Potato doughnuts

[Shawn Sharpe]

Hello everyone,

My wife and I are working on a potato donut recipe. They come out dark in colour with a crispy exterior and soft inside but a bit oily, being fried in a deep fryer btw.

I read that good doughnuts must have a light ring around but I'm not sure if I can apply that to ours. Can anyone offer any assistance in improving this recipe? Thanks.

[CatPoet]

Is it yeast or baking powder in  the recipe?

[Shawn Sharpe]

Yeast

[CatPoet]

This is the recipe, I have used and gives me the best result.

 

[Shawn Sharpe]

The only difference is we don't use eggs. Can we use a gum in place of the eggs? Thanks.

[Franci]

The only difference is we don't use eggs. Can we use a gum in place of the eggs? Thanks.

 

You don't need eggs. From your picture your donuts don't look like had a good rise and likely you need to adjust the temperature.

If you use a 40% potatoes over flour should work fine. I would only watch they rise properly the first time and also the second time, after you shape, don't cook to many at the same time.

 

Edit to add: this is for example an italian recipe only flour/potatoes/yeast very little sugar

Edited July 5, 2014 by Franci (log)

[Shawn Sharpe]

Adjust the temp of my oil? My fryer maxes out at 370. I try to get it at 350. We use 1tbs yeast to 2 cups of flour and 1/2 cup potato.

[pastrygirl]

350F should be fine, just let them rise more. The light ring around the center comes from the dough being light and full of air and floating on the oil.

[Shawn Sharpe]

I think we will exclude milk from the mix.

[Lisa Shock]

They are definitely underproofed. Just give them more time before frying, and make sure that the proofing area isn't too cold.

[Shawn Sharpe]

We will let the dough raise in the oven with the light on. Would that generate sufficient heat?

[Lisa Shock]

Normally, a professional kitchen has a separate piece of equipment called a proof box. It is humid and warm. Usually, the temp is about 82°F with a lot of humidity. Your final proof should take your baked goods to just under double original size. A good proof means the item rises and then rises again in the oven or in the fryer. If it collapses, it is over-proofed.

 

You can use an oven as a proofer, I would use a probe thermometer to keep tabs on the temp. I would also add a big hotel pan of water to the bottom shelf to keep everything moist.