Jelly Doughnuts

Ingredients for the sponge:
2 teaspoons instant yeast
3/4 cup warm milk
pinch of sugar
6 ounces bread flour

Ingredients for the dough:
sponge
1 packet of yeast
1/4 cup warm milk
2 ounces sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
zest of half of a lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 egg yolks
3 ounces butter, very soft
1/2 pound bread flour

vegetable oil (enough to fill a pot 4-inch deep for frying)
confectioners sugar for dusting the finished doughnuts
jam of choice for filling.

Preparing the sponge:
Sprinkle the yeast with a pinch of sugar in a bowl and bloom the yeast (blooming is the term for letting the yeast become active and bubbly in a liquid) in the milk. Let sit for about 3–5 minutes.

In a mixer fit with the dough hook, add yeast and flour and mix until smooth. Cover and allow the sponge to rise and proceed to the dough stage just as the sponge starts to fall.

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Preparing the dough:
Bloom 1 packet of yeast with 1/4 cup of warm milk and add to mixing bowl with sponge. In a small bowl stir together egg yolks, vanilla, zest and sugar. Add to the sponge mixture. Add butter small pieces at a time and then start to add the flour and mix until you have a smooth dough.

Spray the dough with a light coating of nonstick spray and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rest for one hour.

Divide rested dough in half. Roll each piece into a rope and cut both into ten pieces, rolling each of those ten pieces into a tight round bun, using no flour on your surface to avoid the flour from burning in the hot oil, and allow to rise on a parchment lined sheetpan in a warm place until a little less than doubled in size.

Place a moist dish towel over the buns while they’re resting to avoid them getting a dry skin.

In a large stockpot, bring at least 4 inches of vegetable oil to 360 degrees F. When the buns have doubled, add them to the oil one at a time, gently placing them in the oil, seam side up (the seam is the “ugly”, puckered underside from your having rolling it ). Allow to brown for about 4 to 5 minutes and then flip and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes.

Transfer to a cooling rack or paper towel-lined sheet pan to allow oil to drain and dry.

Fill a pastry bag filled with jam and fitted with a #3 open tip, large enough to allow jam to freely flow but small enough to shove into the side of doughnut without creating a huge hole. Shove the pastry tip into the doughnut and gently fill with your filling.

Sift powdered sugar on top of the doughnuts.