Beaver Tails donuts
I first tried a satisfying beaver tail while skating down the Rideau Canal in Ottawa. A classic winter treat, beaver tails are sweet, soft, oval shaped doughnuts that are fried to perfection and typically sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Toppings can vary from lemon juice with sugar, nuts, chocolate sauce and even caramel. Whichever topping you prefer, just be sure to eat them warm!
Beaver Tail Doughnuts
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: 8 beaver tails
Ingredients:
1/4 cup warm water
8g pkg or 2-1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup milk, warmed
2 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 eggs
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 L vegetable oil for deep-frying
Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the warm water, warm milk, yeast and 1 tsp sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add melted butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and eggs. Give everything a good mix together. Add flour and mix with the dough hook (or with a wooden spoon if you’re not using a mixer) and mix until the dough comes together and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Knead for about 6 minutes in the mixer and 10 minutes by hand, until the dough is smooth, silky. Use extra flour if dough is sticky.
3. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. Leave to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
4. Punch down dough and place onto a lightly floured countertop. Shape into 8 equal sized pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll out each piece of dough into an oval shape. If you like, score a crisscross pattern in the top of dough to make it look like a beaver tail.
5. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet and leave to rise, covered, for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
6. Make cinnamon sugar by combining sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl.
7. Heat a large wide pot with about two inches of oil. Heat to 350F/176C. If you don’t have a thermometer, check the oil’s temperature by tearing off a small piece of dough and see if it sizzles and floats to the surface. Keep a close eye on the oil, adjust temperature as needed to prevent it from getting too hot. If you see it smoking or crackling take off the heat to cool down before frying.
8. Fry your beaver tails on each side for 30-60 seconds until they are golden brown. Dunk immediately in cinnamon sugar or top with lemon and sugar,Nutella, jam or my favourite, maple syrup!