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I get so excited when the world sits up and takes notice of donuts. The latest craze is a new invention called the cronut, a delightful cross between a donut and a croissant. While I’m not about to try to duplicate the donut chefs who originally created this confection, I’ve been able to come up with something that I think is delicious. This one’s quite a bit more work than my usual offerings, so be warned: make sure you have a lot of free time the day you try these, because it’s a much longer process than I usually prefer, but I thought that this would be fun to at least try.
Ingredients
1 packet rapid-rise yeast (about a 1⁄4 oz.)
1⁄4 cup water, warm
2 eggs, beaten
1⁄2 cup buttermilk (whole, 2%, or 1% will do fine as a substitute)
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided into three portions of 3 tablespoons each
3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh is best, but store-bought is good, too)
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
3–4 cups flour (cake flour can be substituted)
Cronut glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1–2 tablespoons buttermilk, as needed (whole, 2%, or 1% will do fine as a substitute)
Oil for frying
Canola or peanut oil, about 1 quart
Directions
I like to use my stand mixer for this recipe, but feel free to use a hand mixer or even a wooden spoon to incorporate all of the ingredients. In the mixer’s bowl, add the warm water and then sprinkle the yeast packets in. Stir until somewhat incorporated. In 4 to 5 minutes, the yeast should be dissolved and there should be some foam on the top. After the yeast has dissolved, mix into the yeast blend the beaten eggs, buttermilk, 3 tablespoons of the melted butter, white sugar, vanilla extract, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Mix on low for about 1 minute, or until it’s all incorporated.
Once that’s mixed in, add in 1 1⁄2 cups of flour and mix thoroughly, still with the whisk attachment. At that point, you’ll be adding a cup of flour at a time until you get a smooth and consistent ball of dough. Change over to a dough hook before you add more flour. Once the ball has formed and pulls away from the side of the bowl, turn it out onto a floured space and knead for about 1 minute and shape it into a ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for 25 to 30 minutes. After that time, take the dough out of the fridge, unwrap it, and dust it with flour.
Next, roll the dough out onto the floured surface until it’s somewhere between 1⁄2 and 1⁄4 inch thick. Spread 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter on the center portion of the dough, fold a third of the dough over, spread 3 more tablespoons over the folded part, and then complete the fold with the last third of the dough. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, and then place your dough on the sheet. Cover it lightly with plastic wrap and return it to the refrigerator for another half hour.
After the half hour is up, remove the sheet from the fridge and put the dough on a floured surface. Gently pat it out until it forms a sheet about 8 inches by 12. It should be anywhere between 1⁄2 and 1⁄4 inch thick at this point. Fold the dough into thirds again, and then place on the resprayed cookie sheet, covering with plastic wrap again. Refrigerate for 2 1⁄2 to 3 hours.
After that time has elapsed, take out the cookie sheet and transfer the dough to the lightly floured surface again. Roll out the dough again until it’s around 1⁄2 inch thick all the way around. Using your donut cutter, cut out donuts from the dough, place on a sprayed cookie sheet, and let rise for about an hour in your unheated oven with the light on for gentle warmth.
Heat your oil, and once it hits 350°F, fry these two or three at a time, taking care not to overcrowd your pot, flipping them after about 2 minutes on one side. These will puff up as they cook, so don’t worry about it. Drain the cronuts on a wire rack, and then drizzle them lightly with the glaze recipe above.
Yields 10–14 cronuts