Grandma's secret to perfect donuts: Less grease, more fluff
My grandmother's donuts were always crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Although they were fried in lard, they never felt greasy. Grandma knew well how to avoid that.
Donuts are quite a challenge for amateur home bakers. We don't attempt them often now, but on Fat Thursday, they are absolutely essential. Our grandmothers were masters of these yeast delicacies and would fry them not only during Carnival. It's still worth following their tips today.
Homemade donuts are a challenge
Yeast-based classic donuts are an extremely demanding bake. Every detail counts: the right proportions of ingredients, kneading the dough which needs to rise, and even skillful frying.
Traditionally, donuts are fried in deep fat. Whether it's lard or oil, the key is for the donuts not to absorb too much of it. Otherwise, they become heavy, lose their delicacy, and become greasy.
What to add to donut dough to prevent it from absorbing fat?
One well-known way to prevent donuts from "drinking" too much fat is to add a little alcohol—vodka or spirit—to the dough. Alcohol affects proteins by speeding up the coagulation process. This makes the dough more compact and less porous, preventing fat from easily reaching inside the donut.
The alcohol does its job and evaporates during the frying process. Adding vinegar to the dough offers a similar effect. It changes the gluten structure in the dough, making donuts fluffier and absorbing less fat.
What to use in the dough instead of alcohol?
My grandmother knew the tricks with alcohol and vinegar, but she didn't always use them. She also used potato starch for the donuts. It thickens dough, making it more cohesive and allowing it to absorb less fat.
Starch also absorbs moisture well, which affects the proper structure of the dough. When it's not too moist, much less fat penetrates it during frying. Four tablespoons of potato starch are enough for every two pounds of wheat flour.
