I made Russian doughnuts!

[Teeth Brusher]

Today I made some пышки! I think the phonetic spelling is pyshki. I thought they came out pretty decent. Not quite as the same in the shop. One issue is that the batter needs more sugar I think. The second is the texture. Pyshki are light, soft, and chewy. Mine weren’t dense, but the mouth feel/texture was off. They were rather more like traditional doughnuts.

Here is the recipe ingredient list I used:

flour - 300 grams (2 1/2 cups)
milk - 200 ml
egg - 1
dry yeast - 7 grams
sugar - 2 tsp
salt - 1/2 tsp
vegetable oil - 2 tbsp

I’d appreciate comments if there are glaring deficits in the ingredient list.

I’m pretty excited! I was always intimidated by making doughnuts. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be!

 

[Becky]

Yum, they look really tasty! Could you tell us more about the recipe method?

 

[Teeth Brusher]

Yum, they look really tasty! Could you tell us more about the recipe method?

Thank you very much! The recipe was pretty easy for me to follow.

Basically, I proofed the yeast in 1 sugar and warm milk. Then I mixed all of the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Next, let the dough rise (I placed the bowl in a cold oven with a dish of boiled water). After it rose for a bit, I punched it down and let it rise again.

Then I pulled off rounded bits, let them sit on a greased surface for about 10 minutes to rise a bit. I heated vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat and pulled/stretched holes into the dough balls and dropped into the oil. Fried 1-2 minutes per side, drained, and served with powdered sugar. That's it!

Here is the video I watched for the recipe, if you'd like to see (the lady is speaking Russian but I just watched what she was doing lol):

 

[Becky]

My only comments would be that the amount of liquid seems high and the amount of sugar seems low, but I have never made proper donuts so I don't really know what I'm talking about!

 

[Teeth Brusher]

My only comments would be that the amount of liquid seems high and the amount of sugar seems low, but I have never made proper donuts so I don't really know what I'm talking about!

Yes, I think the amount of sugar is totally off. Hmm...interesting about the liquid amount. I've never made doughnuts before either, so this is very much a learning experience for me!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Yes, I think the amount of sugar is totally off. Hmm...interesting about the liquid amount. I've never made doughnuts before either, so this is very much a learning experience for me!

The doughnuts look good. When I was a kid powdered doughnuts were my all time favorite. Eating a really good yeast doughnut is one thing I really miss since going gluten free I’ve tried to make a gluten-free version but they’re always horrible.

I agree with @Becky the hydration seems high. Several years ago I making doughnuts frequently. I haven’t made them in a while. I just looked at the recipe just to compare the baker’s percentages with the one you used. I think the fats balance out given egg is considered a fat. The real difference is the hydration and sugar. I dip my doughnuts in a glaze or cinnamon sugar. To be honest I’ve never actually eaten one of my donuts because I can’t eat gluten. I’m told they’re quite soft inside, with a slight chew on the outside.

Recipe I use
1.0 flour
.55 hydration
.12 egg
.15 fat
.15 sugar
.01 yeast

Recipe you use
1.0 flour
.66 hydration
.18 egg
.09 fat
.03 sugar
.02 yeast


This is the website where I got the recipe I use.

https://www.christinascucina.com/perfect-yeast-doughnuts-sugar-filled-jam-nutella-cream/

 

[Teeth Brusher]

The doughnuts look good. When I was a kid powdered doughnuts were my all time favorite. Eating a really good yeast doughnut is one thing I really miss since going gluten free I’ve tried to make a gluten-free version but they’re always horrible.

I agree with @Becky the hydration seems high. Several years ago I making doughnuts frequently. I haven’t made them in a while. I just looked at the recipe just to compare the baker’s percentages with the one you used. I think the fats balance out given egg is considered a fat. The real difference is the hydration and sugar. I dip my doughnuts in a glaze or cinnamon sugar. To be honest I’ve never actually eaten one of my donuts because I can’t eat gluten. I’m told they’re quite soft inside, with a slight chew on the outside.

Recipe I use
1.0 flour
.55 hydration
.12 egg
.15 fat
.15 sugar
.01 yeast

Recipe you use
1.0 flour
.66 hydration
.18 egg
.09 fat
.03 sugar
.02 yeast


This is the website where I got the recipe I use.

https://www.christinascucina.com/perfect-yeast-doughnuts-sugar-filled-jam-nutella-cream/

Thank you very much! Omigod, those doughnuts from the link look HEAVENLY. I cannot imagine how frustrating it is to make such delicious treats and not be able to eat them! Argh!

I found another пышки recipe that omitted egg from its ingredients. Are eggs a necessary binding/hydrating ingredient for doughnuts, in your opinion?

I think the next Russian recipe I will try will be smetannik (сметанник), which is sour cream cake. Yum!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Yes the Christina Cucina site has amazing recipes by a very talented baker.

For several years after I was diagnosed I refused to bake. I was so distressed by what i felt was a life of deprivation. And too, at the time there was little to no information on gluten free baking. But cooking and baking have been such a large part of my life. I eventually eased back into it. But that also happened as I came to terms with and make peace with my condition. Now I’m completely unfazed by the fact that I cannot eat gluten.


Egg is not necessary for a donut. The Greeks and Turkish have a delicious fried yeast doughnut made without egg. Granted they are not made in the same way as a raised doughnut, but they include yeast and they are certainly doughnuts.

The Greek version is called loukoumades and is soaked in a honey syrup after frying. Anything fried is delicious. Pour honey all over something fired and you have the food of gods! Loukoumades are to die for.

The Turkish version is called a lokma. It’s soaked in a simple syrup. But you can soak in honey syrup.

Although a lot of the contemporary recipes have been revised to include egg, both of these fried donuts are traditionally made without egg.

Now I am really craving donuts. I have a recipe for a gluten-free Pâte à Choux that I’ve wanted to try. Maybe I’ll whip up a batch and try to fry like a French cruller.

 

[Teeth Brusher]

Interesting! Maybe I will try the recipe again without egg. I've been off of baking for a few days because I've been making TOO MUCH. I am not even kidding, I have gained so much weight in just like two weeks!! What the hell is this nonsense??? lol

Oh WOW, I have never had loukomades or lokmas before. I'm not sure I've even seen them in shops? I will keep my eyes peeled the next time I see a Greek or Turkish store/restaurant.

Lol, I understand the doughnut craving TOO WELL. I hope your GF pate choux works out! I'm really interested in hearing how the texture comes out!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Yes the joy of eating unfortunately has the ill effect of weight gain. Sigh, I too need to slow down with the eating of baked goods.