The Berliner is also otherwise known as Pfannkuchen in Berlin. If one travels down south of the German land then it becomes the Krapfen. In the Hessen region it is known as Kreppel and the same is available throughout these lands with some dialectical variations but with the same taste and myriad variety.
The Berliner is especially famous during the carnival seasons as practiced in various regions. Among other ways of celebrations, the popular carnivals are known as Fasching, Karneval or Fastnacht in the various regions of Germany. During these seasons one can find each and every bakery bake their own speciality doughnut which are filled either with jam, vanilla cream, chocolate or egg nog among other things.
Below you can find the most popular German doughnut recipe as it was made traditionally.
Recipe:
Berliner is probably the most famous incarnations of a doughnut. This jelly filled delight is a matter of legend in the German speaking regions of the world. These doughnuts are so famous that they were known to have been the favourite of President John F. Kennedy of the United States of America. He during his 1963 visit to Germany proclaimed in a speech: “Ich bin ein Berliner” which translates as – “I am a donut”. This was of-course an error. The correct statement that he intended to say was: “Ich bin Berliner” , that is “I am a citizen of Berlin”. It was this incident which popularised the Berliner almost everywhere.
The following recipe is how the Berliner was made traditionally. The total time involved, inclusive of cooking and preparation totals at 2 hours 20 minutes approximately. Through this recipe you can yield 12 pieces of doughnuts.
Ingredients:
For the dough of the doughnut –
- Dry or instant yeast: 1 ½ teaspoons or 6 grams
- All- purpose flour: 3 cups or 500 grams + a little extra for dusting the work surface
- Kosher salt: 1 teaspoon or 4 grams
- Buttermilk: ¾ cup or 175 millilitre
- Eggs: 2
- Granulated sugar: ½ cup or 75 grams + a little extra for the purpose of rolling the doughnut
- Butter: 3 ounces or 85 grams set at room temperature
- Vanilla extract: ½ teaspoons or 2.5 millilitres
For the purpose of finishing the doughnut
- Granulated sugar: 1 cup or 225 grams
- Grounded cinnamon: ½ teaspoons or 1 grams
- Jelly, Jam or Marmalade: 1 cup or ½ pint (depending on your choice)
Procedure:
Firstly you will need preferably a large sized, heat proofed glass bowl. Also, this bowl should be able to fit in an electric mixer stand. In this bowl add about ½ cup or 118 millilitre of water along with yeast. Stir the yeast so that it appears to dissolve in the water and then set it aside for 5 minutes.
Next, you can combine all the ingredients mentioned above for preparation of the dough in the bowl with yeast and water. Now, set the hook attachment to the mixer and on low speed stir the mixture for a minute. With that done, switch the mixer off and carefully scrape the sides of the bowl using a spatula which should preferably be made of rubber. Then switch to high speed and beat the mixture further for 2 minutes. At this point the dough should appear to be taking shape.
Now, you will have to prepare a transfer bowl. Considering the same specifications as above, only this time you will have to grease the side of the bowl using butter. Next, transfer the dough into the bowl. Then cover the opening of the bowl using a plastic bag or a cellophane sheet. Do not cover it too tightly. It should be loose enough to allow the fermentation process.
In the meantime, take another bowl of a little smaller in size and combine sugar and cinnamon and sugar together in it. When that gets done, set the mixture aside.
Now take a pastry bag and attach a decorative tip of your preferred choice. Fill the bag with your preferred variety of jam or marmalade. Keep this ready on the side for a bit.
In the meantime check if the dough is ready. If it is ready then it is time to prepare the work surface. For that purpose sprinkle an even layer of flour on top of the surface and place the dough on top of it. Using a rolling pin and carefully maintaining the thickness of the layers at about ½ to 3/4th of an inch flatten the dough. You will be required to cut about 12 rounds using a cookie or a biscuit cutter. Then take a cookie sheet along with a linen napkin and dust its surfaces with ample amount of all-purpose flour. Now place the doughnuts on those prepared cookie sheets.
Now it is time to get a heavy bottomed pot. Place it on low flame first and pour in your preferred variety of frying oil. There are no specifications considering the kind of oil to be used, it could either be sunflower or peanut based or even canola. The quantity of the oil should be able to occupy approximately 3 inches worth of space. Now you can increase the flame to medium and using a cooking thermometer you can measure and reach the temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise you can take a countertop deep fryer and preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Frying is the most crucial part and in any case the doughnuts should not be allowed to touch each other while the process is on. If that happens it is most likely that they will stick or breakdown. So, it is always advisable to fry them in batches. You will also have to be constantly on watch, making sure that they get fried evenly and that they do not get attached.
Now while being cautious drop the doughnuts one at a time into the hot oil. The flame should still be on medium. Furthermore, the doughnuts should be able to achieve a golden brown crust on both the sides, so be alert and turn when one side gets the colouring. Also remember that the oil is preheated so the doughnuts will get cooked in no time. They approximately should take no more than 4 to 5 minutes in total. But, if that does not happen then there is of-course nothing to worry about, just keep your eyes open and be alert. You will also have to check if the doughnut is prepared, so take one of them out and using a toothpick or a fork perforate the surface and slide it in. When you take the fork out of the doughnut, if some of the dough appears to stick or if the exit is not easy, in that case cook further for a while – the better thing to do probably is simply sacrifice one of the doughnuts. This will give you a better idea.
When the doughnuts are done, use a slotted spoon because one does not want excess oil sticking on them. Then place them on a plate which has been lined with paper towels. These towels will absorb all the extra oil there remains. Allow the doughnuts to sit still and cool down but not cool completely. They should just be gently warm and be easy enough to handle.
With all of that done – it is now time to dip the prepared doughnuts into cinnamon sugar mixture that was prepared earlier. Next, use a wooden spoon and poke holes at a distance of three quarters right into the doughnut. Then make a nice-size cavity for the purpose of adding the jam or the marmalade. Now, carefully using the piping bag, insert its tip into these cavities and squeeze the content inside the doughnuts till they become heavy.
The doughnuts are ready now to be eaten. They generally do not require any particular kind of accompaniment, you can eat them whenever, wherever and however. They taste simply divine in any case.