Twists Holes Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the milk until it is warm but not hot, about 90 degrees. In a large bowl, combine it with the yeast. Stir lightly, and let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, beat the eggs, butter, sugar and salt into the yeast mixture. Add half of the flour (2 cups plus 2 tablespoons), and mix until combined, then mix in the rest of the flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add more flour, about 2 tablespoons at a time, if the dough is too wet. If you're using an electric mixer, the dough will probably become too thick to beat; when it does, transfer it to a floured surface, and gently knead it until smooth. Grease a large bowl with a little oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, and cover. Let rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
• Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and roll it to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out the doughnuts with a doughnut cutter, concentric cookie cutters or a drinking glass and a shot glass (the larger one should be about 3 inches in diameter), flouring the cutters as you go. Reserve the doughnut holes. If you're making filled doughnuts, don't cut out the middle. Knead any scraps together, being careful not to overwork, and let rest for a few minutes before repeating the process.
• Put the doughnuts on two floured baking sheets so that there is plenty of room between each one. Cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place until they are slightly puffed up and delicate, about 45 minutes. If your kitchen isn't warm, heat the oven to 200 at the beginning of this step, then turn off the heat, put the baking sheets in the oven and leave the door ajar.
• About 15 minutes before the doughnuts are done rising, put the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, and heat it to 375. Meanwhile, line cooling racks, baking sheets or plates with paper towels.
• Carefully add the doughnuts to the oil, a few at a time. If they're too delicate to pick up with your fingers (they may be this way only if you rose them in the oven), use a metal spatula to pick them up and slide them into the oil. It's O.K. if they deflate a bit; they'll puff back up as they fry. When the bottoms are deep golden, after 45 seconds to a minute, use a slotted spoon to flip; cook until they're deep golden all over. Doughnut holes cook faster. Transfer the doughnuts to the prepared plates or racks, and repeat with the rest of the dough, adjusting the heat as needed to keep the oil at 375. Glaze or fill as follows, and serve as soon as possible.
• Whisk together 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. When the doughnuts are cool enough to handle, dip into the glaze; if you like, flip them so the tops they're completely covered. Put on racks to let the glaze harden.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the yeast and flour; add butter and mix well. Add egg yolks and sour cream; mix well. Shape into four balls. Place in separate resealable plastic bags or wrap in plastic; refrigerate overnight. , Combine sugar, pecans and cinnamon; set aside. On a floured surface, roll each ball of dough into a 9-in. circle. Sprinkle with sugar mixture and apple. Cut each circle into 16 wedges; roll up from wide edge and pinch to seal. Place with point side down on greased baking sheets. , Bake at 350° for 16-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately remove to wire racks to cool. For icing, combine sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth; drizzle over the twists. Sprinkle with pecans.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees; with rack in middle. Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in egg whites, 1 at a time. Mix in flour, salt, and vanilla.
• Line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Spoon 2 tablespoons batter onto the baking mat. Using an offset spatula, spread batter into a 7-inch circle, with the edges slightly thicker than the center. Repeat, making a second circle on the mat.
• Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until edges of cookies turn golden, about 9 minutes. Using a small spatula, immediately transfer 1 cookie to a small bowl (about 5 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 inches deep). Gently mold the warm cookie to the shape of the bowl, pressing bottom down to flatten. Let stand in bowl 30 seconds; remove. Repeat with remaining cookie. If cookies become too cool to shape, return them to oven for 20 seconds. Repeat, baking remaining batter and forming into bowls. If using just 1 baking sheet, let it cool before spreading the next batch of batter onto it.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan set over medium heat, heat the milk until warm to the touch. Place yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. Pour warm milk over the yeast. Sprinkle 2 3/4 cups flour over the milk, and let stand until the flour begins to crack, about 20 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar. Add salt and 1/4 cup flour; whisk to combine; set egg mixture aside.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Using a paring knife, scrape vanilla seeds into melted butter; add pod. Cook until butter browns, foams, and has a nutty aroma, about 3 minutes. Remove and discard pod. Pour butter over the egg mixture; whisk to combine. Stir in vanilla extract.
• Add butter mixture to yeast mixture. Mix on low speed with paddle attachment 1 minute. Add remaining 2 tablespoons flour; combine. Increase speed to medium high; mix 1 minute more. Dough will be very sticky.
• Lightly oil a large bowl. Sift an even layer of flour onto a clean work surface. Turn out dough, and form a ball. Place in oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Set bowl aside in a warm place, and let dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn out dough again, and fold in half, deflating dough. Return dough to oiled bowl, re-cover, and set aside to rise until doubled in size again, about 30 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a low-sided six-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until a deep-frying thermometer registers 375 degrees. Lightly dust a baking pan with flour, and line a second one with paper towels.
• Turn out dough; dust with flour. Pat dough into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Using a 2 3/4-inch doughnut cutter, cut out doughnuts as close together as possible, dipping cutter in flour before each cut. Transfer holes to the floured baking pan.
• Flour your hands, and make twists out of the rings: Lift one side of a doughnut by placing your thumb on top and your forefinger underneath; reverse placement of other hand on other side. Turn each side away from each other, forming a doughnut with two twists. Transfer twists to floured pan along with holes; set aside 10 minutes, but not longer.
• Lift a twist at each end, pull to elongate, and carefully place in hot oil. Repeat with three more twists. Cook until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, turn over, cook until evenly browned on both sides, about 1 1/2 minutes more. Transfer to the lined pan. Repeat with remaining twists.
• Drop holes, one at a time, into hot oil; cook until completely golden brown, about 2 minutes, turning with slotted spoon as needed. Transfer to lined pan.
• Gather remaining dough scraps into a ball. Let rest 10 minutes; pat into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Cut, let rest 10 minutes, and cook.
• Coat twists and holes with white glaze. Transfer to a wire rack, and let set. Serve.