And are you already looking forward to Carnival? You already have the perfect costume,the carnival wall decorationmade for the carnival party and are ready to go. Well – almost. In addition to quick snacks and delicious cocktails, desserts are also a must at any party. Donuts, Berliners or pancakes – one pastry and several names. But no matter what we call them – the crunchy delicacies are simply a part of the carnival season. Filled with filling and irresistibly delicious – these sweet pastries are currently in high season! Of course you can get a Berliner from the bakery, but homemade food always tastes better. And that's exactly why we've been smart for you and will tell you the best donut recipe and give you helpful tips with an absolute guarantee of success. Whether classic with jam, from the oven, Thermomix or even low carb Berliner - there is guaranteed to be something for every taste!
Why do we eat donuts at carnival time?
Donuts are as much a part of Carnival as cookies are of Christmas – that’s clear. But have you ever wondered why shortbread is eaten at this time of year? The tradition even goes back to the Middle Ages. As is well known, the carnival season marks the beginning of Lent and at that time the consumption of particularly rich and fatty foods was recommended. This was the only way people could strengthen themselves for the coming Lent and store some fat. Donuts are usually made of flour, sugar, eggs, butter and milk and then deep fried in plenty of fat or oil. Unfortunately, it is not exactly a healthy or low-calorie food and a Berliner delivers around 300 calories per piece.
Fluffy, airy and beautifully juicy – that’s how the donut should taste. And to achieve this, you should prepare the donut dough correctly and follow a few tips and tricks. Walking takes a little longer to prepare, but it's worth the wait.
Donut Recipe Ingredients:
- 500 grams of wheat flour
- 50 grams of sugar
- 70 grams butter, at room temperature
- 200 ml milk, lukewarm
- 3 egg yolks
- 30 grams of fresh yeast
- 1 pack of vanilla sugar
- A pinch of salt
Aside from that:
- 600-700 ml vegetable oil for deep frying
- 400-500 grams of jam of your choice, without pieces
Donut dough preparation
And this is how you can create the perfect donut dough:
- Heat butter and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar and salt in a large bowl.
- Crumble the fresh yeast and add it.
- Pour warm milk mixture over and add egg yolks.
- Knead all the ingredients with your hands into a smooth dough and let it rise, covered, in a warm place for 30-40 minutes.
- Divide the risen dough into 12 equal pieces on a lightly floured work surface. It is best to use a kitchen scale for this.
- Form the pieces into balls with your hands.
- Cover with a tea towel and let rise again for 15-20 minutes.
- Alternatively, you can cut out the donut dough. To do this, knead the dough well again and roll it out to about 2 centimeters thick. Cut out large circles with a cookie cutter and let them rise covered with a cloth.
- Note that the yeast dough likes to stand in a warm place and does not tolerate cold drafts.
Fill Berliners
After the dough pieces have doubled in volume, you need to fill them. You have two options for our donut recipe and you can fill the donuts either before or after frying. And when it comes to donut filling, it doesn't always have to be jam. How about, for example, Berliners with chocolate filling or even vanilla? There are actually no limits to your imagination. Here's how it's done:
- If you like the donutsif you want to fill it before frying,You should roll out the dough and cut out circles. Then add 1-2 teaspoons of jam to half of the balls and place a second ball on top. Press lightly with a glass to seal the ends well.
- Berliners are the most common firstfilled after frying,because you can save yourself the hassle of cutting out things. To do this, drain the fried donuts on kitchen paper and let them cool slightly. Pour the jam into a piping bag fitted with a thin, long nozzle. Place the piping nozzle on the side and then pipe the filling into the middle of the donuts.
Fry donuts
In order for you to succeed with the donut recipe, it is important to use the right fat and the right temperature when deep-frying. The fat should be highly heatable and rapeseed or sunflower oil is best suited for this. The ideal temperature for deep-frying the donuts is 170-180 degrees. If it is lower, the pastries will become full of it and if it is too high, the donuts will burn. And ultimately we want to avoid that. This is how the Berliners are fried:
- Heat the fat in a wide pot to 170 degrees.
- Carefully place the donuts into the hot oil, making sure there is enough room for them to float.
- Bake for about 3 minutes, or until the bottom turns golden brown.
- Turn carefully and bake for another 3 minutes.
- Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper and allow to cool.
- Then sprinkle with powdered sugar if you like and voilà – the donut recipe is that easy!
Donut recipe without yeast
No yeast at home? No problem! We also have the perfect donut recipe with quark and without yeast for you. Just as juicy and prepared very quickly and without much effort – a real dream!
Ingredients:
- 280 grams of wheat flour
- 60 grams of sugar
- 2 Owner
- 500 grams of clarified butter
- 1 tbsp butter, melted
- 250 grams of quark
- 1 pack of baking powder
- 1 pack of vanilla sugar
- A pinch of salt
Preparation:
- Sift the flour into a large bowl and whisk in the baking powder and salt.
- Then add sugar, butter, eggs, quark and vanilla sugar and knead everything into a smooth dough.
- Form about 7 balls out of the dough with wet hands.
- Heat the fat in a large pot to 175 degrees and fry the balls for about 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Fill with a filling of your choice and your yeast-free donuts are ready.
Prepare Berliners from the oven
Are you looking for a slightly healthier and easier donut recipe? Then you are in good hands with our Berliners from the oven!
Ingredients for 12 servings:
- 300 grams of wheat flour
- 60 grams of sugar
- 150 ml milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 pack of dry yeast
- 50 grams of butter, melted and another 30 grams for brushing
- Jam of your choice for filling
Donuts from the oven Preparation:
- Whisk the wheat flour with the sugar and dry yeast in a large bowl.
- Heat the milk to lukewarm and add it to the bowl with the melted butter.
- Add the egg yolks and knead everything into a smooth dough using the dough hook of a hand mixer or a food processor.
- Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about 60 minutes.
- Knead the dough again and form 12 equally sized balls.
- Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and cover again and let rise for 60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and bake the donuts for 13-15 minutes until golden brown.
- Brush the still hot donuts with 30 grams of melted butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
- Allow to cool slightly and pour in the jam using a nozzle. Enjoy!
Recipe for Berliners from the Thermomix
Do you need a donut recipe that is quick and easy? How about preparing the donuts in Thermomix?
Ingredients for 16 Berliners:
- 500 grams of wheat flour
- 50 grams butter, at room temperature
- 200 ml milk, lukewarm
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 Owner
- 50 grams of sugar
- 1 cube of fresh yeast
- A pinch of salt
- The grated zest of 1 lemon
- 400-500 grams of jam or filling of your choice
- Powdered sugar for sprinkling
- Oil for deep frying
Preparation:
- Add fresh yeast, milk, sugar, butter and salt to the mixing bowl and stir at 37 degrees/2 minutes/speed 2.
- Add wheat flour, egg yolks and eggs and knead for 3 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes.
- Cut out large circles using a glass or cookie cutter and cover and let rise for another 20-30 minutes.
- Heat the fat in a pot or deep fryer to 170 degrees and slide the balls into it.
- Cover and bake for 3-4 minutes, turn and bake for another 3 minutes until golden brown.
- Drain on kitchen paper and let cool slightly and then fill with the filling.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar and your Thermomix donuts are ready!
Low carb donut recipe
Unfortunately, with more than 300 calories per piece, the carnival classic is anything but healthy or low in calories. So what should you do when watching your diet? Then you should simply try our recipe for low carb donuts! Just as delicious, only 220 calories and a whopping 20 grams of protein per piece - perfect for the ultimate indulgence without any regrets!
Ingredients for 12 pieces:
- 50 grams of coconut flour
- 80 neutral flavor protein powder
- 50 Gramm Pulver-Erythrit
- 120 grams of low-fat quark
- 80 ml milk, lukewarm
- 20 grams butter, at room temperature
- 20 grams of fresh yeast
- 1 No
- A pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar to allow the yeast to rise
- Low carb jam or chocolate for filling
Low carb Berliner preparation:
- Mix the fresh yeast with the milk and sugar and let it steep for about 10 minutes.
- Mix low-fat quark, butter, powdered erythritol and egg in a bowl.
- Add the yeast mixture.
- Add coconut flour, protein powder and salt and knead everything into a smooth dough.
- Cover and let the dough rest for 1 hour and then divide into 12 equal balls.
- Heat the oil in a pot to 170 degrees and fry the donuts for 3-4 minutes per side.
- Drain on kitchen paper and fill with the filling. And your low carb donuts are ready!
- If you want to prepare the donut recipe quickly and easily, replace the yeast and sugar with baking powder. This means you don't have to wait for the dough and you can get started straight away.
