Indulge within reason with these delicious mini doughnuts.

Sometimes a whole doughnut is too much - and, we admit, we’re all intoxicated by anything that comes in miniature. These are our basic spice cake doughnuts, made smaller (from a small batch), and tossed in confectioners’/icing sugar. Mini doughnut cutters are tough to find—to improvise, use a clean tomato paste can for the outside ring and the end of a turkey baster, a wide straw, or the small end of a large pastry/piping bag tip for the inside ring.

Time

1 hour 5 minutes active time

Ingredients

• Mini doughnut cutter (or 2 in/5 cm and 1/2 in/1 cm round cutters)

• 1-1⁄2 cups/190 g cake or soft-wheat flour, plus more for rolling and cutting

• 1⁄2 tsp baking powder

• 1⁄2 tsp iodized salt

• 1⁄4 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1⁄3 cup/130 g sugar

• 1 tbsp shortening/vegetable lard, trans-fat-free preferred

• 2 large egg yolks

• 1⁄3 cup/165 ml whole milk

• Canola oil, for frying

• 1 cup/100 g confectioners’/icing sugar, sifted

Directions

1 Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg together into a medium bowl, and set aside.

2 In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the sugar and shortening/vegetable lard for 1 minute on low speed, until sandy. Add the egg yolks, then mix for 1 more minute on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if necessary, until the mixture is light coloured and thick.

3 Add half of the dry ingredients, then the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing until just combined on low speed each time. The dough will be very sticky, like very wet cookie/biscuit dough.

4 Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and refrigerate, covered directly with plastic wrap/cling film, for 45 minutes (or up to 24 hours).

5 Using a candy thermometer to measure the temperature, heat oil (at least 2 in/5 cm deep) in a deep fryer, large pot, or high-sided frying pan over medium heat to 350°F/180°C. Roll the chilled dough out on a counter or cutting board floured with about 3 tbsp cake/soft-wheat flour to 3/8 in/1 cm thick, or about 7 in/17 cm in diameter, flouring the top of the dough and the rolling pin with another tablespoon of flour, or as necessary to prevent sticking—this is a soft, wet dough. Cut into doughnuts, using the big cut¬ter for the outside ring and the small cutter for the inside ring if you don’t have a doughnut cutter, into as many doughnuts and holes as possible, dipping the cutter into flour before each cut. Fold, quickly knead, and gently reroll the dough and extra holes (working with floured hands makes the dough less sticky), and cut again.

6 Shake any excess flour off the doughnuts before carefully adding them to the hot oil, five or six at a time, taking care not to crowd them. Once the doughnuts float, fry for 45 to 60 seconds per side, or until deep golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels/absorbent paper.

7 When the doughnuts are completely cool, transfer the confectioners’/icing sugar to a large brown paper bag. Add the doughnuts, seal the top, and shake to coat the doughnuts with the sugar. Serve immediately.

Makes about 18 mini doughnuts.

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Excerpted from Hand-Forged Doughnuts: Secrets and Recipes for the Home Baker, Copyright © 2011 by Mark and Michael Klebeck with Jess Thomson. Photography by Scott Pitts. Excerpted by permission of Chronicle Books. All rights reserved.