Berliners

Cooking Clarified and KidCulture have teamed up to bring you a month of doughnuts! You’ll get recipes here and the background on all of the delicious doughnuts from around the world at KidCulture. Check back each weekday in April for doughnut facts & recipes.

Berliner

Berliners are cakey doughnuts filled with your favorite jam, jelly or custard. Learn more about Berliners at KidCulture.com.

Ingredients

¾ cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 packet dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)
3 ¾ cups flour
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/3 cup jam or preserves

Canola or vegetable oil, for frying
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

Warm the milk and butter to 110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and set aside until the yeast dissolves and becomes foamy.

Combine flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the milk-yeast mixture, eggs and the flour. Mix until a sticky dough forms.

Turn the dough onto a lightly-floured surface and knead until smoother, about 2 minutes. Place the dough into a lightly-oiled boil. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until it doubles in size, about an hour.

Roll the dough out on a lightly-floured surface until it’s ½-inch thick. Use a 3-inch biscuit or cookie cutter to cut rounds from the dough. Place a teaspoon of jam in the center of each round and wrap the dough around it, pressing the edges together to create a seam. Place the filled doughnuts on a lightly-oiled baking sheet and let them rise for 10 minutes.

Heat at least 2 inches of canola or vegetable oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the doughnuts to the hot oil and fry until golden brown on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to turn the doughnuts, if necessary. Drain the doughnuts on a paper towel-lined sheet tray. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.