Twists Holes Recipes

TWISTS & HOLES

Steps:

• In a small saucepan set over medium heat, heat the milk until warm to the touch. Place yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. Pour warm milk over the yeast. Sprinkle 2 3/4 cups flour over the milk, and let stand until the flour begins to crack, about 20 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar. Add salt and 1/4 cup flour; whisk to combine; set egg mixture aside.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Using a paring knife, scrape vanilla seeds into melted butter; add pod. Cook until butter browns, foams, and has a nutty aroma, about 3 minutes. Remove and discard pod. Pour butter over the egg mixture; whisk to combine. Stir in vanilla extract.
• Add butter mixture to yeast mixture. Mix on low speed with paddle attachment 1 minute. Add remaining 2 tablespoons flour; combine. Increase speed to medium high; mix 1 minute more. Dough will be very sticky.
• Lightly oil a large bowl. Sift an even layer of flour onto a clean work surface. Turn out dough, and form a ball. Place in oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Set bowl aside in a warm place, and let dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn out dough again, and fold in half, deflating dough. Return dough to oiled bowl, re-cover, and set aside to rise until doubled in size again, about 30 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a low-sided six-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until a deep-frying thermometer registers 375 degrees. Lightly dust a baking pan with flour, and line a second one with paper towels.
• Turn out dough; dust with flour. Pat dough into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Using a 2 3/4-inch doughnut cutter, cut out doughnuts as close together as possible, dipping cutter in flour before each cut. Transfer holes to the floured baking pan.
• Flour your hands, and make twists out of the rings: Lift one side of a doughnut by placing your thumb on top and your forefinger underneath; reverse placement of other hand on other side. Turn each side away from each other, forming a doughnut with two twists. Transfer twists to floured pan along with holes; set aside 10 minutes, but not longer.
• Lift a twist at each end, pull to elongate, and carefully place in hot oil. Repeat with three more twists. Cook until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, turn over, cook until evenly browned on both sides, about 1 1/2 minutes more. Transfer to the lined pan. Repeat with remaining twists.
• Drop holes, one at a time, into hot oil; cook until completely golden brown, about 2 minutes, turning with slotted spoon as needed. Transfer to lined pan.
• Gather remaining dough scraps into a ball. Let rest 10 minutes; pat into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Cut, let rest 10 minutes, and cook.
• Coat twists and holes with white glaze. Transfer to a wire rack, and let set. Serve.

CINNAMON TWISTS

Steps:

• Heat the milk and butter in a small pan until the butter has melted. Allow to cool slightly - the milk should be warm, not hot. Put the flour in a large mixing bowl with a pinch of salt to one side of the bowl. Add the yeast into the flour on the other side of the bowl, so it's not touching the salt. Pour in the sugar, then mix it all together.
• Gradually pour the warm milk into the dry ingredients, mixing with your hands until you have a relatively sticky dough. You may not need all of the milk. Add in the egg and continue to work until combined.
• Lightly dust a surface with flour and tip out the dough. It will be quite wet - the more you knead it, the easier it will become. Knead for around 10 mins until you have a smooth dough. Put in a lightly floured bowl to prove for 1 hr or until doubled in size.
• To make the filling, mix the melted butter, sugar and cinnamon together until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to around a 30 x 40cm rectangle. Spread over the filling using a palette knife until the dough is completely covered.
• Fold in half widthways and cut into 16-18 strips down the shortest side. Twist both ends of each strip in opposite directions until a spiral shape forms. Holding one end in your hand, wrap the rest of the dough around it and over, pressing the ends into the bottom of the bun so it doesn't unravel during cooking.
• Lay on two lined baking trays spaced 5cm apart. Leave to prove for 30-45 mins until risen slightly. Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Brush the tops of the buns with a little egg and bake for 18-20 mins until golden. Don't worry if a little cinnamon butter comes out.
• For the coating, mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Whilst still warm, toss the buns in the sugar and eat straight away.

TUILE BOWLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees; with rack in middle. Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in egg whites, 1 at a time. Mix in flour, salt, and vanilla.
• Line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Spoon 2 tablespoons batter onto the baking mat. Using an offset spatula, spread batter into a 7-inch circle, with the edges slightly thicker than the center. Repeat, making a second circle on the mat.
• Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until edges of cookies turn golden, about 9 minutes. Using a small spatula, immediately transfer 1 cookie to a small bowl (about 5 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 inches deep). Gently mold the warm cookie to the shape of the bowl, pressing bottom down to flatten. Let stand in bowl 30 seconds; remove. Repeat with remaining cookie. If cookies become too cool to shape, return them to oven for 20 seconds. Repeat, baking remaining batter and forming into bowls. If using just 1 baking sheet, let it cool before spreading the next batch of batter onto it.