Thursday, April 26, 2012

Baked Curran Doughnuts



There goes my sweet tooth again... Everybody loves doughnuts...Hot ,sweet doughnuts out of the oven with a nice tumbler of hot coffee for breakfast!!! Here is a real sweetheart of a recipe for you!

Baked Curran Doughnuts.  I am told that Robert Jörin, a third-generation Swiss baker at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone came up with this recipe for these delicious light doughnuts.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup(s) dried currants

1 envelope(s) active dry yeast

Granulated sugar

3 cup(s) all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon(s) freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon(s) cinnamon

3/4 cup(s) milk, warmed

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 stick(s) unsalted butter, softened

4 tablespoon(s) melted butter

2 teaspoon(s) kosher salt

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, cover the currants with hot water and let stand until softened, 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir the yeast with 2 tablespoons of warm water and a pinch of sugar and let stand until foamy, 5 minutes.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon with 1/4 cup of sugar.

Add the milk, egg, egg yolk, and half of the softened butter; beat at low speed for 3 minutes. Beat in the yeast, then add the salt. Beat the dough on medium speed until soft and silky, about 8 minutes; the dough should pull cleanly away from the bowl.

With the machine on, add the remaining softened butter to the dough in walnut-size lumps, beating at low speed between additions until incorporated. Drain the currants, pressing out any excess water; beat them into the dough on low speed. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover, and let stand in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, 1 hour. Punch it down, reform into a ball, and return to the bowl.

Cover and let stand until billowy, 1 hour. Butter 2 large baking sheets. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and cut it into 12 equal pieces. Pinch each piece into a ball and arrange 6 balls on each of the prepared baking sheets, smooth sides up.

Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 10 minutes. Using lightly floured hands, press each ball into a flat 4-inch disk. Using a 1 1/4-inch round cutter, stamp out the centers of each disk, and return the holes to the baking sheets.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand for 1 hour, until risen slightly.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the doughnuts and holes for 25 minutes, shifting the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through; the doughnuts are done when they are golden and puffy and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 200 degrees F.


Spread sugar in a shallow bowl. Brush the hot doughnuts and holes on both sides with the melted butter and dredge them in sugar. Transfer them to a platter and serve with a nice cup of coffee!

Enjoy!
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1 comment:

Yvonne Anderson said...

That looks soo good!

April 29, 2012 at 6:18 PM

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Food Safety Tips
Protect yourself against food-borne illnesses.


1. Use a "refrigerator thermometer" to keep your food stored at a safe temperature (below 40 degrees fahrenheit).

Cold temperatures slow the growth of bacteria. Ensuring that your refrigerator temperature stays at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of food-borne illness. You can buy a refrigerator/freezer thermometer at appliance stories, home centers (i.e. Home Depot), and kitchen stores including online ones, such as Cooking.com.

2. Defrost food in the refrigerator, the microwave, or in cold water... never on the counter!

Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter for longer than two hours because, while the center of the food may remain frozen, the outer surface may enter the Danger Zone, the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly. If you’re short on time, use the microwave or you can thaw meat and poultry in airtight packaging in cold water. Change the water every half-hour so it stays cold and use the thawed food immediately.

3. Always use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/fish and cooked foods/fresh produce.

Bacteria from uncooked meat, poultry, and fish can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. An important way to reduce this risk is to use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/ fish, and cooked foods/fresh produce.

4. Always cook meat to proper temperatures, using a calibrated instant-read thermometer to make sure.

One effective way to prevent illness is to use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, and egg dishes. The USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures are as follows:

* Beef, veal, and lamb (steaks and roasts), fish - 145 degrees fahrenheit

* Pork and ground beef - 160 degrees fahrenheit

* Poultry - 165 degrees fahrenheit.

Cook meats like roasts and steaks to lower temperatures, closer to medium-rare, so that they retain their moisture. It is recommended that those who are at high risk for developing food-borne illness (i.e. pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, or certain chronic illnesses) should follow the USDA guidelines.

5. Avoid unpasteurized/raw milk and cheeses made from unpasteurized milk that are aged less than 60 days.

Raw milk is milk from cows, sheep, or goats that has not been pasteurized (heated to a very high temperature for a specific length of time) to kill harmful bacteria that may be present. These bacteria, which include salmonella, E. coli and listeria, can cause serious illness and sometimes even death. The bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems or chronic illnesses. Raw milk cheeses aged 60 days or longer are okay, since the salt and acidity of the cheese-making process make for a hostile environment to pathogens.

6. Never eat "runny" eggs or foods, such as cookie dough, that contain raw eggs.

Even eggs that have clean, intact shells may be contaminated with salmonella, so it’s important to cook eggs thoroughly until both the yolk and the white are firm. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160 degrees fahrenheit and you can use an instant-read food thermometer to check. Eggs should always be cooked fully and those who are at high risk for developing foodborne illness (pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems or certain chronic illnesses should follow the USDA guidelines. If you can’t resist runny eggs or sampling cookie batter, use pasteurized eggs. They’re found near other eggs in large supermarkets.

7. Always wash your hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before handling food and after touching raw meat, poultry, or eggs.

You can pick up a lot of bacteria out in the world, so it’s important to always wash your hands before you eat or prepare food. You should also wash your hands after touching any uncooked meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, as the bacteria from these foods can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. Use soap and warm water and wash thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

8. Always heat leftover foods to 165 degrees fahrenheit.

The USDA recommends heating all cooked leftovers to 165 degrees fahrenheit in order to kill all potentially dangerous bacteria.

9. Never eat meat, poultry, eggs, or sliced fresh fruits and vegetables that have been left out for more than two hours or more than one hour in temperatures hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you leave perishable foods out of the refrigerator or freezer for more than two hours they may enter the Danger Zone—the unsafe temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly.

10. Whenever there’s a food recall, check products stored at home to make sure they are safe.

You should discard any food that’s been recalled because it’s associated with the outbreak of a food-borne illness. But, according to a survey conducted by Rutgers University during the fall of 2008, only about 60% of Americans search their homes for foods that have been recalled because of contamination. For more information on food recalls, visit the website Recalls.gov






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