Doughnut cravings were hitting me for two days straight a week ago. Before you jump to conclusions, no I am not pregnant and no it wasn’t PMS cravings. 😆 My soul just wanted to sink my teeth into good old-fashion ring doughnuts covered with cinnamon sugar and to wash it all down with milk-rich coffee. The sort of coffee which my Ga people will say is ‘miliki ɛ mli efi eh!’ [translation: the milk is thick!] I could have dashed down to Frankies to satisfy that craving but I knew making it at home would be more cost-effective and I’d know exactly the ingredients I’d put in there. And also i wanted the sort of doughnuts which had slightly crispy chew on the outside but with a fluffy interior. Walk with me. 🙎🏾‍♀️🤝🏽👩🏽‍🦱

These doughnuts were simple to make and need only your patience and effort from you. It’s a simple matter of adding the dry to the wet ingredients and allow nature to do the hard work. The dough needs to rise on first proof but unfortunately the weather of late in Ghana will prolong the rise of the dough due to lower temperatures. What you can do to get around this is to proof in a warmed oven which has been switched off. On regular humid days, expect a quicker rise. Also i used much less sugar in this recipe which was 3 tablespoons of white sugar as I wanted to cut back on the sweetness and count on the sugared surface and possibly an accompanying sweet tea/coffee. If you want a sweeter version, increase the spoons of sugar.

This recipe makes about 13 ring dougnuts depending on the size of the doughnut cutter you use.

Dough Making Tips:

The milk and water have to be at lukewarm temperature to enable the yeast cells to thrive in the dough. Warm the room temperature milk and water in the microwave for 20 seconds and set aside to reduce in temperature if it’s too hot.
If you end up with a sticky dough, sprinkle teaspoonfuls of flour until you have a soft and pliable dough which is not sticky on your hands.
Use a mixer if you have one for mixing the dough and form a ball with your hands to set aside for the first rise.
Sprinkle the oil on after mixing the dough and not with the other ingredients. This allows the oil to be on the surface of the dough to give yo that slight bite on the exterior.

Recipe for Cinnamon-Sugar Ring Doughnuts

Ingredients

3 cups of all-purpose flour / soft flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

3-5 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 whole eggs

2/3 cup warm whole milk

3 tablespoons warm water

2 teaspoons of yeast

3 tablespoon vegetable oil / melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Cinnamon Sugar

3 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder

Making the dough.

Mix all the dry ingredients together (flour, yeast, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon powder, baking powder and salt) in a deep bowl.
Add the wet ingredients into the dry flour mix (egg, milk, water, vanilla) Mix with a wooden ladle unil you have a shaggy mess. Pour in the spoonfuls of oil.
Knead lightly till a slightly sticky dough is formed. Shape into a ball and place the bowl in a warm place for 45 minutes.
Once the dough is risen, knock it back to release air and knead for about 8 minutes. Roll out with your hands into a log shape and using a dough cutter (knife if you don’t the cutter) cut out little ‘golf-sized’ balls.
Using a rolling pin, flatten out the dough and cut out the doughnut shape using a dough-nut cutter. Place each dough onto a floured tray Do this until the dough is finished.
Cover with a napkin and allow to rise a second time for thirty (30)minutes.
Whilst it’s rising, make the cinnamon sugar by mixing sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Place a deep frying pan on medium-high stove. Pour in about 2 inches high oil (pinkie finger height) and wait for it to heat up. Test if it’s hot by dropping a tiny piece of bread into the oil. If it immediately starts bubbling up then the oil is ready.
Uncover the doughnuts and pick each one up using a spatula.
Move doughnuts around to allow for even frying and to prevent quick browing.
Flip over using the spatula when you notice golden browning on the bottom of the doughnuts.
Grab kitchen towels and place them on a plate. Take out the doughnuts and place them on the kitchen towels to soak out the oil.
Whilst still warm, dip the top part of the doughnuts into the sugar-cinnamon mix and coat on all sides.
Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee or tea.

I enjoyed making these doughnuts as much as I did munching on them. 😜

Believe me when I say these were exceptionally delicious, low in sugar, fluffy interior with a lovely chew. Your children will love these as a brunch snack and you get to save alot of money on these donuts. The last time I checked doughnuts were GHC12-GHC15 for 1 piece.

Love this recipe? Make them and let me know how they turn out !