
There are many more varieties of banana then the bright yellow Cavendish we are used to seeing at the grocery store. Little manzano bananas, for example, have a bit of apple-strawberry flavor to their sweetness. Chef Kelly Liken of her eponymous restaurant in Denver, CO, makes mini banana doughnuts with a slice of manzano banana hiding inside. She serves them with banana ice cream, chocolate peanut sauce and honey-glazed bananas—but we think the doughnuts are awfully good on their own.
Makes 3 dozen mini doughnuts
Doughnut Dough Ingredients
3 large eggs
¾ cup buttermilk
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 ¼ tsp salt
2 ¼ tsp instant yeast
4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Additional dusting of flour for rolling out
Eggwash Ingredients
1 egg and 1 Tbsp water, whisked together
Filling Ingredients
2 regular Cavendish, or, 3 manzano bananas, peeled and sliced about ¼ inch thick
Instructions
- In a standing mixer, blend eggs to combine and add buttermilk, just to combine
- Mix in sugar, salt and yeast.
- Add 2 cups flour and all of the melted cooled butter. Mix until evenly distributed.
- With dough hook attachment on mixer, add all of the remaining flour (2 1/4 cups) and knead for 10 minutes on lowest speed.
- Lightly spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Place dough in bowl; cover with plastic wrap and let proof in a warm, draft-free place for 2 hours until doubled in size.
- On flour-sprinkled surface, roll out dough to ¼ inch thickness. Using a 1-inch round cutter, cut out rounds. Brush half with egg wash and top with banana slices. Place a dry dough round on top of each banana slice. Using finger tips, press the two rounds together to seal each mini doughnut.
- Let rest to slightly rise again for 10 minutes. Fry at 360 degrees until golden brown, about 3 minutes, turning over half-way through timing, to brown bottoms.