jelly doughnuts

 There is no better feeling in the food world than to bite into a warm crispy and chewy doughnut and to find it gushing with flavourful jelly. Jelly doughnuts have always been my favourite growing up. the way they left my fingers and mouth dusted with powdered sugar was just the best. Even now, no other doughnut has taken its place in my heart. this recipe takes a bit of time but trust me, it is so very worth it.

 the ingredients are few but all very necessary to create this delicious chewy dough. when heating your milk and your butter, make sure you don't let the milk reach a temperature that's higher than 130f. if you do, your yeast will die and trust me, that will be a very sad day for you and your loved ones. the rising time is super important. It will create a very airy dough which will give your jelly room to spread in the doughnut making every bite super sweet and tasty. I used strawberry jam that I strained to make sure it was silky smooth. you could use any kind of jam and do the same thing or simply buy your favourite jelly and save yourself a step.

 once your dough is cut to the appropriate size and you've let them risen for an hour, it's time to fry them. the doughnuts will be very fragile so be gentle with them. To make sure you don't manipulate the dough too much, I would recommend placing each donut on a square of parchment paper before letting them rise. that way you can simply plop 'em into the hot oil and keep all those very important air pockets that have formed. once they are fresh out the oil, let the cooked doughnuts drain on a paper towel. When they've cooled a bit dust them with powdered sugar, make a hole on the inside with the help of a sharp knife and fill these bad boys with the jelly of your choice. enjoy while they're still warm. they are best eaten the same day but they keep for 2-3 days.

ingredients:

• 4-5 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 packs active dry yeast
• 1-1/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups strawberry jelly
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• one quart frying oil 

instructions:

• in a bowl, whisk together 1-1/2 cups of flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon.
• in a saucepan heat the milk and butter until slightly warmer than lukewarm. 
• add the yeast to the milk mixture and let it rest for 5 minutes.
• beat the wet mixture into the dry mixture.
• beat in the eggs and 3/4 cup of flour.
• stir-in 1-3/4 cups of flour and knead for 10 minutes.
• add more flour if the dough is too sticky.
• place the dough into a greased bowl, cover and let rest in a warm place for an hour until it has doubled in size.
• punch the dough and let it rest for an extra 15 minutes.
• roll to a thickness of 1/4 inch and cut out circles with a diameter of 2-1/2 inches.
• place doughnuts on a greased baking sheet, cover and let them rest in a warm place for an hour.
• heat the oil to 370f.
• gently place the doughnuts in the oil and fry about one minute on each side.
•  drain the cooked doughnuts on a paper towel.
• once cooled, sprinkle the doughnuts with powdered sugar, poke holes using a sharp knife or a wooden dowel and fill them with whichever jelly you choose.
• enjoy ;)