Meisi’s journey – Farmer’s doughnuts with „Granggn“-sauce

In her new film series “Meisi’s journey through SalzburgerLand” former ski racer Alexandra Meissnitzer presents her hometown’s most special places. While doing so she discovers traditional recipes like the farmer’s doughnuts at Gainschnigg-Alm, in Rauris. Mountain farmer Sophie Ennsmann adopted the recipe from her mother: the doughnuts, made from simple yeast dough, are fried swimming in fat. Exposed to the heat of the fat the doughnuts seem to literally explode. The golden brown baked doughnuts are best served tepid, with self-made “Granggn”-sauce (that’s what they call cranberry compote in Pinzgau) and topped with a little bit of icing sugar. That is how tradition in the national park Upper Tauern demands it.

Farmer’s doughnuts with “Granggn”-sauce from Gainschnigg-Alm

Ingredients for 6 – 7 doughnuts:

• 1 kg wheat flour, smooth (type 700 (Ö) or 550 (D))
• 1 cubed yeast, ca. 42 g
• ½ l organic milk
• 5 organic eggs
• 150 g organic butter, melted
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp. rum (ad lib)
• Clarified butter

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

© SalzburgerLand Tourismus, Michael Größinger, The first farmers doughnut is ready

Preparation:

1. Sift flour onto a worktop and make a little hollow in the centre. For the “Dampferl” put yeast into a cup, mix with sugar and milk and pour it into the flour hollow. Stir carefully while making sure that the flour edge remains unchanged; then cover it with a cloth and let it rest for 15 minutes. If it creates bubbles it is a good sign that the yeast is active.
2. Mix in the remaining ingredients and work into a smooth, soft dough within 5 minutes. You can also use a wooden spoon and a mixing bowl. The dough is ready when it starts to create bubbles and separate from the bowl’s side. Rum prevents the doughnuts from saturating with fat.
3. Cover the dough with a cloth again and let it rest at room temperature for 45 minutes. The volume should double. If it does not, you should start over using new yeast.
4. Take the risen dough from the bowl and portion it: “dranel” the dough balls, i.e. divide the dough so that you get 6 to 7 round balls. Put them onto a floured cloth and cover with plastic foil. Let them rest again until the volume has once again doubled.
5. Now shape the balls into standard doughnut form making sure that each one has a dough edge. Let the formed doughnuts rest again until they doubled their volume.
6. In the meantime put clarified butter into a large, wide pan and heat to 160 degrees. The clarified butter should have a depth of 3 centimetres. To test if the clarified butter is hot enough, put the end of the wooden spoon into the butter. If you see bubbles around the edges of the spoon you can start frying.
7. Turn the doughnuts one at a time and let them dive into the clarified butter with the hollow upside down. Caution hot! Fry the doughnuts swimming and drizzle the tops with the hot fat using the wooden spoon. The doughnuts’ edges should rise rapidly.
8. Turn doughnuts as soon as they have got a nice crispy brown colour. Take them out and let them drain on kitchen paper.
9. Allow them to cool down and sprinkle tepid doughnuts with icing sugar. Serve with “Granggn”-sauce.

“Granggn”-sauce – recipe for cranberry compote

Ingredients:

• 1 kg cranberries, it is best to use freshly picked cranberries or buy them at the market
• 1 kg sugar or jam sugar (2:1)

Preparation:

1. Heat cranberries and sugar in a large pot, bring to the boil while constantly stirring and boil rapidly for four minutes.
2. Take the jam from the stove, fill brimful into prepared and clean glasses and close firmly. Caution hot!
3. Turn glasses upside down so that a vacuum is created. For storing turn glasses around again.