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Father Calistus Sour Cream Doughnuts

Source of Recipe

Buddy Cookbook


List of Ingredients

Yield: 20 to 24 (3-inch) doughnuts, plus doughnut holes.

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 egg
Vegetable oil, for frying
Confectioners' sugar, for sprinkling





Recipe

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into medium bowl; stir to mix. In another bowl, combine sour cream and egg; mix well. Pour sour cream mixture into flour mixture; stir until just moistened. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead about 8 strokes, just enough make a cohesive dough. Let dough rest 10 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Cut out doughnuts using a 3- or 4-inch doughnut cutter. Press dough scraps together gently (do not knead), roll out, and cut more doughnuts. (Do not roll a third time; just fry the scraps as oddly shaped doughnut holes.) Let doughnuts firm up, uncovered, about 30 minutes. (I usually cut mine out and place them on a lightly greased baking sheet.)

Pour oil to a depth of 2 1/2 to 3 inches in an electric fryer or skillet. (I recommend using an electric fryer with a calibrated dial, but you can use a deep skillet on the stovetop if you have a candy thermometer.) Heat oil to 365 to 375 degrees. Fry doughnuts, 3 or 4 at a time, about 2 minutes per side, or until medium brown. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle confectioners' sugar on one side; serve warm. Recommended beverage: ice-cold chocolate milk.

Note:
Recipes for sour cream doughnuts vary greatly regarding the proportion of eggs and sour cream to flour and sugar. I've taken the middle road here, so these aren't as rich as some doughnuts, and definitely require a sprinkling of confectioners' sugar to be their best. You can use cinnamon-sugar, too. I've also served them with a simple milk-and-confectioners'-sugar frosting, which my fellow monks seemed to enjoy very much. I'm assuming this based on the fact that there weren't any doughnuts left by the time I got to breakfast!

You might have seen me make doughnuts and samosas in a skillet on the program. I have switched to an electric fryer because it's easier to get precise temperature control (it took me nearly an hour to get that right in season one!). Also, the fryer on the countertop is more stable than a pan on the stove, and therefore safer in my view.

As with biscuits, it really is crucial to handle the dough as little as possible, or else the doughnuts will be tough rather than light and tender.