Sourdough Doughnuts Recipe with Blood Orange Curd

I’m always looking for ways to use up Sourdough discard. I never make enough bread to keep my starter active all the time so I find myself having to give it extra feeds before making a loaf. I don’t like the idea of throwing it out every time so I try to re purpose it as much as I can. And what better excuse to make doughnuts? These Sourdough Doughnuts are insanely fluffy and light and filled with a smooth and tangy Blood Orange Curd. If you don’t have any sourdough discard, increase the yeast by 5 grams to compensate. The Blood Orange Curd can also be made with any other citrus fruit if you prefer.

So tell me alll about these Sourdough Doughnuts with Blood Orange Curd…

This recipe is broken down into 3 steps;

–Sourdough Doughnuts Dough

–Frying

–Blood Orange Curd

Sourdough Doughnuts Dough

To start off the Doughnut Dough you need to activate the year. To do this, begin by melting the butter in a microwave safe bowl/jug. Next, add the milk to the same container and return to the microwave for another 20 seconds until slightly warm to the touch. Add the sugar and dried yeast to the warmed milk and butter and whisk. Leave for 5-10 minutes until bubbling.

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, salt and sourdough discard. Add the yeast liquid and mix till you form a shaggy dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until you get a smooth dough. If you are using a stand mixer, mix with a dough hook for 3-4 minutes until you form a smooth dough. Lightly grease a large bowl and put the dough back in. Cover in cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for 40-60 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

When the dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough to about half the height of your pastry cutter. Using a medium sized round pastry cutter, cut the dough out and place onto a lined flat baking tray. Take any leftover pieces and gently knead together and repeat this process until all the dough has been used. Cover the doughnuts loosely with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise until they have doubled in size. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is. Watch them carefully.

Frying

When the doughnuts have doubled in size, heat a heavy bottomed saucepan half filled with oil to 170°c-180°c (340°f-360°f). I use a food thermometer to check if the oil is ready and to make sure it’s not getting too hot while cooking all the doughnuts. A sugar thermometer would work well here too as it can stay in the oil rather than periodically checking like I do.

When the oil has reached the right temperature, very gently peel a doughnut off and carefully drop into the hot oil. I have a small saucepan so I could only fry one at a time, if you have a larger pot you might be able to do a few at once. Cook on the first side for 2-3 minutes until the bottom has turned golden brown. Flip over carefully and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until both sides are golden brown. Remove carefully from the oil with a strainer, I use a spider, and place onto a kitchen towel to drain slightly. Toss in caster sugar immediately while still hot and leave on a cooling rack. Continue this process until you have fried off all the doughnuts.

Blood Orange Curd

To make the Blood Orange Curd, add the fresh blood orange juice and sugar to a small saucepan. Heat on medium until the syrup starts to boil. Mix the cornflour with the water until no lumps remain- this is called a “slurry” and can be used to thicken a multitude of sauces. Add the slurry to the syrup and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes while constantly whisking. Once the cornflour has been cooked off and the mix has thickened, remove from the heat. Add the egg yolks and whisk briskly. Finally, add the blood orange zest and butter and whisk until everything is fully incorporated and the curd is smooth and silky. Pour into a container and place clingfilm directly onto the curd to prevent a skin forming while it cools. Allow to cool completely before filling doughnuts.

To fill the doughnuts, fill a piping bag fitted with a small round piping nozzle with the cooled blood orange curd. With a small, sharp knife make a small hole in one side of the doughnut. Push the knife about 3/4 the way into the doughnut and wiggle the knife a little bit to create a small pocket for the filling. Fill by piping in the curd.

Got some leftover Blood Orange Juice? Why not try out my Blood Orange Whiskey Sour Cocktail Recipe?