Serves 6
I love donuts. They are the quintessential hot coffee pairing. Whether you dunk or simply sip coffee with your donut, part of the whole experience is the way the coffee makes the donut’s sweetness dissolve on your tongue. Inspired by that moment of chemistry, we created a warm donut soup. It has to be just a little warmer than body temperature, not like ultra-hot coffee that annihilates your tongue. It needs to be just subtle and inviting, so you experience all of the flavors in this smooth, silky, liquid that is as comforting as it is delicious.
45 grams boiling water
45 grams whole milk
245 grams sugar
5 grams instant yeast
225 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough
25 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
55 grams (1 large) egg
Canola oil for frying
60 grams water
400 grams confectioners’ sugar
75 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
5 grams vanilla extract
175 grams glazed Donuts
500 grams whole milk
15 grams confectioners’ sugar
3 grams vanilla bean seeds, scraped from 1 split vanilla bean
Bring the water to a boil, then add with the milk and sugar to a medium bowl. Use a rubber spatula to mix until the sugar is dissolved, then stir in the yeast. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast. Put the flour and butter in a separate bowl and use your fingers or a pastry blender to cut the flour and butter together until the butter looks like small beads or pebbles. Form a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the yeast mixture. Add the egg and mix well with a spatula or clean hands to form a soft, sticky dough. Grease a clean mixing bowl, put the dough inside, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough proof at room temperature for 1 hour.
Heat a deep fat fryer or a pot of oil on the stove to 325°F.
Line a sheet pan with a wire rack.
Dust your work surface with flour and turn the dough out in the center. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour and then roll it out into a rough rectangle approximately ½ inch thick. Use a 3-inch donut cutter to punch out donuts, pushing straight down on the dough. Fry the donuts and holes a few at a time for 3 minutes, flipping them in the oil halfway through. Transfer to the wire rack and continue frying the rest of the donuts.
Bring the water to a boil. Put the sugar, butter, and vanilla in a bowl and mix. Pour the boiling water over the sugar mixture and whisk until it is all incorporated. Pour the glaze over the donuts on the cooling rack. Let cool completely on the rack.
Chop the donuts into quarters. Put them in a saucepot set over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the glaze begins to melt and the donuts release a yeasty aroma. Add the milk and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. Remove from the heat, cover, and steep for 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla bean seeds. Use an immersion blender to puree the donuts in the pot until completely smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. Transfer to a clean pot.
Set the pot of Donut Soup over low heat and bring to 165°F. Remove from the heat and ladle 75 grams of soup into 6 coffee cups. Serve immediately and enjoy.