Leonards Bakery Hawaii Malasadas Recipes

MALASADAS (PLAIN OR HAUPIA FILLED)

Steps:

• Heat the milk in a glass liquid measuring cup in the microwave for 1 minute. In the bowl of a stand mixer*, combine the hot milk with the yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar. Stir lightly, and let sit until the mixture is foamy*, about 5 minutes (*see "tips" above).
• Using the dough hook and beat the eggs, butter, 1/4 cup sugar and salt into the yeast mixture. Add half of the flour (2 cups plus 1/4 cup), and mix until combined, then mix in the rest of the flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It's ok if it is still a little tacky (see picture above). Add more flour, about 2 tablespoons at a time, if the dough is still too sticky.
• Grease a large bowl with a little oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray (so the dough won't stick to it if it rises a lot). Let rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
• Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and cut into 16 equal pieces. Take each piece and pinch into a ball shape being careful not to overwork. Once it's nice and round, pat each piece between your hands, flattening it out a little so it looks like a fat disc. Optional: Place each dough piece on a 4" square of parchment paper, this will make it easier to handle gently and put in the oil after they rise. Cover dough pieces with a kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place until they puff up, about 45 minutes.
• About 10 minutes before the doughnuts are done rising, heat oil to 350-degrees in a deep fryer or Dutch oven (I actually used my electirc fondue pot and it worked perfectly). Carefully add the malasadas to the oil, a few at a time. Be careful not to crowd them. When the bottoms are deep golden, after 45 seconds to a minute, use a metal slotted spoon or wooden chopstick to flip; cook until they're deep golden all over.
• Use a slotted spoon or oil strainer to carefully remove malasadas to a plate or cooling rack lined with paper towels.
• Once the malasadas are cool enough to handle (but still very warm), roll in sugar until well coated and set aside. Serve immediately.

MALASADAS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the yeast with 1/4 cup lukewarm water and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Mix until the yeast dissolves then set aside for 5 minutes. Stir in the milk, vanilla, eggs, and butter and reserve.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour with 11/3 cup sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the yeast and milk mixture into the well. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry, forming a soft, smooth dough. Cover the dough with a clean towel and set aside to rise in a warm place until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
• Punch the dough down, then with oiled fingers, pinch off pieces about the size golf balls. Place the dough balls on greased baking sheets. Cover the malasadas with a clean towel and set aside to rise in a warm place for about 15 minutes.
• In a heavy, high-sided pot, heat a bout 2 inches of oil over medium-high until the oil reaches 325 degrees F. Working in small batches, fry the malasadas until they are uniformly golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes per batch. Drain the malasadas on a plate lined with paper towels just until they are cool enough to handle then roll them in cinnamon sugar and serve.