Berliner
The Berliner is a yeasted doughnut fried in fat rather than baked, a technique for treating dough with fat that food historians trace back centuries across German-speaking lands, with the name "Berliner" itself only becoming common outside Berlin in the nineteenth century as the capital's bakeries became known for the pastry. Confusingly, in Berlin itself the doughnut is usually just called a "Pfannkuchen," while "Berliner" is the more common name everywhere else in Germany. Traditionally the dough is fried whole so it keeps a pale, unfried band around its middle, then cooled and injected with jam, classically plum, though raspberry and other fruit fillings are common today. The doughnut is closely tied to Silvester, New Year's Eve, and to Karneval season, when bakeries turn out huge batches and occasionally slip a mustard- or onion-filled one into a batch as a good-natured prank on unsuspecting guests.
Deep-fried, never baked
The yeasted dough is fried in fat rather than baked, which leaves a pale ring around the middle where it sits in the oil.
Filled after frying
Once cooled, each doughnut is injected with jam, most traditionally plum or raspberry, through a small hole.
A New Year's Eve tradition
Berliner are a fixture of Silvester and Karneval, when bakeries sometimes fill a few with mustard as a practical joke.
Dusted or glazed
The outside is finished with powdered sugar, plain sugar, or a thin sugar glaze, depending on the region.
Ingredients 4 servings
- 500g flour
- 80g sugar
- 1 packet (7g) dried yeast
- 200ml warm milk
- 2 eggs
- 60g soft butter
- A pinch of salt and the zest of 1 lemon
- About 200g plum jam or raspberry jam, for filling
- Oil or fat for deep-frying, plus sugar for dusting
How to make it
- 1Warm the milk slightly and dissolve the yeast and a spoonful of the sugar in it, then let it sit until foamy.
- 2Mix the flour, remaining sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl, then add the yeast mixture, eggs, and soft butter.
- 3Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, then cover it and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour, until doubled in size.
- 4Punch the dough down, roll it out to about two centimeters thick, and cut out rounds with a glass or cutter.
- 5Place the rounds on a floured tray, cover, and let them rise again for 30 minutes until puffy.
- 6Heat oil or fat to about 170°C and fry the doughnuts in batches for two to three minutes per side, until deep golden brown.
- 7Drain the Berliner on paper towels, let them cool slightly, then fill each one with jam through a small hole and dust with sugar.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
