Korean Donuts Recipe

Instructions

1. Add 3 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon powder to a brown paper bag. Shake to mix well. Set aside.

2. Fully melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add milk, the rest of 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt. Mix well until everything is well dissolved.

3. Crack an egg into the saucepan and mix well. Add the yeast and stir. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

4. Transfer to a large bowl. Add 3 cups flour and mix well with a wooden spoon. When everything is well mixed, knead the dough for a few minutes, and shape it into a big lump. Cover with plastic wrap.

5. Let the dough rise until it doubles in size, usually about 1 hour to 1½ hours.

6. Deflate the gas with hand and knead the dough for a few minutes until it’s soft and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap again and let it sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour until it doubles in size again.

7. Uncover the dough and knead it for a few minutes. Put 2 tablespoons of flour on the corner of a cutting board to use for dusting. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces.

8. Take a piece of dough and roll it out on your cutting board so it forms a rope 10 inches long and ½ inch in diameter. If it’s sticky, sprinkle some flour on the area. When rolling out the dough, move one hand upward and the other downward so that the rope is twisted in between hands as it is being rolled.

9. Take the dough off the board, hold it aloft, and bring the ends together. The tension in the dough will twist it as it hangs.

10. Place the twisted dough on a floured cutting board or tray. Repeat with the rest of the pieces of dough.

11. Let the doughnuts expand for about 30 minutes. 15 minutes in, gently flip each doughnut over with your hands so the bottoms don’t get flat and all sides expand nice and round.

12. Heat up 4 inches of oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat, until the temperature reaches 350 degrees F. Lower the heat to medium heat, then gently set each doughnut into the hot oil by hand.

13. Add as many pieces to the oil as the skillet will allow, enough so the doughnuts can sit in the oil without pushing against each other.

14. Cook for about 5 minutes, occasionally gently flipping them over with tongs, until they get crunchy outside and are evenly golden brown.

15. Strain the cooked doughnuts. Put them in the brown paper bag with the sugar cinnamon mixture. Shake a few times until they are evenly coated.

16. Serve hot.