Have you ever found yourself in front of a donut shop window at 10 AM, hesitating between reason and indulgence? The answer is to make them yourself. Cheaper, better when warm, and frankly not that complicated once you understand what’s happening in the dough.
Ingredients :
- T45 Flour — Finer than T55, it gives a lighter and more stringy crumb. If you only have T55, it works, but the texture will be slightly denser — not a tragedy, just a bit less airy.
- Active dry yeast — Not baking powder in a sachet — that does absolutely nothing here. You need baker’s yeast, fresh or dry. If using fresh, multiply the quantity by 3. To test if it’s still active: put it in warm milk with a pinch of sugar, wait 10 minutes. If it foams, it’s good.
- Whole milk — The fat in the milk brings softness and helps the crumb. Semi-skimmed works, but the result will be a notch below. Crucial point: it must be lukewarm, around 38°C. Hot, it kills the yeast. Cold, it blocks it.
- Unsalted butter — It must be soft, not melted. Melted, it changes the structure of the dough and makes the donut heavier. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before starting, that’s all.
