Krapfen – a German jam stuffed Doughnut
Krapfen – what is that, you ask? A German doughnut that can be stuffed with jam or chocolate or pudding or whatever you want. It is a very fluffy yeast role that is normally fried in oil and sold around carnival time. For a few weeks you can find these little delicacies in every bakery in huge amounts. And my school would even give out a free one to each student the day before carnival-break started.
For a long time I thought that this delicious mess – because I certainly can not eat it without getting the powdered sugar everywhere – is something only bakers should make. And that is because I really don’t like frying stuff at home. Everything smells of fried food, there are little specks of oil everywhere on the stove afterwards and it is a little miracle if I don’t burn myself while frying stuff.
When I then found a German recipe from Steffen on his Blog “Ein Stück heile Welt” for backed Krapfen, I needed to try them immediately! I decided for myself: in the best case they will taste like a professional made them and in the worst case, well they will taste like sweet yeast rolls, and I would never say no to one of those either. And they certainly did not disappoint me! I found them to be even better than the store bought ones as they do not taste as “fatty”. But instead just deliciously sweet and yeasty.
When you are forming the rolls, make sure the top doesn’t rupture. So, when forming: I take the dough between my hands, pull down the edges slightly until the shape is roundish and then I pinch the edge together at the bottom.
To fill the doughnut I used a syringe that I extended by using a piece of a drinking straw. Plus, I heated the jam for 10 seconds in the microwave, so it is a bit liquified and was easier to work with. And that worked (almost) without too much of a mess. If you do not have a syringe, then you can make a makeshift one out of a plastic bag, straw and tape
Recipe – German jam stuffed Doughnuts
Amount: 10 portions
Prep time: 30 minutes preparation, 2 hours resting time, 15 minutes baking time
150 ml (0.63 cups) luke warm milk
1 pinch of salt
60 g sugar, separated
1/2 cube fresh yeast or 7 g dry yeast
1 egg
350 g flour + 2 Tbsp extra
50 g butter + 1 Tbsp, melted
5 Tbsp jam
5 Tbsp powdered sugar or sugar
Mix 150 ml (0.63 cup) lukewarm milk, 1 pinch of salt, 30 g sugar and 1/2 of a cube of fresh yeast together and let stand for 10 minutes.
Then stir in the remaining ingredients for the dough (30 g sugar, 1 egg, 350 g flour and 50 g melted butter) and knead to a smooth dough.
Dust dough with 2 Tbsp flour, cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
Now form it into a rough role and separate it into 10 pieces of equal weight. Form small balls out of the dough by taking it between you hands, pulling the edges down slightly and pinching them together at the bottom. Make sure that the top does not rupture. Now place the doughnuts (with the bottom side down) on a baking sheet. Cover them with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour more, until doubled in size.
Put an oven safe form on the bottom of your baking oven and fill it with just enough water to cover the bottom of the form. Now heat your baking oven to 180°C (355° F, upper and lower heat).
Boil 500 ml (2 cups) of water in a kettle. Put the boiling water in the form on the bottom of your oven and immediatly add the doughnuts on the tray. Close the oven door quickly, capturing as much of the steam in the oven as possible.
Bake the doughnuts for 15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
Take them out of the oven and let them cool down a bit. Meanwhile gather or make your syringe and heat jam for 10 seconds in the microwave. Now add the jam to the syringe and inject 1/2 Tbsp of jam into each doughnut.
To finish the “Krapfen” off melt 1 Tbsp of butter and brush it over the top of the doughnuts. Dust with powdered sugar or sugar and enjoy.
Taste best on the same day, but will also keep 1 extra day (then 1. cover them well and 2. brush with butter and dust with sugar right before serving).