Strawberry Doughnuts
To transform these pink-tinted confections into triple-strawberry doughnuts, omit the sprinkles and fold 1/3 to 1/2 cup finely chopped strawberries into the glaze. Do not chop the berries in advance or they will weep and thin the glaze.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (8 oz./250 g) fresh or frozen strawberries, quartered, thawed if frozen
- 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz./235 g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- Kosher salt
- 1/3 cup (3 fl. oz./80 ml) plus 1 Tbs. buttermilk
- 6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) (3 oz./90 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (4 oz./125 g) sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups (8 oz./250 g) confectioners’ sugar
- Colored sprinkles for garnish (optional)
Directions
Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C). Coat the wells of a doughnut pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a blender, puree the strawberries until smooth. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until syrupy, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and 1/4 tsp. salt. In a measuring cup, stir together the buttermilk and 1/3 cup of the strawberry syrup. Set aside the remaining syrup to use in the glaze.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. On low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk mixture and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat each addition until just blended.
Transfer the batter to a pastry bag and pipe 2 Tbs. batter into each prepared well. Bake, rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted into the doughnuts comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then invert the doughnuts onto the rack and let cool completely.
Meanwhile, wash and dry the pan and repeat twice more to bake the remaining batter.
While the doughnuts are cooling, make the glaze. In a bowl, stir together the remaining strawberry syrup, the confectioners’ sugar and a pinch of salt until smooth and well blended. Use the glaze within an hour or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Stir gently again immediately before glazing the doughnuts.
To serve, place the sprinkles in a small bowl. Dip the doughnuts, top side down, into the glaze, then dip the glazed tops of the doughnuts into sprinkles to coat. Makes 16 to 18 doughnuts.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma The Doughnut Cookbook (Weldon Owen, 2016)
