Ginger Doughnut Twist Recipes

DOUGHNUT TWISTS

Steps:

• Place yeast in the bowl of a mixer. Pour milk over yeast; stir to combine. Let stand until foamy, about 2 minutes. Add 2 3/4 cups flour to bowl without stirring. Cover tightly with plastic, and let stand in a warm place until surface is cracking, about 45 minutes.
• Whisk together cup flour, the yolks, brown and granulated sugars, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until dark brown with a nutty aroma. Remove from heat. Pour browned butter (with browned bits) over yolk mixture; whisk to combine.
• Add yolk-butter mixture to yeast mixture. Beat with a mixer on medium-low speed until just combined. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 2 minutes (dough will be sticky). Transfer to an oiled bowl; cover. Let stand in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. Turn out dough onto a floured surface, and knead for 2 minutes. Return dough to bowl. Let stand until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes more.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll out dough into a 10-by-25-inch rectangle. Cut crosswise into twenty 1/2-inch-thick strips. Bring ends of 1 strip together, twist, and pinch ends to seal. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining strips. Let stand for 15 minutes.
• Heat 2 to 3 inches oil in a heavy 5-quart saucepan until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees. Working in batches, fry doughnuts, turning occasionally, until browned, about 2 minutes. (Adjust heat as necessary to maintain oil temperature.) Transfer doughnuts to paper-towel-lined plates to drain; let cool slightly. Toss doughnuts in superfine sugar. Serve with chocolate-brandy sauce if desired.

GINGER DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• For doughnuts:
• Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Stir in crystallized ginger and lemon peel.
• Whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract in large bowl to blend well. Stir in cream and melted butter. Add dry ingredients and stir to blend well (dough will be sticky). Cover bowl with plastic wrap; chill at least 1 hour. (Dough can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• For topping:
• Mix sugar and ground ginger in medium bowl to blend.
• Line large baking sheet with plastic wrap. Roll out dough on generously floured surface to 3/4-inch thickness. Using floured 2 1/4-inch cookie cutter, cut out dough rounds. Using floured 1 1/4-inch cookie cutter, cut out hole in center of each large dough round, forming doughnuts. Gather dough scraps and reroll on floured surface. Repeat process, cutting out more doughnuts until all dough is used up. Place doughnuts on prepared baking sheet.
• Line another large baking sheet with several layers of paper towels. Combine vegetable oil and shortening in heavy large pot. Attach deep-fry thermometer inside pot. Heat oil mixture over medium heat until thermometer registers 350°F. Adjust heat as necessary to maintain temperature. Using slotted spoon, carefully lower 4 doughnuts into oil. Cook until bottoms of doughnuts are deep golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn doughnuts over and cook until bottoms are brown, about 2 minutes longer. Using slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Cool slightly. While doughnuts are still warm, turn to coat in sugar topping. Repeat process with remaining doughnuts. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.)

HOLIDAY GINGER SNAP CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Mix crushed gingersnap cookies, brown sugar, and butter together in a bowl until well-combined. Press gingersnap mixture into the bottom of a springform pan. Arrange whole gingersnap cookies upright around the border of the springform pan, pressing into the base so that they stand firmly.
• Bake in the preheated oven until set, about 7 minutes. Cool completely.

GERMAN TWISTS

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a bowl and let activate while you complete remaining steps.
• Place flour and salt into a food processor and pulse once or twice to combine. Scatter butter slices over flour and process until butter is thoroughly mixed into the flour, about 1 minute.
• Whisk yeast mixture, sour cream, egg, egg yolks, and vanilla extract together in a bowl; pour mixture into food processor. Pulse several times, just until the dough starts to hold together and clean the sides of the bowl (do not overmix). Remove dough from food processor and divide in half; form each half into a thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours. For best texture, refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Sprinkle a work surface generously with sugar and roll out one of the dough disks into an 8x16-inch rectangle. Sprinkle dough with a generous amount of sugar. Fold the dough over in thirds, letter-style, and roll out again; fold as before and roll out and fold a third time, sprinkling dough with sugar each time. Finally, roll dough into a 4x14-inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat process with second dough disk.
• Cut strips from the short side of the dough rectangles, making them 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide. Place strips onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, twisting and slightly stretching them. If preferred, form into horseshoe shapes.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cookies will puff up a bit to reveal delicate layers. Let cookies cool for about 5 minutes on sheets before transferring to wire cooling racks.