Buttermilk Doughnuts

Freshly made Buttermilk Donuts

After learning how to make butter, I had a by-product that could not be found in the grocery stores: the TRUE BUTTERMILK. This is the milk that is left over after churning heavy cream to make butter. In the grocery stores, what you will find is the cultured buttermilk, which is whole milk made with a starter culture. It's easy enough to make, but it tastes different from the real buttermilk. This true buttermilk can be used in a lot of recipes ranging from soups to cakes. It makes pancakes and cakes fluffy.

This recipe was one that was shared to me by my SIL after her husband showed me how to make butter. They gave the buttermilk to me and a pound of frozen butter they had made in the past. I immediately mixed the recipe as soon as I got home, then chilled it until I was ready to make the donuts. My whole family, including my picky husband, loves these. It has now become a regular snack/dessert item for us right after I make butter (which I do now about every week).



Ingredients:


3 large eggs
1 cup white sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
3-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
oil for deep frying (I used leaf lard)
vanilla sugar for coating







Instructions:


In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in butter and vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk; beat into egg mixture. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder. Add to egg mixture and mix on low speed until just blended. Refrigerate mixture (it is very sticky!) for at least 30 minutes or up to several days. (The dough tastes yummy!)

In a deep pot, cast-iron pan , Dutch oven or electric fryer, heat oil to 350ºF.

On a heavily floured countertop, dust dough with flour, then roll or pat it out with floured hands to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut doughnuts in desired shapes (I like it better as disks because for one, once a side is cooked, it flips itself as long as the oil is deep enough for it to do a somersault. Another is that the typical ring doughnuts are so hard to handle,  Maybe if I try to knead some more flour into the sticky dough, it will be easier. However, it could be because I used real buttermilk instead of the commercially available cultured buttermilk that made it this hard to handle.). Fry on each side until golden brown (about 1 minute each side, depending on how big your donut is or how hot your oil is.  It is quite hard for my flat stovetop to maintain a temperature because it turns itself on and off to maintain heat, unlike gas stove where you can set the flame to maintain a certain temperature relatively constant).

An alternative is to scoop out small amounts (like about 1 tsp) of dough and drop them directly into the hot oil. Quick to brown and quick to cool, they puff up nicely into irregularly round bite-size shapes. Wonderful to nibble.

Do not overcrowd the pan, as the dough will expand as it cooks.

Cool slightly on wire racks set over a baking pan. Roll in vanilla sugar while still warm.

Enjoy with a glass of very cold (raw) milk!