Light and Airy French Crullers

I'm not a huge fan of donuts. There are only a couple of donuts I would bother eating...unless I make them myself. Nothing honestly beats a homemade donut. And these Light and Airy French Crullers are no exception. They're probably the easiest donuts to make. No yeast, no proofing, no waiting. Just mix, pipe and fry up these amazingly light donuts. 

This week's been all about coffee. My cousin came to visit for the weekend, and between us, there were four kids under the age of 7 running around this house. That being said, when cousins get together, there's not much sleep going on. Who wakes up at 4:30am to color!? Our kids thats who! I think we got a total of 7 hours of sleep this whole weekend. So, strong strong coffee is on my mind. And when you think of coffee, don't you think of donuts? Maybe it's just me but homemade donuts are exactly what this coffee addict needs to combat the exhaustion that comes with too much family fun.

Ok So when I found out that french crullers were basically a cream puff dough piped and fried, I was extremely excited! I can totally do that! Honestly any excuse where I can pipe is good enough for me! French crullers are the one donut my husband always requests, aside from the Korean Donut Twists I had previously posted. He ate way more then he was suppose to when I made those. Can you imagine how many crullers he ate? Basically the whole batch...though he saved one or two for me dad, who is also a french cruller connoisseur. 

So to whip up a batch of these melt in your mouth donuts, start by heating butter, water, sugar and salt in a pot till it comes to a boil. Once boiling, quickly add all the flour and beat with a wooden spoon till it's fully incorporated and the dough leaves a slight film on the bottom of the pot. I then throw this dough into a stand mixer and beat it a bit to allow the dough to cool before I add the eggs. No one wants scrambled eggs in their choux pastry. When the dough is cool to the touch, beat in the eggs one at a time, allowing it to fully incorporate before adding the next one. The dough till be smooth, but very very sticky. Almost a goopy consistency. I'm using very proper baking terms by the way...

Now for the fun part. Cut 4X4 inch squares or parchment paper and put them on a cookie sheet. Pipe the dough into circles right on these parchment squares. I used the Ateco party tube size 826. This will help you transfer the sticky dough into the hot oil. Heat your oil on high to 350F. Once it hits 350F turn the heat down to medium. Now take the parchment squares and one at a time drop them dough side down into the hot oil. The parchment should almost immediately pop off and you can fish it out of the oil. Fry each side of the donut till golden brown, it only takes about 2-4 minutes on each side. Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack, then dip in the glaze. 

These donuts are seriously heavenly. It feels like eating air, so its honestly very easy to eat a plateful! Perfect for a decadent breakfast or brunch or snack... whatever your reason, make them, you won't regret it!

Light and Airy French Crullers

Adapted from Use Real Butter's French Crullers

 Yields approx 1 dozen donuts

Ingredients

for the donuts:

• 1 cup water
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tsps sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1-2 egg whites, slightly beaten
• vegetable oil for frying

For the glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 3 to 4 tbsp water

Method:

1. In a heavy bottom sauce pan, bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a brisk boil
2. Stir in the flour all at once and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely incorporate. When you see a thin film start to coat the bottom of the pan, the batter is ready.
3. Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat the dough to help it cool before adding the eggs. 
4. Once cool to the touch, turn the mixer to medium speed and add one egg, making sure that each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one. Then add the egg whites a little bit at a time until the dough becomes smooth and glossy and holds a little shape.
5. Spoon the dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip.
6. Pipe the dough into circles onto 3X3 inch greased parchment squares.
7. Heat 5 cups of oil in a heavy pot on high till it reaches 350F. Once it reaches 350F turn the heat down to medium and you're ready to fry.
8. Drop each ring, dough side down into the oil. Fish out the parchment once it slips off.
9. Fry the donuts on each side till it turns a golden brown. Approx 2 minutes on each side. 
10. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
11. To make the glaze, whisk  the confectioners sugar with the honey and water.
12. Dip or spoon glaze over the warm donuts. Allow the glaze to set before digging in!