Mekitsi, Bulgarian Breakfast Donuts with Blackberry Sauce

Bulgarian donuts are like regular donuts. The main difference is that yogurt is used instead of milk.

It gives them a sourer note and I decided to add a bit of lemon zest for extra flavour too. Unlike regular donuts though they are eaten with jam on the side or as I had them drizzled with a delicious berry sauce for a plated breakfast treat.

You can use this recipe to make regular donuts too. Simply fry them after the final proof without stretching them out. And then you can fill them or dust them with sugar.

But it is well worth trying the Bulgarian way. I never imagined eating donuts with a knife and fork covered with a berry sauce. Call it fancy pancakes! ?

The best part is that the blackberry sauce got absorbed by the donuts making them super juicy. You can use any berries you like. A generous dusting of icing sugar is a must to finish them off too.

This recipe makes 12 donuts. That should be enough for 3 – 4 people. The sauce I made was just about enough for 2 portions, so you may want to double up on that.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the dough –

250g (8.8oz) strong white bread flour

25g (0.9oz) sugar

3g (0.1oz) salt

20g (0.7oz) soft butter

4g (0.14oz) instant dry yeast or 4.8g (0.16oz) active dry yeast or 12g (0.42oz) fresh yeast

1 lemon worth of zest

1 egg, around 50g (1.75oz), cold*

100g (3.5oz) yogurt, cold*

*To learn more about dough temperature control click here.

For the berry sauce –

100g (3.5oz) blackberries

1g (0.03oz) cinnamon

20g (0.7oz) butter

20g (0.7oz) honey

Pinch of salt

Icing sugar & mint leaves to garnish

Vegetable oil for frying

Method

1. In a bowl combine the yogurt, egg, yeast, salt, sugar, butter, and lemon zest. Mix well to dissolve any large sugar and salt crystals and to hydrate the yeast.
2. Add the flour and mix to a dough.
3. Tip the dough out on your table and knead it for 5 minutes. *Desired dough temperature 25 – 26C (77-79F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust proofing time accordingly.
4. Ferment for 2 – 2.5 hours or until almost doubled in volume.
5. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape into balls.
6. Cover and ferment for 1 – 1.5 hours or until well puffed up. During the final 10 minutes of fermentation preheat your oil to 160C – 170C (320F – 340F).
7. Stretch the dough balls and drop them in the hot oil. Fry for 4 – 5 minutes flipping halfway through. Be careful when working with large quantities of hot oil. Do not get distracted by kids or pets because that is how accidents happen. I would suggest getting everyone out of the kitchen when you are doing this.
8. Drain the donuts on some kitchen paper or on a rack.
9. To make the berry sauce combine the butter, honey, cinnamon, and salt in a small pan. Place it on a medium-high heat and bring up to a boil. Add the berries and keep cooking whist stirring occasionally for another 3 minutes. It is better to keep them intact as you get another texture instead of just a smooth jam.
10. Cover your donuts with a generous helping of berry sauce, dust them with a thick layer of icing sugar, sprinkle some mint leaves and tuck in!

And check out some more Baking World Tour videos.

Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.