French Crullers

Happy Fat Tuesday! I was raised in a family of donut lovers. My Grandpa would take me with him to the dump every Saturday morning when I was growing up. Some of the highlights of the trip were him singing "To the dump, To the dump, To the dump, dump, dump" in the tune of the Lone Ranger. The second was the one "tickle belly bump" in the road. Finally, the best part of the day was stopping at the local bakery for donuts. Growing up I was a jelly filled girl all the way. My Grandpa was a fan of the basic raised glazed. My Mom on the other hand (she inherited the donut gene) loved the French Crullers. I always remember thinking how boring their selections were. Now, in my adult years I realize how wrong I was. These light and airy donuts made with Pate au chox are so amazing in their simple flavor and texture.
The first time I made these doughnuts I had some trouble with the edges splitting. They would look great, but then the whole side would just bust open causing the filling to ooze out. I tried taking them out of the oil before they split, but then they were doughy in the middle. I also tried making the oil hotter and cooler, but didn't have much luck. I found if I flipped them several times during the cooking it lessened the splitting, but didn't totally prevent it.
I wrote to Lara Ferroni asking for assistance. I honestly didn't expect a reply, but I figured it was worth a try. Lara wrote back almost immediately and was so kind to offer her advice. I thought I would share this with you in case you had the same problem.
Here was her reply:
Crullers are a bit trickier to fry than the other types (of donuts). It's easy to undercook because they will look done, and then they go and collapse on you a few seconds out of the oil.
The splitting you describe is caused by the interior cooking and expanding, letting out the air. It's what creates the nice airy holes. If the "crust" is already firm, it will instead of just puff as you note and that can let in too much oil. Slightly lowering the oil temp and as you mention below, flipping after about 30 seconds the first time should help. Another thing you might do is to let them sit just a few minutes after piping... I usually "accidentally" do this because the oil isn't quite hot enough. Mostly, I don't worry too much if they split on one side, but just flip it over and cook it more on that side after the other side has crisped up.

French Crullers

Total time: 1 hour
Yield: 10-14 crullers
Ingredients

• 1 cup water
  
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
• 2 teaspoons superfine sugar
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 cup flour, sifted
  
• 3 large eggs
  
• 1-2 eggs whites, slightly beaten
  
• vegetable oil for frying
  
• 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
  
• 1 tablespoon honey
  
• 3-4 tablespoonsmilk
  

Cooking Directions
Place the water, butter, sugar, and salt in a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a brisk boil over medium high heat. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely incorporated. Continue to cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes to steam away as much water as possible. The more moisture you remove, the lighter your pastry will be. The mixture is ready when a thin film coats the bottom of the pan.
Scrape the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer (you could do this by hand or with a hand mixer), beat in the three whole eggs one at a time, making sure they are completely incorporated and stopping after each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add as much of the fourth (and fifth) egg white as needed so the dough is thick and hold its shape, but falls slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift it out of the bowl. It should be smooth and shiny.
Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch star piping tip.

To fry the crullers, heat at least 2 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot until a deep-fat thermometer registers 370 degrees. While the oil is heating, cut out 12 3-inch squares of parchment paper and slightly grease them. Pipe a ring onto each square. When the oil is hot, place one cruller at a time in the oil, paper side up. Remove the paper with tongs. Fry on each side until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel for at least 1 minute. Once cool to the touch, the crullers can be glazed.

To mix the glaze, place the sugar in a medium bowl and slowly stir in the honey and milk, a little at a time, to make a smooth, pourable glaze. Dip crullers into glaze and transfer to a wire rack.