light hand when kneading. Overworking this dough is the fastest way to ruin it. Fold gently, don’t press hard.
- Keep your oil temperature steady. If it drops too low, the doughnuts absorb grease and go heavy. Too hot and they brown before cooking through.
- Dust your cutter with flour between each cut so the dough releases cleanly.
- Fry the doughnut holes too. They cook in about 45 seconds per side and make great snacks while the full-size ones cool.
Variations
- Roll warm doughnuts in cinnamon sugar for a classic coating.
- Dip in a simple vanilla glaze (powdered sugar, milk, vanilla) for a bakery-shop finish.
- Add ¼ teaspoon of cardamom to the spice blend for a Scandinavian twist.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat fat fryer to 350℉ (180℃).
Mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and buttermilk with a wire whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the yolks are broken up and distributed.
Add the spices, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well.
Fold the flour into the mixture until the ingredients are no longer wet.
Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
The batter will thicken by itself without needing more flour which would toughen the doughnuts.
Drop half of the dough onto a floured board and knead lightly into a ball with folded ends underneath.
Roll the dough into a round shape about ½ inch thick.
Cut with a doughnut cutter.
Knead the leftover dough into the second half of the mixture.
Repeat kneading and rolling. Be very sparing with the flour.
Dust the dough very lightly, but don’t overflour.
Your dough should not be sticky if left to rest for 5 to 10 minutes as instructed.
Cook the doughnuts in hot oil, 1 inch deep in the pan.
Brown the doughnuts for about 1½ minutes on each side.
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