TASTY AND EASY TO MAKE KOREAN DONUT RECIPE

TASTY AND EASY TO MAKE KOREAN DONUT RECIPE

I enjoyed eating this treat soooo much as a kid and I love that I now get to make them with my own children! This recipe requires only 7 simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.    It is a traditional Korean dessert, pronounced Kwaa-bae-gi.  It is crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside with the perfect level of sweetness.  It goes great with a mug of coffee,  a hot cup of tea or a cold glass of milk.  What it doesn't go great with is your favorite pair of skinny jeans, if you indulge in too many!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp of unsalted butter
1 cup of milk (whole milk is best but low fat works, too)
8 tbsp of sugar (set aside half of that)
1/2 tsp of salt
1 egg
1 package of yeast
3 cups of flour (plus set aside 2 tbsp of flour for dusting)

**if you have cinnamon, add 1 tsp to the set-aside tbsps of sugar to sprinkle on the donuts.  Ignore this extra step if you don't like the taste of cinnamon.**

Heat a large pot of oil (about 5 cups of canola oil) to 350 degrees.  Nervous Mom Tip: *Keep pot handles facing in and away from the edge of the stove when working with little ones in the kitchen.

In a medium size pot, over  medium heat, melt the unsalted butter.  Remove from the stove and add the milk, 4 tbsp of sugar, the salt and whisk together.  Then crack in the egg and whisk.  Then add the yeast and whisk.  Let it sit for 5 minutes.  Add the flour and mix and knead by hand until it looks doughy and starts to stick to your hands.

In a bowl, set it aside (covered) and let it rise for 1.5 hours.  When the time is up, knew some more, cover it again and this time let it sit for about 45 minutes.  Knead it again, gently, and then begin dividing the big block of dough into even halves until you have 16 small balls.  My kids added food dye to some of them!

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Now it's time to make them into the twisty donuts!  Sprinkle lightly some flour onto counter surface to keep the dough balls from sticking.  Then roll out each ball into a line, resembling a breadstick.  Take the palms of your hands and roll them each in opposite directions as you knead the ball into a rod-like line about 12" long.  Then pick it up by the tips of each end and fold up (it will automatically twist the donut as you bring the two ends together).  When the two ends meet as you fold the long donut twist in half, pinch the ends together to secure that the twist doesn't unravel.

Once the oil reaches 350 degrees, turn the heat down to medium heat so as not to burn the donuts.  Place the first batch of donuts into the oil and watch them float!  About 2 to 3 minutes into the frying, flip the donuts and cook for another 2 minutes until the outside is hard and crispy and the donuts have a golden brown coloring.  Remove them and place onto a plate lined with a paper towel to catch any excess oil.  Do not use a plastic ziplock baggy (the heat from the donuts can melt the plastic).

Once the donuts are all cooked to a golden brown, place them, one by one, into a brown paper bag or simply roll them on parchment paper that contains the 4 tbsps of sugar (and cinnamon, if you want to add it).  Gently shake the donuts in the bag or roll them on the parchment paper and coat them thoroughly.  

Enjoy!

From my family to yours,
MANGAMom