buttermilk donuts

deep fryers are magical because they have the power to change lives for the better (sorry joseph, but it's true). the recipe for these buttermilk donuts comes from a williams-sonoma cookbook titled donuts (how appropriate) and they are the first of many donuts to come. 

ingredients:

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour (if you can find unbleached stuff, go with it)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

1 large egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract

canola oil for frying
confectioners' sugar for dusting

in a large bowl, sift together the first set of ingredients, and set aside. in another large bowl, mix together the egg and granulated sugar until pale in color. add the buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla and mix well. slowly add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until they just come together into a soft dough. gather the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for half an hour.

while the dough is chilling, line a baking sheet with paper towels to absorb excess oil from the fried donuts, prep a space for frying (set about 2 inches of oil to 360 F, either in a deep fryer or heavy saute pan), and another for rolling out the dough (a generously floured surface). when the dough is ready, roll it into an approximately 10 inch circle that is about 1/2 an inch thick. with a 3 inch donut cutter (or 2 circle cutters), cut out as many donuts and holes as possible. re-roll the scraps and repeat cutting out as many donuts as the dough yields.

when all the donuts have been cut, slowly lower the first batch (about 2-5, depending on the surface area of the oil) into the hot oil and fry until golden brown (about 1 1/2 minutes), then flip and fry for an additional minute.  repeat with additional batches, until all the donuts and holes have been fried, allowing the oil to return to 360 F between batches.

arrange the finished donuts in a single layer and using a fine sieve, dust generously with confectioners' sugar.

enjoy with coffee and friends!