Key Lime Donuts

Instructions

For the donuts:

1. Warm the milk and combine it with the yeast, stirring lightly. Let it sit for 5 minutes or until it foams up a bit.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the eggs, melted butter, sugar, and milk mixture. Mix on medium- high speed until well mixed and smooth.
3. Add the nutmeg, salt, and 2 cups of the flour and mix until combined, then switch to the dough hook attachment.
4. Add the remaining flour and mix until dough pulls away from the bowl. If dough feels sticky, add more flour, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, until soft and smooth.
5. Oil a bowl and place dough inside, cover loosely and allow to proof in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size.
6. When dough has completed the first proof- punch it down a bit and roll to 1/2 inch thick. Cut out desired donut shapes. For filled donuts I used a 3.5 inch diameter biscuit cutter and then punched holes out with a large piping tip for regular donuts. You can re-roll the scraps, but try not to overwork the dough and let it rest for a few minutes between rounds to let it puff up a little bit.
7. Place cut donuts on a lined cookie sheet an inch or so apart and cover loosely again, proofing in a warm place for another 45-60 minutes.
8. While donuts are proofing make your filling and glaze

For the curd:

1. In a small saucepan combine the sugar, eggs, zest, and juice. Heat on medium-high and stir constantly, until mixture becomes thick, coating the back of your spoon, about 10 minutes.
2. Remove from heat, add butter, and stir until smooth. Pour into a heat safe bowl or jar and pop it in the fridge until ready to use.

For the glaze:

1. Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk, using more or less depending on how thick you'd like your glaze to be. If it gets too thick or hard before you're ready to use it, you can whisk it rapidly to smooth it out.

Frying donuts:

1. Heat oil in a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pan. Clip on a candy thermometer if you have one and adjust your heat until the oil reaches about between 365F-375F** (While the oil is heating, prep some plates/cookie sheets with paper towels to place the donuts on after they are done.)
2. When oil is ready, use a spatula to slide a donut into the oil. (You may want to fry one at a time until you get the hang of it. When the bottoms are deep golden (45 seconds or so,) use a slotted spoon to flip the donut and fry the other side. Place finished donuts on the paper towel-lined plates and continue frying the rest.
3. When donuts are cool enough to handle, fill a pastry bag with key lime curd, make a little hole in one end of the donut using a chopstick and fill the donuts. Dip the tops into the glaze and let it dry on a wire rack.