Coffee Glazed Crullers
Making crullers is about mastering the transition from thick, smooth batter to light, hollowed-out pastry. Once the glaze hits the warm ring, it bonds instantly, turning a simple breakfast pastry into a coffee-forward morning ritual.
Watch the hydration of your dough.
If the batter is too loose, the crullers will spread; if it is too stiff, they will be dense. Add the final egg slowly while checking the texture.
- heavy-bottomed pot for frying
- piping bag with a large star tip
- parchment paper squares
- thermometer
- whisk
What goes in.
- 1 cupwater
- 1/2 cupunsalted butter
- 1 tbspgranulated sugar
- 1/4 tspsalt
- 1 cupall-purpose flour
- 3large eggs
- 1.5 cupspowdered sugar
- 3 tbspstrong espresso, cooled
- 1 quartneutral frying oil
Cooking out the moisture
You must cook the flour and water mixture over medium heat until a thin film forms on the bottom of the pan. This ensures the pastry can hold its shape when piped.
The method.
Cook the base
Boil water, butter, sugar, and salt. Add all the flour at once and stir vigorously until the dough pulls away from the pan sides into a ball.
Emulsify
Transfer to a bowl and beat in the eggs one at a time. The dough should look glossy and fall off a spoon in a thick, V-shaped ribbon.
Pipe
Pipe 3-inch circles onto individual 4-inch squares of parchment paper using the star tip.
Fry
Heat oil to 360°F. Drop the parchment paper and dough into the oil, paper side up. Peel the paper away once it releases after 30 seconds.
Glaze
Whisk powdered sugar and espresso until smooth. Dip the warm crullers top-down into the glaze and let them sit on a wire rack until the sheen dulls.
Other turns to take.
Mocha Crullers
Whisk one tablespoon of high-quality cocoa powder into the glaze.
Cardamom Spiced
Add a pinch of ground cardamom to the water while boiling for a floral note.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Test one cruller first; if it sinks or stays pale, the oil is too cold.
Do not overcrowd the pot or the temperature will drop too low, resulting in greasy pastry.
If the glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar one teaspoon at a time until it coats the back of a spoon.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why did my crullers collapse?
They were likely undercooked in the center or removed from the oil before the structure set. They need to be deep golden brown to hold their shape.
Can I use cold eggs?
Room temperature eggs incorporate more evenly into the hot dough, helping the final volume.