On a recent social media post I read, someone posted an old-timey looking recipe for crullers.
Naturally when I read “sour milk” I immediately thought “kefir“. Turns out it’s really more a sour cream/cake donut recipe. I didn’t wind up using a fancy piping bag or any other refined technique to make it a true cruller. However, they turned out nicely! Not too sweet (even with powdered sugar sprinkled on them) and light and fluffy.
I incorporated miso paste into the batter, too, to give it a little salty umami note.
Using a 3 inch (7.5 cm) diameter cookie cutter or sharply edged cup or glass, and a 1 1/2″ (3.75 cm) diameter cutter or cup/glass to cut out the hole.
Upgrade: roll 1/2 teaspoon culinary lavender flowers into the powdered sugar and let sit a few hours before sifting them over the donuts.
- 500 grams (about 6 cups) all purpose flour
- 240 ml (1 cup) milk kefir
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) sour cream
- 200 grams (1 cup) raw sugar
- 400 grams (about 4 cups) coconut oil (refined is fine)
- 1 egg
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) baking soda
- 2 Tbsp. dark (salty) miso
- 3 Tbsp. (45 ml) powdered sugar
- Add kefir, sour cream, egg, baking soda and miso to a mixing bowl and mix well
- Add raw sugar and mix until it dissolves.
- Incorporate the flour ⅓ at a time. Mix well until the dough starts to have a smooth surface. You may need to use a little more or a little less flour to achieve this.
- Heat a medium sized Dutch oven or pot with coconut oil until it is 350F/176C. There should be enough oil to be 2" (5 cm) deep. Use a candy thermometer to keep tabs on the temperature.
- Once it's a dough, roll it out with a well floured rolling pin on a well-floured surface until it is about ¼ inch thick.
- Using the cutters, stamp out circles for the donuts and the holes. Transfer the rings to a floured sheet pan. Roll the "holes" into spheres with your palms.
- When the oil is hot, add two donuts and two "holes" at a time. If the oil temp drops, crank up the heat until it comes back. Adjust heat constantly as needed to keep temperature consistent.
- Fry 2-3 minutes, then flip donuts and holes over and fry another 2-3 minutes, until dark golden brown.
- Remove from pot with tongs or slotted spoon, to a plate covered with paper towels.
- Sprinkle powdered sugar on both sides of the hot donuts.
- Ensure oil is at 350F before each new batch. Repeat until all the donuts are fried.
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