Snack · 120 min · german

Berliner Pfannkuchen — Jam Donuts

All-purpose flour does the heavy lifting here, with active dry yeast rounding it out. A German snack that takes 120 minutes, start to finish.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 3.5 cups All-purpose flour
• 2.25 tsp Active dry yeast
• 1 cup Warm milk
• 2 Eggs
• 6 tbsp Butter
• 0.5 cup Granulated sugar
• 1 cup Raspberry jam
• 6 cups Vegetable oil

Steps

1. Make a soft enriched dough with the flour, yeast, warm milk, eggs, sugar, and butter. Knead until silky and elastic, then rise until doubled, about an hour.
2. Roll 3/4-inch thick, cut 3-inch rounds, and let them rise again 30 minutes on a floured tray — this second rise is what gives the pale “equator” ring around each Berliner.
3. Fry in 350°F oil, 2 minutes per side, until deep golden. Drain on a rack. The white ring around the middle proves the dough was properly proofed.
4. While still warm, roll in granulated sugar. Then poke a hole in the side with a skewer and pipe in a generous spoon of jam — raspberry is classic, plum and apricot are regional favorites.
5. Eat the same day; Berliners go stale fast. A word of warning: in Berlin, ordering a “Berliner” gets you a jam donut, but in Berlin they call it a Pfannkuchen. Don’t ask.

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