I am so happy to share another guest poster on BigFatBaker. Today I have the lovely Manuela from Manu’s Menu. I have had the pleasure of talking to Manu through Twitter and other social networking sites over the past couple of months. She is very talented in the kitchen and a terrific photographer. Today she is sharing a lovely italian dessert, krapfen.
When Erin asked me to write a guest post for her, I looked into my archive and saw that I had the perfect recipe for her! I had made these a little while ago for a tea party at my daughter’s pre-school and have not had a chance to blog about them yet.
When I write a post for someone else, I always try to offer something that represents me and my site… you know, like a “business card” kind of thing. So I usually write about an Italian dish and/or something I grew up with.
This dish falls under both categories: it is an Italian sweet that I grew up eating it! I know what you are thinking: krapfen… Italian? With that name? So, I think I owe you a little explanation…
Krapfen is a sweet doughnut originally from Austria and Germany where is often referred to as “Berliner”, thus the name. It is common throughout central Europe, especially in the countries that were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and some parts of North-Eastern Italy are among these areas. South Tyrol/Alto Adige is a region of Italy that borders with Austria where the majority of people speak a language that is very close to Austrian German. This is the area from which krapfen have spread to the rest of Italy.
I love these doughnuts and I used to often buy them from our local bakery as a child. They can be filled with a variety of sweet fillings (including a thick custard), but the most classic filling of all for Italian krapfen is apricot jam. I hope you enjoy them! And thanks Erin for giving me the opportunity to be a guest over at your beautiful site!
Krapfen
Ingredients:
- 500+150 gms flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 7 gms dry yeast
- 100 gms melted butter
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 egg yolks + 1 full egg
- 5 tbsp (75 gms) sugar + 1 tbsp (15 gms)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp rum
- Zest of 1 lemon, grated
- 1 glass of lukewarm milk (250 ml)
Put the 500 gms of flour and salt in a mixer with a dough hook. Make a well and add 1 tbsp of sugar and the yeast. Mix together and add ½ glass of lukewarm milk (125 ml) diluted with 2 tbsp of water. Mix and let the foam form.
Now add the 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, egg yolks and egg, lemon zest, rum, vanilla extract, sugar, melted butter and lukewarm milk to the frothy mixture. Put the mixer on and mix with the hook attachment until you get a smooth dough (you may require to add up to 150 gms extra flour while kneading, the final dough has to be soft, but not sticky). Let the dough rise for 2 hours in a warm place.
After the dough has risen, roll it into a ½ cm thick sheet. Cut out circles of 8 cm in diameter (you can also make smaller ones of 6 cm each, if you want to make smaller krapfen). Put 1 tsp of apricot jam on half of the circles and cover them with the remaining circles. Close by using a little water and pressing well with your fingers. Let them rest for about one hour (this step is optional, I usually prepare all the krapfen and them start frying them from the first one I made working backwards. That is enough time for the dough to rest).
Deep fry the krapfen in warm vegetable oil (I use sunflower oil). Make sure the oil is not too hot or the krapfen will get burnt and remain raw on the inside. When golden brown, remove them with a slotted spoon and put them on a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain the excess oil.
When cooled down sprinkle with icing sugar and enjoy!
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Also you can follow Manu’s Menu on…
Twitter @manusmenucom
Foodbuzz
About bigfatbaker
Manu is all over the place and I love that lady. She comes up with such delicious treat all the time
Her recipes are so wonderful! I can’t wait to try these lovely fried treats
These look scrumptious! Thanks, Erin, for featuring another of my favorite bloggers! Manu, such a yummy filled doughnut…my mouth is watering!
Beautiful post, Manu… I am weak when it comes to deep-fried things, and especially doughnuts.. I plan on making these soon! Thanks for sharing
Great guest post!
I am so happy to visit your blog, Erin… I know I’m following you on twitter, but I rarely log in there, and I think that’s why I’ve never gotten around to visiting your site… I will be here more often for sure! Love what you have going on here
Thank you so much for stopping by! I am glad to hear that you like my site. Hope to hear from you again soon
I love seeing Manuela here at your site..I adore her and her recipes..I also grow up eating these too..but what’s not to like, they are simply mouthwatering!!
Wonderful guest post!!!!
Wow, this just looks amazing. I’ve never had it but now want to try.
Thank you so much Erin for having me over! I had great fun writing this guest post for you! <3
What an AWESOME guest post! Manu is one of my fav food bloggers!
Great guest post…these look fantastic!
Great guest post, ladies! Now who would have thought that Krapfen was Italian but it all makes sense. What a lovely recipe, Manu – and Erin, well done on the guest post!