I HEART DONUTS for Karen Q.

This what I do on a rainy, snowy Swedish day...

The second degree burn on my thumb, was so worth these babies. I am a proud blog mamma today. I have fond memories from my childhood making donuts with my brother and sisters at our restaurant in Youngstown. I loved when my mom would make us "dough boys" which are pizza dough fried in fat then sprinkled with sugar. Okay, maybe some of you out there are shaking your head, but really donuts are basically a sweet bread dough that is either baked(really).. or fried in fat. Crispy creamers look away now, as I fried my little golden nuggets in coconut oil..


I have a bad habit of over doing it in the selection or sort of donuts. I must do them all. Go hog or go home is my motto, so here it is ladies and gents.My black cherry jam filled donuts,creme patissiere filled, cinnamon sugar, plain, couverture*( couverture chocolate is available from speciality food stores and on the web.Dark chocholate is perferred for cooking. Milk couverture chocolate is available, but can be subsituted with good-quality eating chocolate.I buy mine at www.mumsigt.se Toppings included sprinkles and white couverture chocolate.

homer would be proud....

Put on your jogging pance , because we are going on a calorie induced ride. Enjoy, be careful, and let's all agree to HEART DONUTS:)


4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 cup lukewarm milk
3 tablespoons sugar
100g melted butter
4/1/4 cups flour plus more if dough is sticky just keep adding by 1/4 cups until you get the right consistency

100% coconut fat...best for frying

3 eggs
vegetable oil or coconut fat, shortening, lard(if you must!)


Place yeast, water,milk and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in a bowl and set aside for 10 minutes.
the mixture will start to foam,indicating that the yeast is active.Add the butter,flour,eggs and remaining sugar to the yeast mixture and mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms. Bring the dough together on your lightly floured work surface and start kneading until you get a nice silky dough and this can take a few minutes. I had to continue to add a little bit of flour as I was kneading as my dough was still quite sticky.


Place the dough in an oiled bowl, and let rise in double around 45 minutes to an hour.  I always set it on top of my stove with the oven on at 50 degrees C to help proof it a little. Remember yeast likes a warm place, so do not set it by a drafty window. When finished rising, pour your dough onto your lightly floured work surface and roll out to as big square or rectangle until 1 cm thick. Cut using a donut cutter or an old round cookie cutter or even a regular old drinking glass works well. 
Place your donuts on a baking paper lined baking tray and cover with a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. 
NOTE: Do not double this recipe, unless you have help.....It makes so many donuts, and by time you have cut them out the ones rising have over risen, so stick to a one batch at a time.
You can re-use the extra bits. Just knead them together and cut out more. Be inventive and use all kinds of cookie cutters, your kids will love a dinosaur donut. Wouldn't you??:)

While your donuts are rising the last time. Place your frying fat in a good heavy deep 3 liter pot and set on medium low heat. Coconut fat can reach an extremely high temperature, so be very CAREFUL, the splash back can result in some very serious burns..hint..hint...:( Also be careful of heating oil on the stove, you should always have the lid to the pan close by and a long oven mit that can help you safely put out any fires that over heated oil can cause. Please go out and buy yourself either a good thermometer or a deep dry machine. It's much better to be safe. Watch the oil like a hawk, and turn down the heat if you think it's getting to hot.

drooling yet?

Using your slotted spoon made of metal...Gently add a few donuts at a time and cook in batches. These little guys cooked up within a minute or so, flip them over when they are nice and lightly golden and then drain them on a large baking tray lined with lots of sheets of paper towel. If you want to have cinnamon sugar donuts once they have been drained on paper for a minute.Toss them into your cinnamon and sugar mixture.
1 cup caster superfine sugar to 2 tablespoons of cinnamon stir until combined. If your going to fill them or coat them in chocolate, caramel, honey glaze, then you can let them cool completely and finish cooking up the rest of 

them. 

Creme patissiere

Cinnamon sugar ( timmies eat your heart out:)
adapted from Donna Hay's Modern Classics 2

To make filled donuts, omit the the holes and fill a piping bag with which ever filling you want, and pierce a little hole big enough to fill your piping tip. Have fun, enjoy, and wow your guests.