3⅓cups(500grams)all-purpose flour+ 1 tablespoon for kneading
1cup(250grams)plant milksoy, oats, almond, or other
½cup(100grams)sugar
¼cup(50grams)sunflower seed oil
1tablespoon(7grams)instant dry yeast
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1lemonthe grated zest (optional)
½gallon(2Litres)frying oilonly if you want to deep-fry the donuts
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
2tbspplant milk
3tbspsugar
1tspcinnamon
Melted Chocolate Topping
1cup(130grams)dark chocolateor dark chocolate chips
candied orange(optional)
Glazed Topping
½cuppowdered sugar
2tablespoonsplant milkor water
Make the dough
Warm up the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds, then when it is warm (not hot) put in the instant dry yeast.
To a large bowl, add the grated zest of one lemon, sugar, oil, vanilla and then pour in the milk with the yeast.
Add in the flour and stir with a spoon until the flour has absorbed the liquids.
Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead for 5 minutes.Try to add as little flour as possible, and keep the dough soft.If you like you can do this in a stand mixer following the same order of ingredients.
Transfer the dough back to the bowl adding a little oil at the bottom. Brush the dough with a little oil and cover the bowl with a plate or kitchen towel.Let proof in a warm place until it doubles in volume (it will take about 2 hours).Alternatively, you can make the dough in the evening and let it proof in the fridge overnight or up to 20 hours.TIP: to help the dough proof, place it in a slightly warm oven. Turn it on for just a minute and then turn it off: the gentle heat will help the dough to proof quickly.
Now transfer it to a work surface, spread it a little with your hands, then fold it over itself twice.With a rolling pin roll out the dough with a thickness of around 0.5 inches or 1 cm.
Cut the dough in discs with the larger round pastry cutter. Then make a whole in the center of the discs with the smaller one. Put the leftover dough scraps back together, flatten them and get more donuts out of them, until you run out of dough.TIP: if you don't have the pastry cutters you can use a large glass and a bottle cap instead.
Arrange the doughnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let proof for another 30 minutes before baking.
For oven-baked donuts
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C and bake the doughnuts for 10 - 12 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Don't overcook them or they will dry out on the inside.
For deep-fried donuts
Bring the frying oil to 340°F or 170°C making sure it doesn't get any hotter than that or the doughnuts will burn on the outside and not cook on the inside.Gently dip the donuts into the frying oil and turn them over as soon as they get golden on the bottom. Consider that it takes about 1 minute, 1 ½ minutes max, to cook each donut.Let the oil drip off, then lay them on a tray lined with paper towels.
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
Dip the deep fried donuts, still warm, in the sugar mixed with cinnamon until it sticks all around.For the baked ones, first dip the top in plant milk, then in sugar.
Dark Chocolate Topping
With a knife, chop the darkchocolate. You can also use chocolate chips if you prefer.
Melt the chocolate bain-marie.Bain-marie: In a pot, add boiling water. Then take a bowl that fits in the pot, and place it on top of the hot water (the pot should be off the heat). The bottom of the bowl should be touching the hot water in the pot. Put the chocolate in the bowl and stir it with a spatula until the heat of the water completely melts the chocolate.
Dip the top of the donuts in the chocolate. Place on a cooling rack and add a piece of candied orange zest on top.
Powdered Sugar Icing
Mix together the icing sugar with the hot water till you have a smooth white cream.Dip the top of the doughnut into the icing and serve.