These donuts were not any harder than a regular bread dough, other than the fact that you fry them instead of baking in the oven. The texture of the dough is just like a true bakery donut, except for the fact that you KNOW how fresh these things are! I have never even attempted to make donuts before, but when I saw this recipe on the show Worst Cooks in America I knew that I could make them. For heavens sake, people who CAN NOT COOK made yummy and great looking donuts, so why couldn't I do it? I did do it, and I would make these again. They definitely are not a treat to make all the time, but a good change once in a while.
To say these were yummy would be an understatement! Enjoy them as a treat anytime you want, because you don't have to spend INSANE AMOUNTS OF MONEY on bakery donuts!
Homemade Donuts:
1 cup whole milk (I used skim milk and it turned out great!)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
One 1/4-ounce package active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for oiling and frying
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling and flouring
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
One 1/4-ounce package active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for oiling and frying
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling and flouring
Bring the milk to a simmer in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then remove
from the heat and stir in the sugar and salt. Pour into a large bowl
and let cool slightly.
While the milk is cooling, dissolve the yeast in 2 tablespoons warm water in a small bowl, stirring. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Stir the yeast mixture into the milk mixture along with the oil, lemon zest and eggs. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of the flour with a wooden spoon to make a very soft dough. Spread 1 cup of the flour on a work surface and put the dough on top, scraping it from the bowl with a rubber spatula. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, incorporating all of the flour from the work surface and adding just enough additional flour (if necessary); the dough should be slightly sticky. Transfer the dough to an oiled large bowl and sprinkle lightly with additional flour. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out with a floured rolling pin until 1 inch thick. Cut out rounds with a 2-inch cutter. To make ring shapes, cut out doughnut holes with a 1-inch cutter. Place on a baking sheet, cover the doughnuts with another kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
While the doughnuts rise, heat about 10 cups vegetable oil in a deep 4-quart pot until it registers 365 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. (I used a deep skillet with about 3-4 cups vegetable oil to fry up the donuts and it worked GREAT!) Fry the doughnuts, turning once or twice, until puffed and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain. (I used a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet to let the donuts cool. It made it easy because all the excess grease just feel under the cooling rack, and the donuts didn't stick to the paper towel).
*For the frosting, I just used a container of Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge frosting, because I didn't have the energy to make a frosting this time.
Stir the yeast mixture into the milk mixture along with the oil, lemon zest and eggs. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of the flour with a wooden spoon to make a very soft dough. Spread 1 cup of the flour on a work surface and put the dough on top, scraping it from the bowl with a rubber spatula. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, incorporating all of the flour from the work surface and adding just enough additional flour (if necessary); the dough should be slightly sticky. Transfer the dough to an oiled large bowl and sprinkle lightly with additional flour. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out with a floured rolling pin until 1 inch thick. Cut out rounds with a 2-inch cutter. To make ring shapes, cut out doughnut holes with a 1-inch cutter. Place on a baking sheet, cover the doughnuts with another kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
While the doughnuts rise, heat about 10 cups vegetable oil in a deep 4-quart pot until it registers 365 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. (I used a deep skillet with about 3-4 cups vegetable oil to fry up the donuts and it worked GREAT!) Fry the doughnuts, turning once or twice, until puffed and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain. (I used a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet to let the donuts cool. It made it easy because all the excess grease just feel under the cooling rack, and the donuts didn't stick to the paper towel).
*For the frosting, I just used a container of Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge frosting, because I didn't have the energy to make a frosting this time.
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