Back in Action
Hello, everyone and welcome back to my blog! Sorry I didn’t have a new recipe last week, but life just got in the way and, not gonna lie, ya girl got a little lazy. Usually, I like to be about 2-3 recipes ahead, but with the road trip, my parents staying in town, and getting back into my routine, I couldn’t bring myself to spend hours in the kitchen developing recipes. However, I’ve had this past weekend to really zone in and get some sh*t done. And honestly, I think having that break has really allowed me to get back into with a new motivation. I’m returning with a bang with these Browned Butter Sweet Potato Old Fashioned Donuts!
Old Fashioned vs. Yeast Donuts
First thing first, old fashioned donuts vs. regular yeast donuts. What’s the difference? Old fashioned donuts are fried cake donuts so they’re a little denser than your typical donut. They’re made with cake flour, which is a finely milled flour that has a lower protein content than all purpose flour. The lower protein content prevents gluten strands from forming. Gluten formation is what can cause doughs to become tough and chewy. Yeast donuts, on the other hand, use all purpose flour. They’re lighter and have more of a bread-like consistency due to the yeast and gluten formation from the flour.
Tip: The lower the protein content (in a flour), the less gluten formation there will be, and the higher the protein content (in a flour), the more gluten formation there will be.
There are some people who love cake donuts but hate yeast donuts. And then there are other people who hate cake donuts but love yeast donuts. I don’t discriminate when it comes to donuts, so I welcome all the different types of donuts out there with open arms. There’s a time, place, and a mood for each donut so I appreciate each one and their differences.
Bomb Diggity Donuts
Now that we know our donuts, let’s dive in to these Browned Butter Sweet Potato Old Fashioned Donuts! I wanted to create a donut that would scream all things fall. I decided to switch up the regular old fashioned donut and turn it into a sweet potato old fashioned donut! And of course, you can’t have sweet potatoes without warm spices so I added cinnamon and nutmeg into the mix. I also decided to brown the butter to give the donuts a nuttiness that compliments all the other flavors goin’ on. The donut is topped with a maple glaze spiced with cinnamon and finished with a sprinkle of chopped pecans!
As amazing and wonderful as that all sounds, there is one main component that you must keep in mind. Do not over-mix the dough! You’re going to mix all the dry ingredients together in one bowl, and all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Then pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. You can start mixing everything together with a a rubber spatula. Eventually, it may become too difficult, so you can turn the dough onto a surface and gently knead it until it comes together. Make sure to not be too aggressive when mixing the dough and stop kneading right when it comes together. Even though this donut is made with a lower protein flour, it can still form strands of gluten. We want to keep these Sweet Potato Old Fashioned Donuts as soft as possible!
Fall Baking
Seeing as I love donuts, this recipe was so fun to make and even more fun to eat XD! If anyone is going to offer me a donut in the fall, it better be this Sweet Potato Old Fashioned Donut! I gotta be honest, this is a tough recipe to beat! The sweet potato, cinnamon, nutmeg, browned butter, maple, and pecans just hit the spot — especially during this time of the year. Definitely give this recipe a try and let me know what you think! Thanks for joining me today and I’ll talk to you in my next post!
Browned Butter Sweet Potato Old Fashioned Donuts
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potato Donuts
- 3 cups Cake Flour + more for dusting
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 3/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 2 1/2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup Mashed Sweet Potato
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream
- 1 Large Egg + 1 Large Egg Yolk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- As Needed Vegetable Oil (or any neutral oil)
- 3/4 cup Chopped Pecans
For the Maple Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups Confectioners Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- Pinch of Salt
- 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 2 tbsp Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
For the Sweet Potato Donuts
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt cinnamon, and nutmeg to a large bowl. Mix the ingredients together with a whisk until everything is evenly distributed.
- Heat a small pan over medium heat. Add the butter to the pan and allow it to melt. Decrease the heat to medium low and continue to cook the butter for about 2-4 minutes until it turns a golden brown color. Pour the butter into a medium sized bowl. Be sure to scrape the brown bits on the bottom of the pan into the bowl as well.
- Add the sweet potato, sour cream, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract to the bowl with the butter. Mix with a whisk until the ingredients are combined.
- Pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to mix the ingredients together. When the dough becomes too difficult to mix with the spatula, turn the dough out onto a clean surface and gently knead it until it comes together in one mass. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
- Dust a clean surface with flour. Unwrap the dough and lightly flour the top. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to a 1/2 inch thickness. Dust a 3 inch ring cutter with flour and begin to cut out the donuts from the dough. Dust a 1 inch ring cutter with flour and use it to punch out the center of the donuts. Gently re-roll the scraps to continue cutting out donuts and donut holes. Make sure to not overwork the dough when re-rolling or else the donuts will be tough.
- Use a pastry brush to dust off any excess flour on the donuts and donut holes. Transfer the donuts onto a tray lined with parchment paper and place them into the fridge to chill while the oil heats.
- Pour the oil into a pot or a pan with sides until it is 2 inches deep. Heat the oil over medium high heat until it reaches 350˚F. When the oil is ready gently add a few donuts and donut holes to the pan. Be sure to not overcrowd the pan. Cook the donuts for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side and the donut holes for about 1 minutes.
- Remove the donuts and donut holes from the oil with a slotted spoon or spider. Place them onto a sheet tray lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Transfer the donuts to a wire rack to cool.
For the Maple Glaze
- Add all of the ingredients to a medium sized bowl. Mix everything together with a whisk until a smooth glaze forms.
- Spoon the glaze onto the tops of the donuts and donut holes. Sprinkle the chopped pecans onto one side of the donuts and the donut holes. Enjoy!
