Southern Buttermilk Bourbon Praline Doughnuts Recipes

Steps:

• For the donuts: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Let it cook on low heat, swirling occasionally while it crackles and hisses, until the crackling stops and the milk solids in the butter smell toasty and nutty and have turned golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the stove and let cool to room temperature.
• Combine the cake flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a bowl, whisk together and set aside.
• In a mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the melted butter, granulated sugar and lemon zest. Add the almond extract, whole egg and egg yolk and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk and mix just until a soft dough forms. Remove onto a piece of plastic wrap, flatten out to a disc, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight if you want to make the night before and finish in the morning).
• Unwrap the dough onto a liberally floured surface and pat out with your hands (or you can use a rolling pin) to 3/4 inch thick. Using a 3- to 4-inch glass or round cutter, punch out as many dough circles as you can and place on a baking sheet. Reroll until all the dough is cut. Using a small bottle cap or a round pastry tip, cut a hole in the center of each donut (you can use these pieces to test the oil or to have as snacks). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. It is important that the dough is cold when frying (chilled dough is easier to handle and results in a nicer crust with well-defined cracks).
• Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot to 350 degrees F.
• For the glaze: Right before frying the donuts, combine the powdered sugar, buttermilk, almond extract, salt and lemon juice in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.
• When the oil is hot, carefully drop the donuts in the oil (2 to 3 at a time; do not crowd the pot). They will sink to the bottom but pop up after 15 to 20 seconds (don't disturb them during this time). Fry, flipping frequently, until deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oil onto a rack.
• While still warm but cool enough to handle, drop each donut into the glaze, flip to coat the entire thing, then let set on the rack. These are the best right away, but they actually keep pretty well for a day or two because they are very moist.

Steps:

• For the doughnuts: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup doughnut pan with nonstick spray.
• Put the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer the brown butter to a measuring cup and set aside.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth; then whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Add the flour mixture and half of the brown butter (1/4 cup) to the egg mixture; mix until just combined -- DO NOT OVERMIX.
• Transfer the batter to a pastry bag and fill the doughnut pan about three-quarters full. Bake the doughnuts until light golden brown and just baked through, about 8 minutes; (They will be darker on the bottom, where the batter cooks against the pan, than on the top.) Set the pan on a baking rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove the doughnuts from the pan and place them directly on the baking rack. Set the rack over some parchment or foil before glazing.
• For the glaze: Bring the maple syrup and the remaining half of the brown butter (1/4 cup) to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the bourbon, cook for 1 minute, and then remove from the heat and whisk in the confectioners' sugar until smooth and slightly thick. Transfer the glaze to a shallow medium bowl and leave to thicken slightly. Drizzle the glaze over the doughnuts, sprinkle the pecans on top, and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan, then line the bottom and sides with parchment paper and butter the paper. Wrap the outside of the pan with foil.
• Make the praline layer: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar, corn syrup, kosher salt and vanilla. Spread in the prepared pan and scatter the pecans on top; set aside.
• Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, nutmeg and fine salt in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk and bourbon in another bowl.
• Beat the butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 10 minutes. With the mixer on low, beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with flour. Fold in the pecans.
• Pour the batter into the pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool on a rack, 30 minutes. Remove the springform ring, invert the cake onto a plate and remove the paper. Serve with ice cream.

Steps:

• Bring the milk to a simmer in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and salt. Pour into a large bowl and let cool slightly.
• While the milk is cooling, dissolve the yeast in 2 tablespoons warm water in a small bowl, stirring. Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Stir the yeast mixture into the milk mixture along with the oil, lemon zest and eggs. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of the flour with a wooden spoon to make a very soft dough. Spread 1 cup of the flour on a work surface and put the dough on top, scraping it from the bowl with a rubber spatula. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, incorporating all of the flour from the work surface and adding just enough additional flour (if necessary); the dough should be slightly sticky. Transfer the dough to an oiled large bowl and sprinkle lightly with additional flour. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out with a floured rolling pin until 1 inch thick. Cut out rounds with a 2-inch cutter. To make ring shapes, cut out doughnut holes with a 1-inch cutter. Place on a baking sheet, cover the doughnuts with another kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
• While the doughnuts rise, heat about 10 cups vegetable oil in a deep 4-quart pot until it registers 365 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Fry the doughnuts 2 at a time, turning once or twice, until puffed and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain.