Best Poi Doughnuts Recipes

POI

Steps:

• Mash the taro with a stone pestle, or "poi pounder". Add water until the poi is smooth and sticky.

DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Heat the milk until it is warm but not hot, about 90 degrees. In a large bowl, combine it with the yeast. Stir lightly, and let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, beat the eggs, butter, sugar and salt into the yeast mixture. Add half of the flour (2 cups plus 2 tablespoons), and mix until combined, then mix in the rest of the flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add more flour, about 2 tablespoons at a time, if the dough is too wet. If you're using an electric mixer, the dough will probably become too thick to beat; when it does, transfer it to a floured surface, and gently knead it until smooth. Grease a large bowl with a little oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, and cover. Let rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
• Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and roll it to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out the doughnuts with a doughnut cutter, concentric cookie cutters or a drinking glass and a shot glass (the larger one should be about 3 inches in diameter), flouring the cutters as you go. Reserve the doughnut holes. If you're making filled doughnuts, don't cut out the middle. Knead any scraps together, being careful not to overwork, and let rest for a few minutes before repeating the process.
• Put the doughnuts on two floured baking sheets so that there is plenty of room between each one. Cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place until they are slightly puffed up and delicate, about 45 minutes. If your kitchen isn't warm, heat the oven to 200 at the beginning of this step, then turn off the heat, put the baking sheets in the oven and leave the door ajar.
• About 15 minutes before the doughnuts are done rising, put the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, and heat it to 375. Meanwhile, line cooling racks, baking sheets or plates with paper towels.
• Carefully add the doughnuts to the oil, a few at a time. If they're too delicate to pick up with your fingers (they may be this way only if you rose them in the oven), use a metal spatula to pick them up and slide them into the oil. It's O.K. if they deflate a bit; they'll puff back up as they fry. When the bottoms are deep golden, after 45 seconds to a minute, use a slotted spoon to flip; cook until they're deep golden all over. Doughnut holes cook faster. Transfer the doughnuts to the prepared plates or racks, and repeat with the rest of the dough, adjusting the heat as needed to keep the oil at 375. Glaze or fill as follows, and serve as soon as possible.

MOCHI DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Whisk 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. (170 g) mochiko (sweet rice flour) and 1 cup (120 g) tapioca starch (tapioca flour) in a small bowl to combine.
• Bring ⅔ cup whole milk, ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar, 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Remove from heat, add dry ingredients, and stir with a wooden until a lumpy paste forms. (Mixture will be dry in spots and hard to combine, but don't worry; this is normal.)
• Transfer dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed to release some steam and cool slightly, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add 1 large egg and mix (still on medium speed) until combined, about 2 minutes. Add 2 tsp. baking powder and mix until combined and dough is sticky but smooth, about 30 seconds. Place a piece of plastic directly on top of dough and let rest 15 minutes.
• Pour vegetable oil (about 8 cups) into a large pot to come 2" up sides; fit pot with thermometer and heat oil over medium until thermometer registers 350°.
• If making doughnut holes, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. If making doughnut rings, cut a large piece of parchment paper into nine 4x4" squares and set aside. Using a biscuit cutter or drinking glass as a guide, draw a 3" circle on 1 square; this will be your guide.
• To shape ring doughnuts, lightly oil your hands and scoop out teaspoonfuls of dough (8 g per piece if you have a kitchen scale) and roll into balls. Place guide underneath another parchment square and arrange 8 balls around the circle, making sure they are touching. Transfer parchment with doughnut ring to a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat rolling and shaping process to make 7 more doughnuts.
• Working with 1 doughnut ring at a time, carefully pick up a parchment square and lower it, doughnut side down, into oil. Fry about 45 seconds, then carefully remove parchment with tongs and discard. Continue to fry doughnut until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side (do not flip too early or doughnut may break apart). Carefully transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
• To shape doughnut holes, lightly oil your hands and scoop out a tablespoon of dough (18 g per piece) and roll into balls. Place balls on prepared baking sheet.
• Working in batches, lower dough balls into oil with a slotted spoon and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over, about 3 minutes. Carefully transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
• If using 1 Tbsp. freeze-dried raspberries or black sesame seeds, finely grind in a spice mill (or, with a mortar and pestle if using the raspberries).
• Whisk 1 cup (110 g) powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp. whole milk, ⅛ tsp. kosher salt, and 2 tsp. finely ground freeze-dried raspberries or black sesame seeds or 2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 tsp. matcha, preferably ceremonial grade; or ½ tsp. ube extract in a small bowl until smooth. (Glaze should be thick but pourable-like a yogurt drink. Thin with additional 1 Tbsp. whole milk if needed.) Stir in ½ tsp. vanilla extract if making the ube version.
• Dip tops of doughnuts in glaze, letting excess drip back into bowl, and return to rack. Let sit until glaze is set, about 15 minutes.