Doughnut Madness!

Some Saturdays are for accomplishing lofty goals– getting up early, making a proper breakfast, running 7 miles and doing the laundry. I’m exhausted just talking about it.

Other Saturdays are for equally lofty but less healthy goals, like doughnuts. I mention only doughnuts because they took a good 3 hours to make. Note to self: start earlier. Or walk to Dunkin’ Donuts.

I’d ventured into doughnut land before, but with an innocent heart-shaped, oven-baked, orange-zested doughnut. These puppies were no comparison.

I started with some water, yeast and bread flour.

I let that sit and rise for a while. Then I added more water, yeast and bread flour, among other things.

Then I let it sit some more. It was at this point I settled on making them lunch doughnuts.

 

 

Also, donuts? Doughnuts? Doughnaughts? I hope I’m not offending anyone.

Anyway, when my dough was finally done rising, I prepped my space. Rolling, cutting, proofing, frying, cooling, dipping, and topping. Phew.

Eventually, they started to resemble actual doughnuts.

And then, I satisfactorily dropped them into the mini-oil vat. Fry, baby fry!

Mmmmmm.

After repeating 8-10 times, I was ready for my toppings. Time to separate the fried bread from the doughnuts.

In the end, I settled on two fitting flavor profiles: maple glazed with bacon and chocolate glazed with assorted sprinkles.

Simple enough.

Just don’t cross the streams. Don’t. It would be bad. “What do you mean, ‘bad’? Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.”

I went there. It was just wrong. It was molecule-exploding material. I’m not sorry.

A lofty Saturday, indeed. See the recipe below from Doughnuts!

Basic Raised Doughnuts and Glaze, two ways

Yields 8-10 doughnuts

Ingredients

3 tbsp active dry yeast (about 3 packets)

1 cup whole milk, heating to 110 degrees

2 to 2 1/2 cups bread flour

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup unsalted butter

Vegetable oil (for fying)

Maple Glaze *note that I halved the glaze recipes, since I made two. Double for just one!

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 1/2 tbsp whole milk

Chocolate Glaze

3/4 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp whole milk

1 tsp vanilla

Toppings

4-5 slices bacon

assorted sprinkles

Cocoa Pebbles

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix together 2 tbsp (or 2 packets) of yeast into 3/4 cup of hot milk. Add 3/4 cup flour and combine. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 mins.

Next, add the rest of your milk and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Add the flour mixture above, along with sugar, salt, vanilla and egg yolks and mix until combined. Add about 1/2 cup of remaining flour and mix for about 30 seconds before adding your butter and mixing another 30 seconds. Switch to a dough hook and slowly add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until soft dough is formed and completely pulls away from the sides of your mixer. It shouldn’t be too sticky to roll out.

Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 12 hours. Line baking sheet with a dish towel and roll out your dough on a floured surface until 1/2 inch thick. Start cutting out your doughnuts with a doughtnut cutter, biscuit cutter, or even a glass (just use something smaller to put holes in the middle).

Place your cut doughnuts on the dish towel and cover with plastic wrap. Let them proof until they’ve almost doubled in size, which should take between 5 and 20 minutes. When you touch them and they spring back slowly, that means they’re ready.

While proofing, set up your frying pan or fryer and let it heat to 360 degrees. Any hotter and you risk burning your doughnuts. Any cooler and the insides won’t cook. Drop them in for about 1 minute per side, or until golden brown. Remove and let them drain and cool over paper towels.

For the glazes, sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. Dip your doughnuts, add your toppings, and enjoy your breakfast (er, lunch)!

Time

3 hours