Doughnuts

First of all, my mom is the Doughnut Queen, not in that she makes the best, but that she eats the best. We love doughnuts, as I am sure pretty much any one does. There’s a bakery about half a mile from my house, and mom and I have walked there on several occasions to get doughnuts (if you walk a mile roundtrip for doughnuts, we don’t think the cals count). Anyway, I usually wait until we get back home to eat my doughnuts because I want them with coffee. Mom has usually eaten one and a half before we get out of the parking lot. You have to get at least two because the first one goes down so fast, you don’t even taste it. So, this challenge was a no-brainer. It HAD to be on the list. I did one basic fried doughnut recipe and three different glazes. I loved. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.

Just a little disclaimer- this requires you to make the dough the day before you plan to fry them up, so be aware of that going into it. Also, can I just say that this was my first time ever using yeast. I realize how ridiculous this is, but I have since remedied that, so back off!

Here’s the recipe I used for the dough and regular glaze: https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/homemade-glazed-doughnuts/

Doughnuts:

1 1/8 c whole milk, warm

¼ c granulated sugar

2 ¼ tsp (one package) instant or active dry yeast *I feel like you can’t say either one because they require a bit of a different care. I used active dry yeast- I prefer it because I like to be able to see if my yeast is good in the milk instead of waiting to see if the dough rises.

2 large eggs, beaten

1 ¼ stick unsalted butter, melted

4 c all-purpose flour

¼ tsp salt

*Oil for frying- I used vegetable oil

1. Warm up milk to 100 – 110F. *I warmed it up on the stove in a small saucepan, but I have been told you can do it in the microwave. I prefer the control I have of sticking a thermometer in the saucepan and waiting til it gets to the yeast’s happy temperature. I did 105F because I was scared.

2. Add the milk to a bowl or a standing mixer bowl.

3. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.

4. Add the yeast and stir to combine. Let the yeast sit about 5 minutes. *I let it sit like 10 minutes because it felt like it wasn’t happy yet. I also didn’t stir in my yeast at first because I’m an idiot, so then I was like shit, and stirred it in and let it go a bit longer. You are looking for some bubbling action in the yeast.

5. Add beaten eggs and melted butter to the bowl and stir to combine.

6. While the mixer is running, slowly add the flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together. 

7. Mix for about 5 minutes to work the dough well. Turn off the mixer and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.

8. After the 10 minutes, turn the dough out into a greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 8 hours or overnight. *I made sure to flip my dough ball around in the bowl so the top of the dough also had a greasy sheen.

1. The next day, to form the doughnuts, remove dough from fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface until it’s ½ to 1/3 inch thick. Use a 3-inch doughnut cutter to cut out the doughnuts.

2. Place the cut doughnuts and holes on a lightly greased baking sheet.

3. Repeat rolling and cutting with the rest of the dough. *Eventually it will get to the point where the glutens are too worked and the doughnuts won’t keep their shape when you cut them. They’ll start to shrink back on themselves. So, when that happens, I’d say stop.

4. Cover the doughnuts and let them rise until doubled in size, about an hour. The doughnuts will be very puffy and airy looking. *Seriously, it’s magical. It’ll feel like a fluffy pillow if you touch it.

1. To fry the doughnuts, heat a few inches of oil in a large cast iron skillet or fryer over medium heat until the oil reaches 365 – 375F. Use a thermometer! *I used a Dutch oven, and this worked great for me. I also started making my glazes while the oil was heating up so that they were ready.

2. Carefully add doughnuts to the oil and fry until golden brown, about 1 ½ minutes on each side. The holes will take about 30 seconds on each side. *Be careful not to add too many doughnuts at a time so the oil temperature isn’t lowered.         

3. Use a slotted spoon to remove doughnuts from oil and set on a paper towel lined tray.

4. Let them cool slightly, and dip in any of your various delicious toppings.

Glaze:

3 c powdered sugar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp vanilla

½ c cold milk or water     

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Make sure to have the consistency thin enough to cover but thick enough to not run off too much. If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar. Too thick, add more milk or water.

Caramel Glaze:

I used this recipe for the next glaze *this was my personal favorite: https://dailyhomemade.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/baked-cake-doughnuts/

4 tbsp unsalted butter

½ c brown sugar

1/3 c heavy cream

Pinch of salt

½ - ¾ c powdered sugar

1. In a saucepan, over medium heat, stir together butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, and salt.

2. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute.

3. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

4. Stir in sifted powdered sugar until you get a thick consistency that will stick to the doughnuts.

Chocolate Glaze:

I used this recipe for the chocolate glaze *This one didn’t dry very well. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I was making it in August, and it was balls hot: https://www.persnicketyplates.com/chocolate-glazed-baked-cake-donuts/

1 c chocolate chips

1 tsp coconut oil
1. In a microwave-safe bowl, add chocolate chips and coconut oil. Microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring between each round, until mostly melted. *I say mostly melted because you don’t want it to burn, so when it’s close but still has lumps, put in a little elbow grease and stir, stir, stir until it’s smooth.

Rating (Scale 1 – 5):

Difficulty: 3

Amount of Time: 4

Awesomeness: 5