Strawberry Jam Doughnuts

Next week is a big week! 

My little book is out in stores on Wednesday. I'm nervous and excited. I hope very much that you like it. 

And I if you happen to be in the Bay Area next week I would love to meet you!

I'll be at Oaktown Spice Shop on September 8th from 5 to 7pm and at Omnivore Books on September 12th from 3 to 4pm. Come see me! I can promise something sweet to eat and a hug. 

And if you can't come to California, I hope you'll eat a doughnut. That would make me happy too.

Strawberry Jam Doughnuts
Makes 12

Dough:

3⁄4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing the bowl
3 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour, plus
1⁄2 cup if necessary and more for the work surface and the parchment
1⁄4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Jam:
4 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
2/3 cup sugar
juice of 1 lime

To finish:
Vegetable oil, for frying
3⁄4 cup sugar

1. Make the jam. In a large skillet, combine the strawberries, sugar, and lime juice. Cook over medium-high, stirring and smashing berries often, until the mixture has cooked down and thickened, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. You should have about 2 cups.

2. To prepare the dough, bring the milk just to a boil over medium heat in a small pot. Watch closely to ensure that the milk doesn’t boil over. Pour the milk into a measuring cup and top it off with enough water to bring the level back to 3 ⁄4 cup. Let it cool to between 105°F and 110°F. (It should be warm to the touch but not too hot.) Add the eggs and egg yolks to the warm milk mixture and whisk gently to combine.

3. Butter a medium bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a wooden spoon, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add the milk mixture and mix just until combined. Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough on low speed, about 3 minutes. Or, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 6 minutes. At this point, you could add a bit more flour, if necessary, but resist the urge to add too much. The dough should be workable but still somewhat sticky.

4. Add the butter, a piece or two at a time. It may look like?it’s not getting in there but don’t worry, it will; just keep adding and kneading. (You might have to stop the mixer and knead the butter in with your hands for a minute to get it started.) Once the butter is incorporated, increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for another few minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Or tip the dough onto a very lightly floured work surface and knead by hand until smooth. Put the dough in the prepared bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (and up to 12 hours).

5. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Dust the paper well with flour. Tip the cold dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a 91 ⁄2 by 121 ⁄2-inch rectangle. It should be about?1 ⁄2 inch thick. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 12 dough rounds and set them on the prepared sheets. Lightly cover them with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to proof. The dough should look puffy and spring back slowly when pressed gently.

6. When you’re ready to fry, line a rimmed baking sheet?(or a few plates) with paper towels. Put the sugar in a medium bowl. Add the oil to a medium, heavy-bottomed pot. You should have about 2 inches of oil. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pot and heat the oil to between 350°F and 360°F. Carefully add 2 to 3 doughnuts to the oil and fry them until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Using a slotted spoon, put the doughnuts on the paper towels. After about 1 minute, when the doughnuts are cool enough to handle, toss them in sugar. Repeat with the remaining dough.

7. To fill the doughnuts, using the handle of a wooden spoon or a chopstick, poke a hole into one side of each doughnut. Be careful not to poke through the other side. Spoon the jam into a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. For each doughnut, insert the tip of the pastry bag into the hole and gently squeeze to fill.