Fig and Feta Doughnuts
Fig and Feta Doughnut
This is probably not like any other doughnut you’ve had before. Once a year I have this all day doughnut making party at my house. I always want to have at least one new doughnut. After talking with my friend, Amy, I decided to add a more savory doughnut to the line up. The dough isn’t sweet to begin with, so going a little savory didn’t seem like such a stretch. I was already making a fig jam so it seemed natural to go with a feta/goat cheese topping. The end result was rich and really special. The sweetness of the fig jam with the salty feta worked together even better than I had hoped.
Fig and Feta Doughnuts
Fig Jam
1 lb. dried figs
2 c. water
1-2 c. sugar- I used 1 cup, but use according to your taste
Zest of 2 lemons
2 t. cinnamon
Chop up figs and place in saucepan with the water and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Add sugar, zest and cinnamon and cook until thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir often to prevent sticking. Puree mixture and set aside to cool.
Toppings:
2-3 oz. softened goat cheese
2 c. feta cheese crumbles
Dough:
4 c. flour
2 T. sugar
1 t. salt
½ c. butter
1 packet yeast
¼ c. warm water
2 t. sugar
1 c. evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
Combine flour with sugar and salt. Cut in butter and set aside. Dissolve yeast in warm water and 2 t. sugar and set aside. Combine milk with eggs. Stir in yeast mixture and add to flour mixture stirring well. On lightly floured surface knead dough until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. Dough will be very sticky. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1½ hours. Remove dough from bowl and punch down. Using about a third of the dough at a time roll dough out to about an ½ -inch thickness and cut out with a 2½ -inch biscuit cutter. Re-roll scraps and cut out. You should get about 2 dozen. Place dough circles on a floured surface and cover with a towel until doubled, about an hour. Heat oil in a deep pan until it reaches 375 degrees. Cook doughnuts a few at a time until golden on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels and cool before filling.
Note: You can also refrigerate the dough after kneading it if you would prefer. Just place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Roll and cut dough into doughnuts when cold from the fridge. Allow to rise, covered, until doubled in bulk, about 2-3 hours. Fry as directed.
To fill doughnuts use a pastry bag fitted with a long tube tip for filling. I have these handy plastic syringes which are easy to use. Insert tube tip into doughnut and squeeze gently until doughnut is filled with fig jam. Be careful not to overfill or doughnut will split. Once filled doughnuts are topped with a spread of goat cheese and feta cheese crumbles.
