Jelly Doughnuts

From My Most Favorite Dessert Company Cookbook: Delicious Pareve Baking Recipes

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine all the ingredients for the dough, adding the flour mixture last. Turn the machine on to medium speed and beat the mixture until it forms a dough and comes together in a ball around the hook. Continue to beat the dough until it cleans the sides of the bowl. Remove the dough to the floured sheet pan, spread it out in an even layer, dust it lightly with flour, and cover the pan well with plastic wrap. Store it in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, lightly flour a large work surface. Roll the dough into a large rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Let the rolled-out dough relax on the work surface for 3 to 4 minutes. (It will shrink in size slightly.)

While the dough is resting, cover 2 large baking sheets each with a clean kitchen towel. Flour the towels lightly.

With a 2-1/2-inch round cutter, cut out rounds of dough and place them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Gather together the scraps, re-roll, let rest, and cut out more rounds until you have used all the dough. Do not cover the rounds on the baking sheets.

Transfer the baking sheets to a warm, draft-free place and let the doughnuts rise until almost double in size, puffed and very soft to the touch. (How long will depend upon the temperature of your kitchen, but you should allow 3 to 4 hours for the dough to rise.)

To fry the doughnuts: When the doughnuts have just about doubled in size, place a large saucepan on the stove. Pour about 3 inches of vegetable oil into the pan and heat it over medium heat until it registers 350°F on a deep-fry thermometer.

Be careful not to overheat the oil. Place a few doughnuts at a time carefully in the hot oil and deep-fry them, turning them with a skimmer, until golden. If your oil is the right temperature, this should take 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer them with a skimmer to paper towels to drain. Check the temperature of the oil and continue to deep-fry doughnuts with the remaining dough in the same way, being sure to add the pieces carefully to the hot oil.

To fill and sugar the doughnuts: Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with strawberry or raspberry preserves. Make a small hole in the side of each doughnut and pipe the preserves into the middle. Be generous with the amount of filling. Dust the doughnuts with confectioners' sugar, place them on a serving platter and serve at once.

Yields about 2 dozen doughnuts.

Note: Schechter thinks vanilla soy milk makes her baking moist and flavorful and is part of the reason The New York Times raved over some of her products initially and they began flying off the shelves. She uses organic vanilla soy milk by Eden Soy, available in some supermarkets and many health-food stores. It is pareve and can be used as a substitute for milk.

(Updated: 10/22/08 SN)