These donut holes called Ponchiki are fluffy, soft, and chewy on the inside, and crispy on the outside with the cherry filling making this dessert irresistible.
In a medium saucepan, add water, sugar, a pinch of salt, and oil.
Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Set aside to cool; the mixture must return to room temperature before adding yeast.
Sprinkle yeast over the mixture and whisk until it's completely dissolved (the liquid will become tannish-gray in color).
Next, pour the mixture into an electric mixer bowl or other large bowl. Sift half of the flour mixture and stir it in with a dough attachment (you may also do this with a wooden spoon if you are working by hand).
Now add the rest of the flour and let the mixer stir it into a nice and smooth consistency. It takes about 5 minutes to thoroughly mix in the rest of the flour.
Place the dough in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours or until the dough triples in size.
While the dough is rising, remove the stems and rinse the cherries well.
If you're using frozen cherries I recommend rinsing them as well since they are usually not rinsed before freezing.
How to Shape Ponchiki
Grease your hands with a tiny bit of oil and form a piece of dough around a cherry into a nice little 1.5” ball. You can also use an ice cream scoop to form the balls. Place the ball onto a cutting board or other flour-dusted working surface.
Start by flattening the dough about half-inch think, place a cherry in the middle, fold the dough over the cherry as evenly as possible, pinch together the ends, and then roll it into a nice round shape.
Place them on a plate in line to the deep-frying pot. Personally, I like to make about 15 ponchiki at a time, then fry them. While the first batch is frying, there's time to make another batch to fry.
How to Deep Fry Cherry Filled Donut Holes
Heat the oil for deep frying until it reaches 350 F. Add about 15 donut holes, all in the same batch. Deep fry in the hot oil for about 2 minutes per side. Remove fried ponchiki onto a prepared cooling rack or strainer.
Heat the oil temperature for deep frying until it reaches 350 F. Add about 15 donut holes, all in the same batch. Deep fry for about 2 minutes per side. Then remove fried ponchiki onto prepared cooling rack or strainer.
Once done, allow the ponchiki cool for about 5 minutes or so.
Dust them with powdered sugar.
Your delicious Ponchiki is ready to be served. Enjoy them with a glass of cold milk or a delicious cup of homemade latte.