Cinnamon Sourdough Doughnuts

Folks, I'm going to spare you the introduction you will usually see on a recipe-based blog post. These are amazing. They were completely gone within a few hours of being pulled out of the fry oil. So let's get into it!

A note about your starter: 

You'll want to use a fed starter. If you're like me and keep your starter in the fridge, take it out the day before, feed it, and leave it on the counter to rise. When it looks like it's at it's peak (has doubled in size, or just about), it's time to use it! 

Ingredients: 

DRY
- 1/3 granulated sugar 
- 1/2 tsp salt 
- 4 cups all-purpose flour

WET
- 1 cup of milk (I used 2%). If you can warm it up a little bit first that helps!
- 1 cup of active sourdough starter 
- 2 eggs 
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 
- 1/3 melted butter (unsalted is best)

TO FRY: 
- approximately 2 quarts of vegetable or canola oil 
*having a candy thermometer is helpful! 

SUGAR COATING: 
- ~1 cup of granulated sugar 
- Cinnamon to taste 

Instructions: 

Preparing your dough

If you have a mixer, definitely pull it out for this recipe. The dough hook attachment will likely work best!

Mix your dry ingredients together, but only use about half of the flour. Then add your wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until everything is combined. 

Now, you'll want to add the remaining flour you have bit by bit. Take your time. You may not need it all! Once your dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl, your dough is ready. You still want your dough to be a little bit sticky for this recipe, so this is the sweet spot. 

Continue mixing at low/ medium speed for a couple of minutes, or you can take it out of the mixer and do it by hand (I left it in the mixer). 

Let the dough rise: Cover the bowl with a bowl cover or saran wrap. Seal that moisture in! Let it sit on the counter for around 4 hours. Your dough will rise to almost double. You can also let it sit out for about an hour, and stick it in the fridge overnight (~8-10 hours). 

 
Time to fry! 

Pour your frying oil into a pot. Heat until you reach around 190C. If you don't have a thermometer, you can test whether your oil is hot enough by placing a small piece of dough in the pot. If it starts to cook, it's ready! If not, wait a while longer. 

Once you have left your dough to rise, take it out of the bowl and roll it out onto your counter until it's approximately 1 quarter inch thick.

Use either a cookie cutter or the top of a glass to cut out round pieces. 

In a large bowl, add your  granulated sugar and cinnamon to taste. The ratio is all a matter of preference. Set it aside. 

Now that your oil is hot enough, place 2-3 doughnuts into the oil at a time (the amount you cook at a time really depends on the size of your pot). The doughnut will sink to the bottom, and within a few seconds should float up to the top. 

Cook on both sides for just over a minute. They should be a golden brown. 

When you take your doughnuts out of the oil, toss them in your cinnamon / sugar blend. 

You can store these in a tupperware, but they are unlikely to last too long ;) 

Let me know if you give it a try! Bon appétit ♡

- Hanna