Recipe of Today: Cream Filled Donuts

Ingredients:

For Doughnuts:

• 1 ½ cups milk
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup warm water
• 4 ½ tsps active dry yeast
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 6 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• canola oil or vegetable oil for frying
• confectioners' sugar for garnish

For Filling:

• 4 cups cold milk
• 2 packages instant pudding mix

Instructions:

• Warm 1 ½ cups milk in a medium saucepan. Add sugar, salt and butter. Remove from heat source and cool to lukewarm.

• Pour lukewarm water to the mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and gently stir the mixture with your Kitchenin KM50 Stand Mixer until the yeast dissolves.

• Mix the cooled milk butter mixture with the yeast. Then add the eggs and half of the flour and whisk until smooth.

• Add lemon zest and enough remaining flour and stir to form a soft dough; mix well for later use.

• Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Or blend on medium speed for about 4 minutes with KM50 Stand Mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Place in a lightly buttered bowl and coat all sides instead. Cover tightly and let the dough rise in a warm place, without draft, for about 45 minutes, until doubled in volume.

• Knock the dough down and turn it out on a lightly floured surface. Divide it in half. Cover the unused half to prevent it from drying out. Roll out half of it into a large circle, about 1/2 inch thick. Use a floured 3-inch circle or a cookie cutter to cut the doughnuts. Put the donuts on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining half of the dough.

• Mix in the dough crumbs and continue to cut the doughnuts until the dough is used up. Cover with a lightweight kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place away from drafts until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

• Heat oil in a large, deep, heavy saucepan until it reaches 365 F°. Fry the donuts in batches (to avoid crowding the pan) until golden brown and fully cooked and browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Drain with paper towels and repeat with the rest of the dough. Allow doughnuts to cool completely before filling.

• Meanwhile, make the filling. Pour cold milk into a deep bowl. Add pudding mixture and whisk until well combined and thick, about 1 minute. Refrigerate, covered, at least 5-10 minutes. Spoon pudding into a wide mouth pastry bag. Poke a hole in the side of each donut. Pour pudding into the cooled doughnuts.

• Spread powdered sugar over the filled donuts. Refrigerate donuts until ready to serve. Store leftovers in the fridge. Enjoy!

Happy National Cream Filled Donut Day!