I have been seeing some cute Japanese doughnuts in animal-shaped in the internet, they are so cute and adorable, I didnt manage to find them when I was in Tokyo last December, so I gave it a go to make them myself! :-D These doughnuts are baked, a healthier option to deep frying them. I made the white ones as rabbits and the brown ones as bears, my sister thinks they look alike though :-O
Japanese Animal Baked Doughnuts
makes around 8-10 doughnutsIngredients
For the doughnuts
1/2 egg80ml milk
30g sugar
120g bread flour
40g plain flour
4g instant dry yeast
4g salt
10g unsalted butter, softened in room temperature
For the decoration
a handful of almond/almond flakes, for the ears75g white chocolate
75g milk chocolate
10g dark chocolate, for the faces
Utensils
a round cookie cutter with diameter 7cma round piping nozzle with diameter 3cm
can be substituted with similar round shaped tool like a small glass or just use a knife to cut out the shapes
Methods
1. In a small bowl, whisk egg and sugar together, mix in the milk.
2. Put the bread flour, plain flour, dry yeast and salt in a separate large mixing bowl, slowly add the egg mixture in, mix on slow speed with an electric dough hook.
3. Gradually beat in the butter, mix on medium-high speed for 5 mins.
4. Take the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, knead and round the dough until the top is smooth.
5. Put the dough into a large lightly floured bowl, spray some water onto the dough and wrap the bowl with cling film.
6. For the dough to rise the second time. Take the dough out and place it on a lightly floured work surface, knock out the air bubble, knead and fold over the dough.
7. Put the dough into a large lightly floured bowl and wrap the bowl with wet towel. Leave the dough to rise for about 1 hour.
8. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
9. Roll the dough into 1.5cm thickness, use the cookie cutter and nozzle to cut into rounds of doughnut shapes.
10. Line them onto the baking tray, cover the tray with cling film and let them rise for 1 hour until the doughnuts doubled in size.
11. Preheat the oven to 180C. Bake in the oven for 15 mins until they turn light golden-brown. Cool on a wire rack.
12. Melt the chocolate seperately, stir and let it cool to 29C or until it doesnt drip so quickly from a spoon.
13. Dip one side of the cooled doughnut into the white/milk chocolate, push in 2 pieces of almond flakes as the ears and gently dip the ears part into the chocolate again. Pipe the eyes and mouth with the dark chocolate. Repeat for the rest of the doughnuts.
