So this amazing thing happened.
I got a DM asking if I would be interested in trying a bottle of a new flavor from a great Canadian whisky company, Select Club. Just from that, I was already sold. Then when I found out that the flavor was pecan praline, I got TOO excited.
I immediately began recipe planning.
A few ideas came to mind, but one I just couldn't shake off. A friend of mine, Abdur (aka @Briansbaking on IG) shared with me his doughnut dough recipe a long time ago that I now use as a base recipe for cinnamon rolls and all other enriched and ungodly delicious baked goods. So I thought to myself, maybe I can take his base recipe and adjust a few things. Play around with it, yaknow? And thats where this lead me.
Add whisky to the dough you moron!
So I did. And here I am to share the recipe on a much more readable platform. Not that Instagram isn't the best app in the world... just kinda hard to share a long ass recipe on there.
Sourdough Pecan Praline Whisky Doughnuts
Recipe makes ~20 doughnuts
For Dough:
240 g total liquid (2 whole eggs, 1 yolk, and milk of choice combined)
80 g active sourdough starter
80 g sugar
8 g salt
525 g strong white flour (bread flour or high gluten flour is recommended)
20 g Select Club Pecan Praline Whisky
30 g pecans, toasted and roughly chopped (so there are some very small pieces and some larger chunks)
200 g butter, softened
Pinch of active dry yeast (optional, will help to rise a bit quicker)
For Frying:
Vegetable/Canola oil
For Glaze:
200 g powdered sugar
60 g Select Club Pecan Praline Whisky (can use half whisky and half milk of choice if desired)
pinch of salt
For Topping:
100 g pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the liquid mixture (egg and milk combo), sourdough starter, yeast (if using), sugar, salt, flour and Select Club pecan praline whisky. Using hook attachment, mix until combined on medium speed.
Once dough comes together, begin adding your butter 1 TBSP at a time, adding the next TBSP after the first has been thoroughly mixed in.
Once all butter has been thoroughly mixed in, add your 30 g pecans.
Knead this dough in the stand mixer on medium speed for about 10 minutes. Check it periodically. You’ll know your dough is thoroughly mixed when it begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, and there is a successful windowpane test (This means that when you stretch the dough between your fingers, you can see light through it and dough does not tear right away) - Dough will be sticky.
Once dough is kneaded completely, we will let it double in size. This may take longer or shorter depending on temperature of your house/temperature of your dough/activity level of your starter/whether or not you used active dry yeast. Since it is an enriched dough, this will probably take AT LEAST 5 hours, so I recommend starting this dough in the morning, and keeping a close eye on it. Mine took about 8 hours total (my house was COLD)
When your dough has visibly doubled in size, cover the bowl and place your dough in the fridge overnight (or about 8-12 hours)
The next morning, roll your dough out to 1 cm thickness. For shaping, I personally use a 3 in circle cookie cutter and a bottle cap to make the signature doughnut shape. If you are using the same to shape, you should get about 20 regular sized doughnuts, or about 16 doughnuts and ~20 doughnut holes.
Place shaped doughnuts on a parchment lined baking sheet. Put these baking sheets into a turned OFF oven with the light on to proof. This should take about 4 hours. I recommend placing a bowl with boiling water inside as well to create some additional heat to speed up the proofing process.
Once doughnuts are puffy and proofed, place the doughnuts on the baking sheets into the fridge to firm up.
While doughnuts are firming up in the fridge, add some canola/vegetable oil in a shallow pot. There should be about 1.5-2 inches of oil added from the bottom of the pan. If you submerge your finger, it should hit around your knuckle. Heat oil to 200 degrees C or 390 degrees F. Please use a thermometer for this.
When oil is almost at temp, mix your glaze. Add powdered sugar, Select Club pecan praline whisky, and salt to a bowl, and whisk until smooth. Set to the side.
Add 100 g of roasted and chopped pecans to a separate bowl/plate. Set aside next to your glaze.
Once oil is up to temp, add doughnuts to oil CAREFULLY. I recommend frying 3-4 at one time. Any more than that will significantly cool down the oil and it will not fry correctly.
Fry doughnuts ~3 minutes, flipping every 30 seconds, until doughnuts are a nice golden brown color. When doughnuts are done, place on a cooling rack lined with a paper towel underneath.
Once doughnuts have cooled sightly, you will dip one side of the doughnut into your glaze, then directly into the chopped pecans. Place back onto cooling rack and leave doughnut until glaze has set.
Enjoy! Pairs nicely with a shot of Select Club pecan praline whisky ;)
They're really good... in case you were curious.