My whole family has become hooked on Provo Bakery‘s Buttermilk Bars, they are amazing! So crunchy on the outside but yet nice and tender on the inside. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to give it a go. It’s not very difficult but it is time consuming and also messy, every surface of my kitchen was covered in something so I will probably stick with Provo Bakery’s bars except for maybe a special occasion. Buttermilk Bars from The Provo Bakery have been one of our special treats during quarantine.

donuts

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

3 1/2 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting (I didn’t have any cake flour but you can make your own by taking a full cup of all purpose flour and removing 2 tablespoons from it and then adding 2 tablespoons of corn starch)

2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 egg

3 egg yolks

3/4 cup buttermilk

about 2 quarts vegetable oil or Crisco for deep frying

vanilla glaze (I had to double it)

2 – 4 cups powdered sugar

1 – 2 tablespoons vanilla

1/4 – 1/2 cup boiling water

1 For the donuts, melt butter in microwave safe bowl then set aside to cool a bit.

2 Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

3 Place butter, brown sugar, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add 1 whole egg and then egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each to combine. Add buttermilk and mix until combined.

4 Add dry ingredients all at once and mix just until a few streaks of flour remain. Continue mixing by hand until no flour streaks remain. Dough will be sticky. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour up to overnight.

5 Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Heavily flour a work surface and your hands with cake flour. Transfer half the dough to the work surface and sprinkle with flour. Pat dough into 3 x 24″ rectangle with long side facing you, adding more flour as needed. Use a floured bench scraper or butter knife to cut the rectangle into 1 1/2″ wide bars. (I found it easier to work with the bars if they were more of a square shape than a rectangle because they were smaller and easier to handle and also to fry.) When all bars are cut, dip bench scraper in flour and very gently press it down the center of each bar making a slight indentation.

6 Using a brush, lightly brush the excess flour off the bars. Using a thin metal spatula transfer bars to cookie sheets, flipping over so they are indentation side down. Brush excess flour from the other side of the bars. Refrigerate and repeat with remaining dough.

7 Fill a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven (I use my electric fry pan) with at least 2″ of oil. Heat on medium high heat until 350 or a bit above. While the oil is heating, put a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet.

8 Remove first tray of bars from fridge. Fry in batches of 4 – 5 so as not to crowd the pot, use a thin metal spatula to transfer the bars to the pot. Fry until dark golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer donuts to rack with thin spatula. Repeat with remaining dough then let cool.

9 For the glaze, whisk together glaze ingredients until shiny and smooth. Dip fully cooled bars indentation side down halfway into glaze. Lift up and let excess drip off. Return to rack and repeat.

OR go to the Provo Bakery and buy them!

recipe from Kitchn