Doughnuts From Scratch

Hi all! I decided to try my hand at yeast doughnuts from scratch. I had been envisioning fluffy glazed rings so I thought I would give it a whirl. I found a recipe online (I only look for recipes that I can make without buying anything special or that I wouldn't usually buy). It seemed simple enough.

What I ended up with was a little fluffy, a little dense (but not unpleasantly so) yummy glazed rings. I'm pretty proud of my first attempt. I made a few cinnamon-sugar doughnuts too.

Here is the recipe I used from AllRecipes.com.

Crispy and Creamy Doughnuts

My ugly little yummy doughnuts

INGREDIENTS:

2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/3 cup shortening

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 quart vegetable oil for frying 

1/3 cup butter

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

4 tablespoons hot water or as needed

DIRECTIONS:

1.Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.

2.In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, or stirring with a wooden spoon. Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, and cover. Set in a warm place to rise until double. Dough is ready if you touch it, and the indention remains.

3.Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter. Let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double. Cover loosely with a cloth.

4.Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in hot water one tablespoon at a time until the icing is somewhat thin, but not watery. Set aside.

5.Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large heavy skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slide doughnuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack. Dip doughnuts into the glaze while still hot, and set onto wire racks to drain off excess. Keep a cookie sheet or tray under racks for easier clean up.

My own tips and such

* I don't own a doughnut cutter so I just used a large plastic tumbler and a popsicle mold dipped in flour instead. Use what ya have!

* My dough was super sticky to knead so I added a bit more flour. It may account for the denser finished product but was way easier to work with. 

* You can use your oven turned on a low setting for a minute or 2 with door cracked open then turn it off to allow heat for the dough to rise.

* Don't forget the doughnut holes!

* Watch your oil temp. I had a few doughnut hole casualties that were a "little" burnt up.

* For cinnamon-sugar doughnuts: mix up a ratio of 1 part cinnamon to 4 parts sugar (or whatever your preference) and put on doughnuts that are fresh from the fryer. 

* For chocolate glazed doughnuts: add a little cocoa powder to the confectioners sugar

* For a caramel like glaze: replace some of the confectioners sugar with brown sugar

* Remember I'm not an expert.  I'm just sharing my own humble experiences.

* Have fun! Get messy! Let the kids help! Don't get discouraged! Improvise! 

Thanks for reading!