Doughnut Holes with Almond Caramel Sauce

Doughnut Holes with Almond Caramel Sauce

From Every Day with Rachael Ray Magazine (March 2011)
Ingredients:

• 1 Tbl plus 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1/2 ounce)
• ¾  cup warm water
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup almonds, toasted
• 5 ½ cups AP flour
• 1 ¾ teas salt
• 1 stick (4 ounces) plus 3 tbs unsalted butter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 tbs finely grated orange peel
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¼ teas pure almond extract
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Preparation:

In a bowl, combine ½ cup warm water, the yeast and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar. Let stand until foamy, 5 minutes.
In a food processor, finely grind the almonds and ¼ cup granulated sugar; transfer to a standing mixer. Mix in the flour, 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon salt.

In a saucepan, melt 1 stick butter, remove from heat. In the bowl of your standing mixer, beat in the milk, eggs and orange peel. Beat in the yeast mixture and flour at low speed. Knead at low speed for 15 minutes. Dough will be sticky to the touch. Transfer dough to a large bowl, cover and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1 inch thickness. Using a 1 ½-inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds of dough and transfer to 2 greased baking sheets. Cover loosely and let sit for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the remaining 2/3 cup granulated sugar with ¼ cup water. Bring to a boil and cook, undisturbed, until amber, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Stir in the almond extract and the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and ¾ teaspoon salt.

Fill a 4 quart saucepan with enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches. Heat the oil until it registers 350 on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches, fry the dough, turning once, until golden, 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to cook slightly. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve with sauce.