Besides Sunday mornings when I was a kid, the other time in my life that I most associate with doughnuts is college. I didn't eat them that often then, but it was always a bit of an event. There was a great place that we went to, usually very late at night when we were stick of studying and doing homework. It was an event because it was a bit of a drive, and usually a whole bunch of us would pile into a car or two and go together. As far as I know, the place was open during the day, too, but I only ever went there once in daylight, and that was at 7am. =) They had just about any sort of doughnut you could want. One of the most popular was doughnuts (no hole) split in half and filled with glazed fresh fruit, that varied with the season. They often had strawberry, which was a favorite with a lot of people. Just once or twice, I remember them having peach, which was fantastic. But my usual picks were cinnamon sugar doughnut holes (granulated sugar, not powdered) and a tiger tail--I love twisty doughnuts of all kinds. But I have to admit, doughnuts are one of the things that I've been kind of scared to attempt at home.
The other thing I needed to figure out was the dough. Last time, I probably should have stayed away from a brioche-type dough that was sticky and difficult to work with unless it was very cold. Fortunately, I had a good idea for what to try this time around. One of my favorite cookbooks right now is Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Breads Every Day. And within that book, one of my favorite recipes is the All-Purpose Sweet Dough that he uses for all sorts of sweet breakfast treats--cinnamon buns, sticky buns, fruit-filled rolls and a delicious crumb cake. It was one of the doughs he demonstrated for us at the class I went to back in January. It’s quite versatile, and it makes a lot of dough, so you can use part of it for one thing and the rest for another if you want. (I used the rest of mine to make a cinnamon swirl loaf--no raisins--that B would actually eat.)
The morning after I mixed up the dough, I took the dough out of the fridge and cut off a piece that was about 500g. I rolled it out on a lightly floured counter until it was about half an inch thick. Then I cut out doughnut shapes. I used a 2-1/2 inch round cutter for the outside and a 3/4 inch one for the middle. I got 8 or 9 on the first pass. I gathered the scrapes, rerolled, and got several more, ending up with a dozen all together. I put them on a parchment-lined sheet pan, sprayed them with oil, and covered them with plastic wrap. Then I let them rise until they warmed up and got quite puffy, about an hour.
I love how the blue sprinkles coordinate with B's blue nail polish. =)
The verdict? These were a huge hit with my girls. And I can’t lie, I really enjoyed them as well. The dough was tasty but not too sweet. The chocolate glaze turned out really good, especially considering that I was making it up as I went along. =) We will definitely be making these again. Not too often, since I hate having to clean up after frying stuff, but these were worth it.
Want to try these for yourself? For starters, make a batch of the All-purpose Sweet Dough (found in the recipe for Cinnamon Buns). The glaze was pretty simple. I mixed a couple cups of powdered sugar with a tablespoon of corn syrup and enough water to make a thick glaze. Then I divided it in half. One half got about half a teaspoon of vanilla. The other half got an ounce of melted bittersweet chocolate. I had to add a bit of extra water to the chocolate one to get a glaze that was fluid enough for dipping.
Next time I really want to try twisted doughnuts. And I need to find a good cake doughnut recipe to make cinnamon sugar ones. Any suggestions? And what's your favorite type of doughnut?
Oh, and these doughnuts have been Yeastspotted!
Oh, no, G doesn't like chocolate, not at all. =)
You are such a great mom! Your girls are going to remember all these fabulous treats you made them for the rest of their lives, and probably want to do the same for their kids. Your doughnuts look terrific. I've heard so many great things about that sweet dough that I do need to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteThese look so good that I want to try them, too. I'm terribly afraid of deep-frying, though... How deep is the pot you used?
ReplyDeleteWow - those doughnuts look amazing! Love the icing. I have a fear of hot oil, but your post makes me want to try making some anyway.
ReplyDeleteoh wow those donuts look soooo good! too good to eat....almost! ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat special things you always do for your family...you make everything such a treat and such a memory! Cute photo of G! Happy Father's Day to Jamie!
ReplyDeleteWow, I am so impressed! Those doughnuts look so tasty - and professional! I am nervous about deep frying, but the fam loves doughnuts . . . I might have to cave!
ReplyDeleteCiao Di !! They look wonderful and my kids want them but I can't find the recipe !! Is it similar to the BBa one ?
ReplyDeleteI found you on yeastspotting. Your doughnuts look AMAZINGLY perfect. I love the texture of the inside of the dough. Wow. I must make these!!
ReplyDeleteBTW, your daughter is too cute!
Hey, I've been baking through that cookbook, too! Those doughnuts look really awesome--and I am a yeast doughnut lover. Perfect job with the glaze.
ReplyDeleteThose doughnuts look so tasty!
ReplyDeleteNice to "meet" your blog, just found it over at Yeastspotting....
ReplyDeleteyour doughnuts are ALMOST as beautiful as your daughter!
:-)
Made these Sunday with the kids. The kids went haywire for the next hour, so we added music, and had our own doughnut-fueled dance party.
ReplyDeleteReinhart's amazing, and it was nice to have that bit about your glaze on here.
Thanks for posting!