German Carnival Donuts

Name: German Carnival Donuts (Berliners)
Cuisine: German
Ingredients: Generous 3 cups/500 g white bread flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 oz/25 g fresh yeast (½ the quantity of dried yeast); 1 oz/25 g fresh yeast (½ the quantity of dried yeast); 3 tablespoons sugar; About ½ cup/125 ml warm milk; 3 eggs; Grated zest of 1 lemon; 3 tablespoons melted butter; Jelly/jam for stuffing; Jelly/jam for stuffing; Jelly/jam for stuffing; Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Berliners

Preparation info

Makes about
20

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Sacred Food

By Elisabeth Luard

Published 2001

About

Deliciously light donuts sold hot from the fryer on market days, but most particularly to revelers at carnival time. They are cooked in such a way that, though golden brown on the outside, they retain a pale center.

Ingredients

The dough

Generous 3 cups/500 g white bread flour
1 teaspoon salt

Europe
Germany
Dessert
Vegetarian

Method

All the ingredients should be as warm as your hand. Sift the flour with the salt into a warm bowl. Work the yeast with a little of the sugar till it liquidizes, then blend with the milk (if using dried, follow the instructions on the packet), and pour into a well in the flour. Sprinkle with loose flour, and leave until it bubbles—15-20 minutes in a warm kitchen.