Kreppel (German jam doughnuts)
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Dough
- 450 g flour rounded
- 7 g instant yeast rounded
- 60 g sugar rounded
- 200 ml milk, lukewarm rounded
- 2 egg yolks rounded
- 60 g butter, softened rounded
- 4 g fine salt rounded
- 1 L neutral oil, for frying rounded
Filling and finishing
- 250 g fruit jam, such as plum or apricot rounded
- 80 g powdered sugar, for dusting rounded
Method
Method
- Whisk the flour, yeast and sugar together in a bowl. Add the lukewarm milk and egg yolks, and mix to a rough dough. Knead in the softened butter and salt for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise for 60 minutes, until doubled.
- Divide into 10 pieces and shape each into a smooth ball. Arrange on a floured tray, spaced apart. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a wide pot to a moderate frying temperature, around 170 to 175°C. Test with a small piece of dough first; it should sizzle steadily, not violently.
- Fry the doughnuts in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until evenly golden brown and fully cooked through. Drain on paper towel.
- Let cool completely. Using a piping bag with a thin nozzle, pipe jam into the centre of each doughnut. Dust generously with powdered sugar.
Notes
- Keep the oil at a moderate, steady temperature, not very hot. The dough is thick; oil that’s too hot browns the outside before the centre has time to cook through, leaving a raw, doughy middle under a dark crust.
- Test the oil with a small piece of dough before frying the full batch. This is the most reliable way to check the temperature is right without a thermometer.
- Let the doughnuts cool fully before piping in the jam. A still-warm, delicate crumb lets the filling seep straight out; a cooled one holds it in place.
- Best eaten the day they’re made, since the filled doughnuts don’t keep especially well once filled.
Ingredient substitutions
- Any smooth fruit jam works for the filling; plum and apricot are the most traditional.
- A dusting of granulated sugar rolled on while still warm is a simpler finish than powdered sugar, if preferred.
- A little grated lemon zest in the dough is a nice addition.