Frati, Tuscan donuts: the recipe

in
 
 

The context is deep frying, now! :)

My child memories urged me to make one of the classic treats of all Tuscan faisr: frati. Frati in Italian means “monks”. I am not sure why these treats got such a name, but probably because they remind the monks’ tonsures.

Although the dough is the same of bomboloni (the Italian krapfen or boule de Berlin), frati are characterized by the typical ring-shape. I have always preferred them to the custard-stuffed bomboloni that I find a bit too heavy.

The recipe, including the procedure, comes from Anice e Cannella, a point of reference for baking goodies! :) The procedure is a bit lengthy, but it is worth the effort, believe me! Stick to the recipe and you will obtain light and soft donuts :) I have used my standing mixer, but you can knead the dough by hands. Below the recipe of Paoletta, with my modifications and comments:

Frati (Tuscan donuts)

(Doses for about 15 frati)

For the dough

  • 400 g of all purpose flour

  • 70 g of sugar

  • 50 g of soft butter

  • 130 g of milk

  • 100 g of lukewarm water

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 6 g of dehydrated yeast

  • 1 teaspoon of orange extract

  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

  • 5 g of salt

For deep frying

  • sunflower seeds oil, as needed

For garnishing

  • granulated sugar, as needed

Early afternoon (around 14:00) day 1

Preparation of the starter

Pour the yeast and the lukewarm water in a bowl. Let the yeast hydrate for about 5 min. Dissolve the yeast and add 100 g of flour. Knead the dough a bit, cover it with some film paper and let it rise for 1 h (I placed it in the oven at room temperature and with the light on).

Preparation of the dough

Pour the starter in the standing mixer bowl. Add 1-2 table spoons of flour and start the mixer. I recommend to start with the leaf-shaped hook at low speed (1-2 with the Kitchen Aid) to then move to the regular hook, as soon as the dough starts to torque.

Then, add the egg yolk and let it absorb into the dough. At this point, add half of the sugar. Keep kneading and add 1-2 table spoons of flour. Finally, add the remaining sugar.

Keep kneading and add, alternating, milk and flour. Proceed in this way: 2 table spoons of milk, followed by 1 table spoon of flour. Alternate the two ingredients till depletion.

Eventually, add the salt.

Keep stirring for at least 25 min, till the dough torques (the dough must wrap around the hook).

Add, then, the vanilla and orange extracts.

Incorporate the butter and let the dough torque. This is a very delicate step, because the grease hampers the torquing of the dough. If the dough doesn’t torque, transfer the bowl with the dough and the hooks in the fridge, for about 15-20 min. After this time, try to knead again. Start with the leaf-shaped hook. As soon as the dough starts torquing, replace the leaf-shaped hook with the regular hook, and let the the dough torque.

At this point, cover the bowl with some film paper and let the dough rise for 1 h and 45 min.

After this time, fold the dough as shown here, in picture 3,4,5. Cover the bowl with film paper and let the dough rise for other 40 min.

Evening (about 21:00-22:00) day 1

I transferred the dough in a sealed container and placed it into the fridge, till the next morning. If you start in the morning, this step can be omitted and you can move directly to the next step (which is actually what Paletta does).

Remember that the overnight rest in the fridge allows the dough to develop a more complex aromatic bouquet, as I have already explained here. 

Morning (about 9:00 circa) day 2

If you left the dough in the fridge, keep it a room temperature for about 1 h. 

Sprinkle some flour on a clean surface and spread the dough with a rolling pin, so that it will have a thickness of about 1 cm. Cut the rings with a donuts cutter. Alternatively, you can use a large glass and make the inner hole with a small liquor glass.

Cover the frati with a clean kitchen cloth and let it rise for about a hour.

Pour about 2-3 inches of oil into a pot and bring the temperature of the oil at 150-160 C. If you do not have a kitchen thermometer, you can use a few pieces of dough to test the temperature. If the dough immersed into the oil doesn’t develop any bubbles, it means that the temperature is too low. On the other hand, if the dough darkens too quickly, the oil is too hot.

Here a few tips on how to properly deep fry.

Deep fry one donut at the time and drain it well on kitchen absorbent paper. Let frati cool down and roll them into the sugar.

Let me know if you like them :)