Fasnacht Doughnut Recipes

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH FASTNACHTS DONUT RECIPE

Steps:

• First, peel potato and cut it into cubes. Boil it until soft. Save the starchy water. Mash potato cubes and measure out one cup.
• Measure the starchy water and add more water until you have 4 cups.
• Proof yeast if you think it is old or wasn't stored properly.
• Then, in a very large bowl (3 gallons or so because it'll rise in this bowl overnight) add two cups of sugar, mashed potatoes, very warm starchy water (temperature should be 110-120F for yeast to rise) and yeast. This is very warm/hot water. It's best to use a thermometer. Stir.
• Check back in a few minutes. You should start to see some foam which means the yeast is working. If there is no foam at all, the yeast could be dead and you should get a new packet. Let it sit for 1 hour. It's o.k. if it sits longer (up to three hours.)
• Add in the butter, eggs, salt, and two cups of flour at a time. Use a mixer or stand mixer with a dough hook. Add enough flour until it's only slightly sticky when you touch the dough. It should spring back a little when you touch it. Place the dough in a 3 gallon or so bowl covered with a clean dish towel to rise overnight.
• This is what the dough looks like after it sits overnight. It will have doubled in size and fill the container.
• Line 5 sheet pans with wax paper.
• Add flour to counter and pull out a handful at a time to roll onto floured surface. Roll out long pieces as shown. Then, pull apart the size donut you want to make. Knead it in your hands and push a hole through the middle. Add it to the sheet pan lined with wax paper.
• After you've rolled out all of the donuts. Let them sit for one hour for the third rise.
• Add oil to a frying pan and turn the fan on high. The oil temperature should reach 400-425F. Line a platter with paper towels to place cooked donuts upon.
• Carefully place the donuts in the hot oil and cook on each side for 2-4 minutes. When you see the bottom edge of donut is brown, it's time to flip it. As soon as you remove each donut, sprinkle sugar on top while the donut oil is still wet so the sugar adheres to it a little better or you can just remove all of the donuts and sprinkle with sugar all at once.
• Change oil midway through frying the donuts. The oil will get brown. Pour it into a glass container (plastic will melt with hot oil) that you can discard. Put new oil in the frying pan or fryer and continue with previous step.

FASTNACHTS (GERMAN DOUGHNUTS)

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in lukewarm milk.
• Sift in flour and salt in bowl.
• Make a hole in the center.
• Pour dissolved yeast and all other ingredients into the hole and mix until not sticky.
• Cover and let rise until doubled.
• Punch down, then let rest for 10 minutes.
• Roll out to about 1/4-inch and cut.
• Let rise another 20-30 minutes.
• Fry in deep fat until light brown.
• While still hot, roll in sugar.

NANA'S FASTNACHTS

Steps:

• Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, proof the yeast by adding the warm water to the yeast. Let stand 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl mix together the teaspoon of sugar and 3 cups of the flour. Stir in milk until smooth. Add proofed yeast and mix well. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
• Stir in beaten eggs, melted butter or margarine, one cup of sugar, salt, and enough of the remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Cover and let rise for a second time until doubled.
• Punch down dough and divide into 2 portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut dough with a biscuit cutter. Make 2 slits with a sharp knife in the middle of each doughnut. Cover and let rise a third time until doubled in size.
• Deep fat fry in oil or lard for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Rotate to ensure even cooking. Drain on brown paper bags. Toss in confectioners sugar while still warm.

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH FASNACHT DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Using a small saucepan, scald the milk and allow to cool.
• Combine the 2 packets of active dry yeast and the warm water in the mixing bowl of the stand mixer that's fitted with the dough hook attachment. Let the yeast proof (or sit) for 10 minutes.
• Add in the melted butter, cooled milk, salt, granulated sugar, nutmeg, and eggs. Then set the mixer speed to low and add in the flour one cup at a time, until the dough begins to form. There will be a lot of dough and it will be sticky, but it should pull away from the sides of the bowl easily. If you find that the dough is just way too sticky, you can add 1 tbsp. of flour until the dough is slightly tacky.
• Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface and knead it for about 5-8 minutes until smooth.
• Then place in a lightly greased, medium size bowl, flipping it over once to coat the entire ball of dough. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap (do NOT use aluminum foil) and also place a clean, dry kitchen towel over top, and place in a warm, draft free spot for about 1 - 1.5 hours or until it's almost doubled in size. That last part is very important!
• Gently punch the dough down in the center, then turn it out on to a clean and lightly floured surface and, using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about a 1/2" thickness. Coat your circle cutter (mine was 2.5" dia in size) with some flour and then cut out the fasnacht doughnuts, placing them onto a parchment lined baking sheet (space them out about 1" a part, they will get bigger). With any leftover dough you may have, you can roll some into balls to make donut holes.
• Cover the fasnacht doughnuts with a clean tea or dish towel and allow to rest for 1 hour or until they've almost doubled in size.
• Meanwhile, line a large baking sheet with about 2-3 layers of paper towels with a cooling rack placed over top. Set aside. Note, the cooling rack part is optional.
• When ready to fry the fasnacht doughnuts, place the canola oil into a deep heavy skillet or stock pot and heat until it reaches 365ºF. Two important notes here: 1. Add in the oil BEFORE you turn on the heat to heat up the oil. 2. Do not guess at what you think the temperature might be - use a candy/deep fryer thermometer.
• Place 2-3 doughnuts in at a time for approx. 45 seconds to 1 minute on each side, turning them over with either tongs or a slotted spoon. You want the donuts to be a nice medium golden brown in color. At the correct temperature, they will fry quickly, so please pay attention while you're doing this part! If you're new to making homemade doughnuts, I would recommend only frying one at a time until you get the hang of it.
• When the doughnuts are ready, carefully remove them from the oil and place them onto the cooling rack or paper towels to let any excess oil drain off of it. Allow them to cool slightly before adding the opening for the filling (optional).
• When doughnuts are still warm and ready for coating, place 2-3 in a large ziplock bag with either the sugar or cinnamon sugar, and toss around until covered. Place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet or just begin to eat them.
• The doughnuts should be cooled before adding the vanilla pastry cream filling.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the vanilla pudding mix and milk until it thickens.
• Using your hand-mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream on high speed for several minutes until medium peaks form.
• Fold the whipped cream into the vanilla pudding mix with a spatula until completely blended.
• Take a large piping bag fitted with a piping tip of your choice (I used the Wilton 1M tip) and fill with the vanilla pastry cream. Pipe into the doughnuts until filled.

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH POTATO DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, milk, eggs and butter. Combine the sugar, baking powder and 2 cups flour; stir into potato mixture. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour., Divide dough in half. Turn each half onto a lightly floured surface; roll to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with a 2-3/4-in. doughnut cutter. , In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. , In a small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth. Color glaze if desired. Dip doughnuts in glaze and sprinkles as desired.

GERMAN FASTNACHTS WITH POTATO

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast in the 1/2 cup warm water with 1 tsp of sugar.
• Mix potatoes, sugar, potato water and flour; add yeast dissolved in water.
• Let rise in a warm place for several hours.
• Then add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup lukewarm water or milk, 3/4 cup melted butter, 3 eggs, salt and about 5 cups flour for stiff dough.
• Turn onto a well floured board and knead for about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add a small amount of extra flour if necessary so the dough can be handled without sticking to your fingers.
• Grease a large bowl.
• Place the dough in the greased bowl.
• Cover with a thin towel, and let rise in a warm, draft free place for about 2 hours or until it is at least double in size.
• Now, according to all my instruction, you’re supposed to let the dough rise again for another hour or two, but that means you’d be fussing with these things all day; figure it out; this would be its third rising, with another to come; I think at this point I’d be reckless and divide the dough in thirds and start rolling it out.
• What matters if you do have a few large holes in your fastnachts?
• Take your choice, rise or roll.
• I’d try rolling the dough to about 3/4 inch thickness.
• Fastnachts have a traditional diamond shape; cut them into diamonds with a knife.
• Another essential is to cut a slit across the top of each fastnacht with a sharp knife.
• Let the fastnachts rise, covered, in a warm place, till they’re springy to the touch; when they’re quite fat and puffy, drop them with the raised side down into fat that is hot enough to brown a bread cube—375 degrees.
• Fry on both sides.
• If you don’t want that many fried cakes you might try baking some in a hot oven as rolls.
• Food that Really Schmecks.