Chocolate Ganache Doughnuts

Chocolate Ganache Doughnuts with Sprinkles

Recipe by  @cookingwithdann

Ingredients:

 For the donuts:
500g strong white bread flour
125g softened butter
60g golden caster sugar
7g dried active yeast, or 14g fresh yeast
4 eggs
2 tsp salt
1/2 lemon zest
2 litres sunflower oil

For the chocolate ganache:
150g dark chocolate
50g sour cream
100ml water
100g double cream
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Method:

For the chocolate ganache glaze:
- Break up 100g of chocolate into small pieces and leave in small bowl.
- Heat the double cream in a small pan, until its almost boils. (It starts to foam up and steam)
- Pour the heated cream over the chocolate pieces and let it sit for 10 minutes, then stir until smooth, and leave it to the side for now.
- Using the same saucepan, add in the rest of the chocolate, sugar, water, vanilla sour cream, and salt.
- Put on a medium heat, whisking every now and then until melted. Bring it up to a high heat, and cook for 5 minutes, it will start to thicken.
- Once thicker, pour into the chocolate mixture and whisk together. Leave to cool, then place in the fridge whilst you make the donuts.
- Every hour, take it out and whisk it up. It gets thicker over time. Keep an eye out, as it can get too thick. If it does, then keep it out the fridge.

For the donuts:
- Place all the ingredients apart from the butter into a large bowl, mixing until combined.
- Once the ingredients are mixed, place onto a stand mixer on a medium speed for roughly 6-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Let the dough rest for about a minute, then start to place the butter in, little by little, until fully incorporated.
- Once the dough is again smooth and elastic, flour the top of the dough, and cover with a slightly damp cloth.
- Leave to prove for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.
- Once doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knock back the dough.
- Knead for 5 minutes, then place back into a lightly floured bowl, again covering with a slightly damp cloth, leaving to rise for another hour or until doubled in size.
- Once doubled, Knock back the dough again.
- Roll out to about 2cm thick, and using the cutter, cut as many donut shapes as you can, re rolling with any excess each time.
- Using and smaller cutter, cut out the centre of each donut shape, making a ring shape.
- Place onto a baking tray with greaseproof & then cover with a slightly damp cloth. Leaving to prove for one more hour.
- Heat the oil to 180c, using a sugar thermometre.
- Whilst it heats up, prepare a tray with caster sugar and cinnamon mixed together, keeping to one side for later.
- When the oil has reached temperature, being very careful start placing the donuts in one by one, leaving little space between each one.
- Fry for about 2 minutes until golden brown, then carefully turn over and do the same for the other side.
- Once golden brown, carefully take out of the oil and put onto a kitchen paper to get rid of any excess oil.
- Place onto a cooling rack and leave to cool.
- Once ready, glaze each donut and set them onto a cooling rack, then add your chocolate sprinkles.
- For best results, eat straight away or store in a container in the fridge for up to 24 hours.