Faschingskrapfen - Austrian Doughnuts

Name: Faschingskrapfen - Austrian Doughnuts
Cook time: 60 min
Yield: 1 loaf
Ingredients: 35 g / 1.2 oz fresh yeast; 85 ml / 1/3 cup room-temperature milk; 100 g / 3/4 cup flour for pre-dough (all-purpose or gluten free); 3 egg yolks; 1 whole egg; 45 g / 1.6 oz white sugar; 2 tbsp dark rum or whiskey; 1 vanilla bean, scraped (sub for 1 tsp vanilla extract); 1 lemon, zested; 290 g / 2 1/4 cups flour for Krapfen dough (all purpose or gluten free); 80 g / 1/3 cup room-temperature butter; 8 g / 0.3 oz salt; Canola oil for frying; Apricot jam, passed through sieve, flavoured with rum; Icing sugar (with scraped vanilla)

Learn how to bake an Austrian carnival classic: the jam-filled, sugar-dusted Krapfen, a variation on doughnuts.

How to make them:

Step 1:

For the pre-dough, mix yeast, milk, and all-purpose flour together and wrap with plastic. Proof for about 1-2 hours at room temperature.

Step 2:

Cream yolks, eggs, sugar, rum, vanilla bean, and lemon zest. Mix pre-dough with egg mixture and the remaining flour. Start mixing at medium speed with hook attachment. Halfway through the mixing process, add butter and salt, mix to a smooth dough for 4-5 minutes.

Step 3:

Measure to 50 g pieces, shape into balls, press flat, place on flour-dusted towel, and proof. Cover with flour dusted towels and proof for about 1-2 hours. They should almost double in size.

Step 4:

Fry in hot canola oil for 3 minutes in a covered pan, flip them, and fry for 3 more minutes.
Once golden brown, cool them down on a rack, squeeze apricot jam inside, and dust with icing sugar.