This is an extremely popular treat in Japan and I believe it is a kind of soul food for many Japanese. I sometimes crave it, but no shops sell it where I live. If I want to eat it, I have to make it. Using my Basic Sweet Bread Dough, it’s not too hard.
Makes
8 Pieces
Ingredients
Basic Sweet Bread Dough
1/2 cup Warm Milk
1 to 2 teaspoons Dry Yeast *1 teaspoon takes longer time to proof
1 & 3/4 cups Bread Flour *and extra for kneading
2 tablespoons Caster Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg *lightly whisked
20g Butter *melted
Other Ingredients
1 cup Tsubu-an (Sweet Azuki Paste) *use firmly cooked Tsubu-an
Oil for frying
2 to 3 tablespoons Caster Sugar for coating
Method
Place Warm Milk and Dry Yeast in a bowl, mix gently and set aside.Combine Bread Flour, Sugar and Salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture, Egg and Butter. Mix well to form a soft dough. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes, gradually adding extra Flour as required, until smooth and elastic.Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a plate or plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.Roll Tsubu-an into 8 balls. About 2 tablespoonfuls (30g) for each.Divide the dough into 8 portions. Flatten each portion of dough to about 10cm round. Place one ball of Tsubu-an in centre, draw the edges up to form a bun, and pinch the edges very well. Make 8 buns and place each bun on a lightly floured surface with sealed side down. Set aside for 30 to 60 minutes to rise.*Note: This second proofing is important. If buns are not well risen, they expand while being fried and they might crack.Heat Oil about depth of 5cm in a large saucepan and heat to 150 to 160°C, which is relatively low temperature. Slowly deep-fry doughnuts until puffed and nicely browned all over. It takes about 5 minutes.Coat the doughnuts with Caster Sugar.
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