Lots and lots of doughnut holes
A good snowy day treat. Here, if you have a craving, better look around the pantry and see if you just can’t make it yourself. So, when Bob hinted at “doughnuts…” you know we couldn’t head over to the nearest Crispy Creme shop. We had to make our own. A rather messy project, but when it’s snowing hard outside, finding an excuse to linger longer in the kitchen is OK with me.
Here’s the recipe I made. A few suggestions. I do not have a doughnut cutter, so used the upside down rim of a small juice glass instead, producing lots and lots of doughnut holes. They were quite easy to work with, and the scraps, I fried up and we nibbled on them for a treat – though not as “pretty,” they tasted great. Also, I used a candy thermometer to regulate the temperature of the oil. It worked super. When my oil got too hot, however, the outsides of the doughnuts cooked too rapidly, leaving the insides still rather raw. Yet I imagine if I tried to cook the doughnuts when the temperature was still too low, they would have become tough and over done inside.
So, next time you’re stuck inside for a snowy (or rainy?) day, give these a go. Your spouse and/or family will thank you for them. I hope you try and enjoy!
Glazed Doughnuts
Ingredients:
- 2 packages (or 3 ½ tablespoons) active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup shortening
- 5 cups all purpose flour
- A pinch of nutmeg
- A quart of vegetable oil for frying
In a medium bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Then whisk in with a fork (or use a blender if you must) the sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and nutmeg. I might still not be perfectly smooth, but it will blend in as you go. Add the flour, a cup at a time. By the fifth cup, you’ll need to use your hands to mix this up. Add just enough flour to have a smooth, elastic dough. I ended up using about 5 ½ cups flour. Kneed the dough for about 5 minutes, then return to the bowl, cover with plastic, and let sit until doubled in size (about an hour).
Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to about ½ inch thickness. Cut out your doughnuts with a real doughnut cutter, small biscuit cutter, or like I did with the glass. Lightly cover these with plastic until they rise about doubled in size (about another ¾ of an hour).
In the meanwhile, you can make the glaze (see below). Then, in a large, heavy sauce pan, get your oil good and hot, to about 325 degrees. You’ll have to regulate your burner to keep the oil at a steady temp. Carefully dip in your doughnuts – watchful not to splatter the hot oil – and turn them to cook both sides evenly. A slotted spoon works great. Remove the cooked doughnuts onto a wire rack with newspaper underneath to help with clean up. While still warm, dip into the glaze, swirl around, and lift back onto the wire rack to cool and dry.
For the glaze:
In a small sauce pan, combine:
- 1/3 cup butter
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- A couple drops maple flavoring if you have it (I did, and it was great)
- A few tablespoons hot water
Stir until butter is melted, sugar is combined, and add just enough water to make it smooth and like a creamy soup, but not too watery.