French Crullers - ►

Dunkin’ Donuts® locations sometimes have a French Cruller that is shaped like a hypoid gear smoothed over at the top and the bottom edges. It is glazed. The cruller is light, soft, airy and rich because it is made with eggs instead of being a yeast raised donut. I love that type of donut so I decided to start making them and add them to the recipe book when I know they are top quality. Well, I guess I was a bit anxious as I added the recipe from the Internet (already modified, of course) before even trying to make them.

The recipe below is the second one I am trying. My first attempt to make crullers with a different recipe was not impressive.

I will try different approaches and upgrade this recipe once I find a truly superior way to make French Crullers.

Ingredients:

Crisco® Shortening

14, 3½ inch diameter aluminum foil circles

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter

1¼ cups sifted all-purpose flour

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vegetable oil or Crisco® shortening for frying

Confectioners glaze (confectioners' sugar, water, vanilla)

Directions:

With shortening, grease one side of the foil circles very well.

In a heavy, 2-1/2-quart saucepan, combine the sugar, salt, butter, and 1 cup of water. Bring to boiling on medium heat. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Quickly add the flour all at once; beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until the flour is moistened.

Cook over medium heat, beating until the dough forms a ball and leaves the side of pan. Remove the pan from the heat.

Put the mixture into an electric mixer bowl.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating with the electric mixer at medium speed after each addition.

Beat in the vanilla.

Continue beating until the mixture is smooth, shiny, and satiny, and forms strands that break apart. The dough should hold its shape when the beater is slowly raised.

Put the dough into a large pastry bag with a number-6 star tip.

Press the dough onto the pieces of greased foil to form circles about 3-1/4 inches in diameter, overlapping the ends slightly.

Let the circles stand for 20 minutes.

In a large, heavy skillet, slowly heat the oil (1-1/2 to 2 inches deep) to 350ºF using a deep-frying thermometer.

Place the raw cruller dough, including the foil, into the hot oil, four at a time. Turn each as it rises to the top of the oil. Lift out/remove each piece of foil.

Fry about 10 minutes (WAY TOO LONG! My guess is that two minutes per side is plenty of frying time to achieve a light tan color and to allow the eggs to cause expansion and the interior to cook), or until golden, turning several times.

Lift the donuts out of the hot oil with a slotted spoon. Drain them on paper towels.

Dip the donuts into a dish of confectioners’ glaze, turning each over once to coat both sides.

Place the glazed French cruller donuts on a wire rack to cool.