Doughnuts with coffee make a lovely pair, so to celebrate a fun night with your better half, why not make them the perfect “morning on the couch” breakfast? Sour milk donuts are a vintage take on classic buttermilk doughnuts, where a touch of vinegar curdles the milk, making it slightly tart and adding a rich flavor to the dense cake. The dark chocolate donuts are as decadent as they come, but if you’re going to go a little choco-holicy, isn’t the day after Valentine’s the perfect time to do it? For those of you who don’t want to fry the doughnuts (I totally get it, frying can be a pain), I also included a baked version of the recipe as well. So cuddle up with a cup of coffee and enjoy!
INGREDIENTS (SOUR MILK DOUGHNUTS)
For 1 dozen
1 quart peanut oil (or canola or vegetable)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, browned
powdered sugar, to garnish
DIRECTIONS
Pour the oil into a deep saucepan over medium heat. Heat up to 375 F.
In a medium bowl, sift the the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices together. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and sugar. Combine the milk and vinegar in a small bowl, the milk will curdle slightly. Melt the butter in a small saucepan until the milk solids caramelize and the butter smells nutty. Immediately add to the milk mixture, along with the vanilla extract. Add the browned butter and milk alternately to the eggs and sugar with the dry. A dough will form. Lightly flour a work area and roll out the dough to a 1/4 inch thick. Cut and with a donut cutter. To test the oil, add a doughnut hole to the oil and see how it fries. It should float up to the top and have large bubbles surrounding it. Add the doughnuts, careful not to overcrowd the pot, and fry for about 3 minutes a side, or until golden brown. They should be crisp on the outside and cooked through and fluffy on the inside. Drain the doughnuts on a plate covered with a paper towel, cool for at least 5 minutes, then coat in powdered sugar. Serve that day.
INGREDIENTS (DARK CHOCOLATE DOUGHNUTS)
1 quart peanut oil (or canola or vegetable)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, browned
2 ounces semi sweet chocolate (about 1/3 cup), finely chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Pour the oil into a deep saucepan over medium heat. Heat up to 375 F.
In a medium bowl, sift the the flour, baking soda, salt, spices, and cocoa together. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and sugar. Combine the milk and vinegar in a small bowl, the milk will curdle slightly. Place the chocolate in a small bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan until the milk solids caramelize and the butter smells nutty. Immediately add to the finely chopped chocolate, and stir until the chocolate is melted. Combine this with the milk mixture, along with the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate milk mixture alternately to the eggs and sugar with the dry. A dough will form. Lightly flour a work area and roll out the dough to a 1/4 inch thick. Cut and with a donut cutter. To test the oil, add a doughnut hole to the oil and see how it fries. It should float up to the top and have large bubbles surrounding it. Add the doughnuts, careful not to overcrowd the pot, and fry for about 3 minutes a side, or until golden brown. They should be crisp on the outside and cooked through and fluffy on the inside. Drain the doughnuts on a plate covered with a paper towel, cool for at least 5 minutes, then coat with the ganache glaze. Serve that day.
INGREDIENTS (GANACHE GLAZE)
3 ounces semi sweet chocolate (about 1/2 cup), chopped
1/2 tablespoon corn syrup
1/3 cup heavy cream
DIRECTIONS
In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. In a heatproof bowl, combine 3 ounces of chopped chocolate with the corn syrup. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Let the ganache glaze cool until thick but still pourable, about 5 minutes.
FOR BAKED DOUGHNUTS:
INGREDIENTS (SOUR MILK DOUGHNUTS)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, for greasing pans
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Grease a donut tray with vegetable oil.
In a medium bowl, sift the the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices together. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and sugar. Combine the milk and vinegar in a small bowl, the milk will curdle slightly. Melt the butter in a small saucepan until the milk solids caramelize and the butter smells nutty. Immediately add to the milk mixture, along with the vanilla extract. Add the browned butter and milk alternately to the eggs and sugar with the dry. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate, and continue to bake until donuts are golden brown and crisp on the outside, about 10 minutes more. Let them cool in the molds for 5 minutes if sprinkling with toppings such as powdered sugar, 15 minutes if using glaze or icing. Run a knife around the donuts in the molds, lift them out, and place them on a baking sheet. Coat them in your choice of topping.
INGREDIENTS (DARK CHOCOLATE DOUGHNUTS)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, for greasing pans
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ounces semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Grease a donut tray with vegetable oil.
In a medium bowl, sift the the flour, baking soda, salt, spices, and cocoa together. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and sugar. Combine the milk and vinegar in a small bowl, the milk will curdle slightly. Place the chocolate in a small bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan until the milk solids caramelize and the butter smells nutty. Immediately add to the finely chopped chocolate, and stir until the chocolate is melted. Combine this with the milk mixture, along with the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate milk mixture alternately to the eggs and sugar with the dry. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate, and continue to bake until donuts are golden brown and crisp on the outside, about 10 minutes more. Let them cool in the molds for 5 minutes if sprinkling with toppings such as powdered sugar, 15 minutes if using glaze or icing. Run a knife around the donuts in the molds, lift them out, and place them on a baking sheet. Coat them in your choice of topping.
