3 recipes for donuts without frying
This week we celebrate Mardi Gras. And nothing better for the occasion, than to feast on delicious donuts. Nevertheless, frying can do a lot of damage to our figure and to our health. At Medisite, we have found the solution to treat yourself without feeling guilty: opt for a healthier version, but just as delicious, with cooking in oven or at the steam. Discover our recipes on the following pages.
Several studies have shown that the frying had a negative impact on heart health. One of the latest, conducted by the University of Shenzhen, China, reveals that the weekly high consumption of fried foods leads to an increased risk of 28% major cardiovascular events, 22% coronary heart disease and 37% heart failure.
Worse still, the risk already increases from 114 g of frying per week, less than a small tray of fries, or the equivalent of a donut and a half, for example. In addition to the effects on the heart, the consumption of this type of fat also increases the risk of serious strokes. Not counting exposure to a substance carcinogenic : acrylamide.
Another study, published in December 2019 in the British Journal of Ophthalmologyestablished a link between a diet rich in Red meat and in fat – especially frying – and the occurrence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). As a reminder, this degradation of part of the retina is the primary cause of visual impairment in people over 50 years of age.
Of course, consuming it in a way very occasional does not pose a problem. However, you should avoid eating it every week. Nothing prevents you from having fun and celebrating Mardi Gras with your family. There are alternatives healthier and just as tasty, as you can discover in the following pages.
Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday which takes place 47 days before Easter. It completes the Carnival period and precedes Ash Wednesday, which marks the entry into the Lent. The latter is a time of food restrictions which symbolizes the 40 days of fasting performed by Christ in the desert.
The Mardi Gras party, however, would have a pagan origin. According to some historians, it echoes the great festivals of Roman antiquity celebrating the Calends of March. At that time, we celebrated the end of winter, the renewal of nature and the start of the new year. It was only in the Middle Ages that it was taken up by the Catholic Church, to soften the start of Lent.
The recipe for donuts in the oven
Ingredients for about 8 donuts:
- 320g flour
- 120 ml skimmed milk + 2 tablespoons
- 1 packet of baker’s yeast
- 50g unrefined sugar
- 30g soft butter
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1.5 teaspoons of orange blossom water
Warm the milk in a saucepan or in the microwave, so that it reaches a temperature between 25°C and 30°C – especially not hotter.
In this order, pour the baker’s yeast, the flour, the sugar then the salt into a large salad bowl – or the bowl of your food processor. Add the beaten egg, lukewarm milk and a teaspoon of orange blossom water, and knead for 5 minutes. Add the soft butter and knead for another 10 minutes. The dough should come away from the side of the container.
Form a ball with the dough and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rise for an hour in a warm place – your oven preheated to 30°C then turned off, for example.
When the dough has doubled in volume, degas it, then roll it out to 2 cm thick with a rolling pin. Cut out circles using a cookie cutter and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper, spacing them well apart. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for another 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Mix the two tablespoons of milk with the remaining half teaspoon of orange blossom water. Brush the top of the donuts with this mixture, using a brush. Bake for 12 minutes.
As soon as they come out of the oven, brush the donuts with a little boiling water (without soaking them) and sprinkle them with sugar.
Dampfnudel (steamed donuts)
Ingredients for ten donuts:
- 400g flour
- 60g of sugar
- 60g soft butter
- 20 g fresh baker’s yeast
- 15 cl of milk
- 1 egg
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For cooking:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 5 cl of lightly salted water
Mix the crumbled yeast and the flour in a salad bowl or the bowl of the food processor. Dig a well and add the egg, sugar, salt and lukewarm milk (between 25°C and 30°C, especially not hotter). Knead for 5 minutes.
Add the soft butter – at room temperature – and knead for an additional 10 minutes, so as to obtain a homogeneous dough, which comes off the side of the bowl.
Form a ball with the dough, place it in a bowl, cover with a cloth and let rise for 1h30 in a warm place – your oven preheated to 30°C then turned off, for example. The dough must double in volume.
Roll out the dough to 2cm thickness on a floured work surface. Cut out circles using a cookie cutter or a glass. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.
Heat the oil, butter and sugar in a skillet. When the mixture is hot, drop the balls of dough into it, making sure they don’t touch each other. Quickly add salted water to one side of the skillet, and cover immediately.
Cook for 5 minutes over low heat, covered. When the preparation crackles, gently remove the lid, avoiding that the droplets of condensation fall back into the pan. Flip them over and cook for a few minutes to brown them on the other side.
American donuts without frying
Ingredients for 20 donuts:
- 140ml milk
- 20g fresh yeast
- 400g flour
- 100g ground almonds
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 50g brown sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
For the frosting:
- 500g icing sugar
- 6 tablespoons of milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- colorful sprinkles
Warm the milk (not to exceed 30°C), then crumble the baker’s yeast in it. Mix, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
Pour the milk added with yeast into a salad bowl or the bowl of the food processor. Add, in this order, the egg, the oil, the ground almonds, the flour, the brown sugar and finish with the salt. Knead for ten minutes with the hook – or, failing that, by hand.
Form a ball of dough, place it in a bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Leave to rise for 1h30 in a warm place – your oven preheated to 30°C then turned off, for example.
When the dough has doubled in size, degas it. Roll it out to 2cm thick on a lightly floured work surface.
Cut out discs of dough using a glass or cookie cutter, then cut a hole in the middle using a smaller cookie cutter, or a piping bag.
Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and leave to rise for another hour.
After this time, preheat the oven to 210°C, then bake the donuts for 5 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven, dip them very briefly in a bowl of cold water (a simple round trip of one second).
Prepare the frosting while the donuts are cooling. Mix the icing sugar with the milk and vanilla extract. When the donuts are cool, dip them in the glaze, then place them on a wire rack and sprinkle with colorful sprinkles. Wait for the frosting to solidify and become opaque before tasting.
