Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Wannabe Famous Donuts

PLEASE VISIT THIS RECIPE OVER AT MY NEW BLOG!!! CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT RECIPE!  THANKS FOR VISITING!


First of all, let me explain.  I made these donuts a couple weekends ago for everyone here on the ranch.  I love making donuts.... but it's because they always turn out good and everyone always seem to give rave reviews!  When a cute little 6 year old visitor showed up, she asked me if I was famous after she took her first bite... I almost couldn't contain the laughter.  She's such a doll and she was so serious, but me?....famous? ha ha ha!  She, rather quickly, helped me get rid of a full bowl of donut holes:) and made sure that we dispersed them to everyone right away!! 
This is the recipe I also use every Halloween so that all the kids get hot cocoa and a warm donut when they come to my door.  I'm not thinking I'll be doing 10 dozen this year like I did last year (and had too many) because I might be lucky to give a dozen out here and that includes the adults!

As with any yeast breads, you MUST have patience!  I know, I know!  Sometimes it's so hard, but in order for your donuts to have a light and airy texture, you must give them the rising time they need.  Otherwise they'll be tough!  Ick! 
We like ours glazed but I usually roll some in sugar just for the different look... they look pretty on a plate! :)

I hope you all enjoy them as much as everyone here has... And really- I sure wannabe famous! :)


Wannabe Famous Donuts
original recipe found on Allrecipes.com
adapted by From Cupboard to Cupboard
Find the printable recipe HERE


2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast (or 2 Tablespoons)
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
  For the glaze:           
1/3 cup butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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.

*When I'm running short on time or glaze... I will put sugar in a large bowl and dip some of the donuts in the sugar while they're still hot.  You can also add cinnamon to the sugar and dip them in that.  I have also rolled out the dough and cut it into squares and fried the squares.  Then add maple flavoring to the glaze and some extra powdered sugar to thicken it and have maple bars.  The options are endless!  Don't forget to let the kids help you with the donut holes!  They love them! :)

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

70 comments:

  1. Your donuts look yummy! Lovely shots.
    Thanks for sharing the recipe.
    Hope to see you on my blog:)

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  2. These look just like Krispy Kreme! OMG... I am drooling right now! Yummy!

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  3. Is it ok to switch the shortening for butter? I just don't like using shortening.

    They look amazing....I want to make them for an activity we are having.

    Linda

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    1. It might change the texture just a bit, if anything but I think you should be just fine!

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  4. How many donuts does this make?

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    1. I just made some again for a Relay for Life fundraiser this past weekend. I doubled the recipe and got 66 donuts. I didn't make donut holes, just re rolled the holes so I had more donuts. Hope this helps! ;)

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    2. Very much! Thanks!!

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    3. Teauna -

      I love that you made these donuts for Relay for Life! Now I must make them :) Can they sit overnight - or do you not recommend that?

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    4. I have never tried letting them sit over night. I'll be honest.... I love the way the recipe is as written so I don't care to mess with it:)

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    5. If you want to make these the night before and fry them the following morning, do the final rise in the refrigerator overnight.

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  5. mmmm....these look yummy! What do you do for the glaze? Would love your recipe!

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  6. Do i use the dough hook or the paddle attachment on the mixer?

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    1. I like to use the paddle attachment until I'm mixing in the second half of the flour or so. Then put in the dough hook. The dough hook will do your kneading;) good luck! I hope you enjoy them!

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  7. I really shouldn't repin this....:) but, here goes!

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  8. These look delicious. How long approximately do the two rising stages take each?

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    1. Generally your first rise will take about an hour. And your second rise seems to take between 30-45 minutes... It really depends on the setting they're in and the temperatures and moisture in the air:) good luck!! And enjoy!

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    2. Thank you! I bought my yeast tonight and am going to try making them tomorrow morning! :)

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  9. What can I use instead of shortening? Butter or a combination of something?

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    1. You can certainly use butter! I wouldn't use margarine because of its high water content.... Good luck and thanks for stopping by!!

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  10. You can read recipes all day long but when when the recipe includes a photo it takes on a whole new life! I not only made these donuts but I did my own blog post about them... they're just simply heavenly.

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    1. I'm glad you loved them enough to blog about them! :)

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  11. I'm thinking about using this recipe for a donut style king cake.... Do u think it can be baked instead of fried

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    1. Wow... I'm not sure... The dough is so light that it may sink in baking time! So, I'm really not sure what to tell you. Perhaps it's worth a try? Let me know if you do try it!

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  12. Is there a way i can make it one day and cook the next. I'd love to make these with my students but class is only 2.5 hours long.

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    1. I was just wondering the same thing, Im a bit impatient. Or can u use rapid rise yeast and it be quicker?

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    2. Rapid Rise yeast would make it quicker, however, I have to say I've never used it myself. The one thing you can do is warm your oven, but make sure it's off to rise your dough. Put a pan of water on the bottom rack. Warm it so it's steamy and moist, then put your dough in there, covered, of course. It would rise faster. I'm sometimes out of time myself. I have a professional proofer and use that but when I've made them at my mom's on occasion, I have used the oven as my "proofer". It probably cuts half the rising time off!!:) Hope this helps!

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    3. In many risen bread recipes you can make it up to, or through, the first rise then refrigerate the dough to stop slow the yeast. It will still rise, but much more slowly. It might reach the full desired end rise by the time of your class next day and you could just fry it up straight from the fridge (but might need a bit longer in the fryer because of being cold), or you could take it out of the fridge a while before your class so that it would warm to room temp and therefore continue its rise until class time and then fry it at that point.

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    4. Rapid Rise will cut out the second rise. You would make the dough, cut the donuts, let them rise the hour and then fry. No need for the second 35 minute rise. While rapid rise is definitely great for being in a hurry and works just as well, I still like a double rise when I bake. I'm old school and was raised in a bakery setting with professional bakers. I guess I just love the process of kneading by hand. It's almost like a stress ball for me. I just enjoy it so. :)

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  13. I've made these twice now! Beyond amazing! Thank you so much for sharing a wonderful recipe!

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  14. just made these for my husband and kids (i added a 1/2 tsp of nutmeg) and omg these were sooooo good. my 14 yr old son said "it was like getting out of the shower, coming into a coffee shop (the smell) and getting fresh donuts"! i made the glaze as printed, then made it again and added cinnamon (yummy)!!!! i had some of the dough left over so i made cinnamon rolls and baked them at 350, topped them off with homemade cream cheese frosting!!!! love the recipe thanks for posting!!!!

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  15. you have the dough rising two times, how long should each take? can you tell me what temp the "luke warm milk" should be?

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    1. The first rise usually takes close to 1- 1 1/2 hrs. The second rise never takes as long because its already in the groove of things, so maybe 30-45 minutes? And when I say lukewarm, I say just a little warmer than body temperature. Drop some on the inside of your wrist. If you don't feel it, warm it up. If its too hot, let it cool down!:)

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  16. Making these tomorrow morning for the local fire department........fingers crossed!

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  17. I have been wanting to try these all week and finally have the chance! I was also wondering about the temperature of the like warm milk. Also, my husband loves the maple bars we get from the local store. I saw your note on adding maple flavoring to the glaze to achieve the same result, but what do you use as a maple flavoring? Is there an extract or should I simply use a syrup?

    Thank you so much for the recipe!

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  18. I have just made these wonderful donuts. I can not believe how amazing they taste. I had to get out of the kitchen so as not to eat them all. They are so fluffy and the icing is just perfect. Thank you for sharing this as it will be a keeper in our family.

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  19. How would the doughnuts turn out if I were to use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour? I happen to have some on hand, and I'm playing with the idea of using it in this recipe; possibly even a half/half mixture of the two. Any thoughts?

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    1. You know.... I'm not sure. It may work and give them a lighter texture but I'm not sure how well it will hold up to yeast as I have never tried! Sorry I can't be more help! Good luck and let me know if you tried it!:)

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    2. Actually, I looked into it, and it's not a very good idea. "Cake flour is soft wheat, low protein flour; it won't develop the glutin strands necessary to encapsulate the bubbles of carbon dioxide gas and the little ethanol alcohol emitted from the yeast when it consumes the sugars in the flour, so you won't get a good rise or structure. At the very least, stick with AP flour for yeasted baked goods."

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  20. oh that sounds so good . I make bread and rolls by hand . I found that if you take the yeast that you rise and let it be thin and let it rise a few times and then after times add flour to it and push it around the bowl till you can dump it out on for rolling , just smosh it dwon and stretch it out and put your good ole fashion rasins , melted brown sugar and what ever you like, then roll it up it kinda falls here and there but do it anyway and let it still after for 5 min. then bake at 350. you will have the lightest cinimon rolls in the world . made it by mistake when I was tried of doing all that kneading . make the dough a little soupy it works . thanks for the donut resipe it sounds soooooo good and yummy and you gave me a great Idea for HOlloween thanks have a great day

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  21. Oh my God these taste SO good. I've tried to make donuts several times before but they never worked out until I tried this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing it.

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  22. Could you use self rising flour?

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  23. I made these a few weeks ago for my husbands birthday. We both agreed, they are the BEST homemade donuts we have ever had. And we love donuts.

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  24. How many does this recipe make?

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  25. These can also be cut into 2 1/2 - 3 inch rounds, cooked as above. Before frying the donuts, fill a piping bag with seedless raspberry jam. Attach a plain tip with a large hole. When donuts have been fried, insert tip into center and squeeze some jam into them then roll them in superfine sugar. Excellent jelly donuts.

    Also, they can be cut into these rounds, fried and cooled. When cool, slice 2/3 of the way across each one and spread your favorite jam in it and some stabilized whipped cream for a for a real treat.

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  26. These were perfect! I wouldn't change a thing.

    After making the dough in step 2 - I put it in a covered bowl in the fridge overnight, and in the morning went right on to step 3 - it had raised and was ready to roll. Just thought I would let you know about his nice option:)

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  27. Do you think I could mix it up and put it in the refrigerator to rise overnight? I have four kids ages 4-9 and they are not going to wait 2-3 hours in the morning for me to make these. :) I know you can do it with bread dough. Just wondering if this would be possible with this dough too....anyone???

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    1. I have never tried it but my friend refrigerates a lot of her bread dough. It would take extra time to rise after refrigeration too. Perhaps you could speed up the process by warming your oven on warm with a pan of water in it. Shut it off and place your xough in there with the oven door slightly opened. Ive done this a time or two;)

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  28. Where do you get a doughnut cutter?

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    1. You can find doughnut cutters in the kitchen section of most stores and grocery stores too!! There are some pretty cool ones online as well.:) they are not an expensive gadget.

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  29. Mmmmm! These were so yummy! Thanks for sharing!

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  30. I feel bad because everybodys donuts turned out good but mine turned out just a little thick. They were indeed tasty but not light and fluffy or pretty like krispy kreme:-( Help anybody! !! What did I do wrong?

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  31. I was wondering if there is some way to bake them instead of frying them. I love donuts but not suppose to be eating fried foods. They look sooo good.

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  32. Awesome!!! Will be making again. These are easy and delicious....Wont being overpaying a Krispy Kreme anymore.

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  33. Hi! These look DELICIOUS! Question: can you use bread flour instead? Is it better to use bread flour? Or worse? Thanks!

    clamb

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  34. Hi, I've tried your recipe a while ago and it was really delicious. Soft and fluffy,m whole family esp.my kids loved it. You are such a doughnut goddess ! Thank you



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  35. Just made these and O M G!!!! I was nervous at first, but what a simple recipe. Thanks for sharing! (I'm so off my low carb diet today. LOL)

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  36. I am making these as we speak!! I don't really bake a lot but when I seen these I was ecstatic to find I had all the ingredients!!! I can't wait to try them!! I will let yall know how it turns out!!! Thanks for the recipe!!

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  37. I am making as we speak waiting on yeast. I was ECSTATIC to find I had all the ingredients!!! I CANNOT wait to try these. In my home town we have a donut place called southern maid they truly are the BEST donuts I've ever had and nothing can come close but your pictures make me think maybe just maybe these will and I'm sure they will not disappoint!! I'll let you know how they turn out! Thanks much for sharing!!

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  38. Living in Scotland being American I do SO miss a krispy Kreme donut...these are just as good although had to mess with the recipe a little with measurements etc to get it to kneading stage and used a baking stuff similar to shortening as there's no Crisco here!! End result was fab had to get away from the fryer to avoid eating a dozen mysrlf!!

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  39. Making now... will let ya know how they turned out coming from an amateur cook lol.......

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  40. Was just wondering if you have ever tried freezing them and if so what technique you used?

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  41. Can I do this recipe in a donut maker? I really want to try it.

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