Sourdough Beetroot Doughnuts with Chocolate Olive Oil Glaze
This is slow-rise dough, which improves flavour and digestibility. I make the dough after dinner (when I pre-roast the beetroot), leaving to rise at room temperature until bedtime, then place in the fridge to slow-rise until the next day. The doughnuts can be shaped anytime the next day, depending on when you plan to serve them.
Ingredients
- 100 g roasted beetroot flesh - see directions below
- 1/3 cup (85g) milk
- 1/3 cup (65g) sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 425 g high-grade flour
- 1 teaspoon (5g) salt
- 150 g bubbly sourdough starter (fed 6 hours prior)*
- 80 g soft butter, cut into 1cm cubes
- Neutral oil such as light olive oil or rice bran oil for frying
Chocolate Glaze
- 150 g quality dark chocolate
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Dried edible rose petals or chopped pistachios to decorate
*Yeast Variation
- Increase the flour to 500g and add 1/2 teaspoon (2g) active dried yeast (not Surebake) to the dry ingredients, plus 1/4 cup (60g) natural yoghurt to the wet ingredients.
Instructions
- To roast the beetroot, place whole beets into a baking dish and bake for 45-50 minutes until the flesh is soft. I always roast extra to add to salads and sandwiches.
- Peel a medium beetroot and weigh out 100g. Puree in a food processor, along with the milk, sugar, egg, and egg yolk.
- Weigh out the flour and salt into a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or knead by hand). Add the beetroot puree and sourdough starter and mix on a low speed until the dough comes together into a smooth ball, about two minutes. Cover and rest the dough for 30 minutes.
- After this time continue to knead on a low speed while adding cubes of butter, one at a time, until incorporated into the dough, about 10 minutes. Tip the dough into a bowl and cover. Place somewhere warm to bulk ferment (rise) for two hours, then put the bowl into the fridge to slow-rise overnight.
- The next day, about two hours before you plan to cook the doughnuts, remove the dough from the fridge. Tip on to the bench and roll to a 1cm thickness. Use a 6cm cookie cutter or glass to cut the dough into rounds. To make the holes I used an apple corer. Re-roll and cut the off-cuts.
- Arrange doughnuts on a tray, cover with a tea towel, and rise for about two hours until doubled in size.
- Fill a heavy-based frying pan with 4cm oil and heat to around 180 degrees Celsius. If you don't have a thermometer, use a wooden spoon handle to check, once small bubbles gather around the inserted handle, the oil is ready.
- Fry doughnuts in batches of five to six. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden and puffy. Use a slotted spoon to drain, and move the doughnuts on to a cooling rack.
- Make the Chocolate Glaze: Melt the chocolate and olive oil together in a small bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Remove from the heat and dip in the top half of each doughnut. Scatter with rose petals or chopped pistachios. Best served just a little warm.
Notes
Spiced Pumpkin Doughnuts - replace the beetroot with 100g roasted pumpkin and add 1 teaspoon each of mixed spice and ground ginger to the dry ingredients. Roll in cinnamon spiced sugar.