Matcha Doughnuts + Coconut Glaze

Fluffy enriched matcha dough, fried to perfection and topped with sweet coconut glaze.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (300 grams) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 tablespoon matcha powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (200 mls) full fat milk, warm
• 1 teaspoon active dried yeast
• 4 tablespoons (55 grams) unsalted butter, melted

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• toasted thread coconut to decorate

– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients – 

Equipment:

• Bowl, plastic wrap or a plastic bag
• Large heavy bottomed saucepan or cast iron casserole
• Candy thermometer
• Canola or peanut oil for frying – approx. 1 and 1/2 litres
• Paper towels and a wire rack

Directions:

Mix the flour, salt, matcha and most of the sugar in a large bowl.

Pop about half a teaspoon of the sugar into a heatproof cup and top with the milk. Warm to just over blood temperature. It should feel warm to put your finger in. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and leave to froth.

Add the milk mixture and melted butter to the dry ingredients.

Use your hand to bring everything together into a shaggy dough. Cover and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 7 to 8 minutes. The dough will be soft and a bit sticky. Use the absolute minimum amount of flour to keep it from sticking to you in the first minutes. It should only need a teaspoon at a time a couple of times. As you knead it will become less sticky on it’s own.

Put the dough back into the bowl, cover and leave in a warm spot to double in size.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat out into a rectangle about 9 by 12 inches.

Using a doughnut cutter, cut out 12 doughnuts. Keep the middle bits! Dust the cutter with flour as you go so it doesn’t stick.

If you have a small round cutter of comparable size cut up any edges into rounds the size of the doughnut holes. I don’t bother to bring the dough scraps back together – they pick up a lot of flour and it’s a pain.

Lay the cut doughs on a baking sheet lined with baking paper that has been dusted with a little flour. Cover with a tea-towel and leave to rise for 30 minutes. They won’t completely double again but air bubbles will from that will expand in the hot oil.

Fill your pot or casserole with about 3 inches of oil and clip the thermometer on the side. Put it over a medium heat. You want the temperature to get to 180C (350F). When it reaches temperature turn the burner down to low to keep it steady.

Lay out paper towels on a wire rack next to the stove.

When the oil is hot, gently (gently) slide doughnuts into the oil. Depending on the size of you pot you will get a different number in. You want them to float freely on the surface without bunching. I did three batches of four doughs in my 5 quart casserole. If you put too many in they will crowd and not cook evenly. It will also lower the temperature of the oil too far.

Cook the doughs for 1 minute on each side. Watch the temperature of the oil and adjust the burner to keep it at the right point. After a minute flip the doughs gently to cook on the other side. They should be golden brown.

Scoop the doughs out quickly and lay on the paper towels. Repeat until all the doughs are cooked. Do the holes quickly at the end for about 90 seconds altogether. It’s hard to get them to brown evenly. That’s what glaze is for.

While they are cooling make the glaze. Mix the ingredients in a wide shallow bowl. When the doughs are cool carefully dip one side into the glaze. If the glaze is a bit thin add a little icing sugar before dipping the next one.

Lay the doughnuts glaze side up on a wire rack and sprinkle with toasted coconut before the glaze sets completely. There will be some drips. That’s life.

You probably shouldn’t eat a dozen doughnuts right now. Save some for breakfast tomorrow.

Cook’s Notes:

• Use fresh matcha powder. It can become bitter if left sitting around for too long after opening – it should be less than three months old.
• for a delicious lychee variation, take two tablespoons of the syrup from a can of lychees and add icing sugar a tablespoon at a time until the glaze is the correct consistency to dip the doughnuts into.
• You can re-use frying oil, but make sure it doesn’t smell off and strain it through a coffee filter back into the bottles to remove sediment and bits of dough once it’s cool.

 – These doughnuts are best the day they have been made and glazed but are still excellent for breakfast the next day – 

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