Cruller

In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine 180ml water, 85g unsalted butter, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, and 1/4 tsp fine salt. Bring to a rolling boil over 3 minutes, stirring once to fully melt the butter. Add all 100g sifted all-purpose flour at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon for 1 full minute until the dough forms a smooth ball that pulls away from pan sides and leaves a thin starchy film on the pan bottom. Remove the pan from heat.

Let the cooked dough cool for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to release trapped steam. Add one room-temperature large egg at a time, stirring vigorously (or mixing on low speed with a hand mixer) to fully combine each egg before adding the next. Stop adding eggs once the dough is thick, glossy, and holds a soft 2cm peak when you lift the mixing spoon; this usually takes all 3 eggs.

Cut parchment paper into ten 10cm (4-inch) squares and arrange on a baking sheet. Fit a large piping bag with a 1cm wide star tip (Wilton 1M or equivalent), then fill the bag with choux dough. Pipe 7cm (3-inch) wide rings onto each parchment square, piping 2 overlapping layers of dough per ring to create the signature cruller ridge texture. You will pipe 8 total crullers. Place the tray of piped dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to firm slightly before frying.

Pour 1L of vegetable oil into a deep heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, and heat over medium-low heat until the oil reaches a steady 180°C (350°F) on a clip-on candy thermometer, about 8-10 minutes. Adjust the stovetop heat as needed to hold this temperature consistently through the frying process.

Carefully lower 2-3 crullers at a time into the hot oil dough-side down, holding the parchment square to avoid splatters; peel off the parchment after 10 seconds once the dough sets. Fry each side for 2 minutes, flipping once with a slotted metal spoon, until crullers are deep golden brown all over and reach an internal temperature of 93°C (200°F). Move fried crullers to a wire rack set over paper towels to drain for 5 minutes.

While crullers drain and cool slightly, whisk 180g powdered sugar, 30ml whole milk, and 1 tsp vanilla extract in a shallow bowl until completely smooth with no lumps. Adjust consistency if needed: add 1 tsp extra milk if glaze is too thick to dip, or 1 tbsp extra powdered sugar if it is too thin and runs off crullers immediately.

Dip each slightly warm cruller (around 49°C/120°F) fully into the vanilla glaze to coat all sides, then lift and hold over the bowl for 10 seconds to let excess glaze drip off. Return glazed crullers to the wire rack, and let them rest for 10 minutes to allow the glaze to set into a thin, crisp shell before serving.