Daring Bakers Doughnuts for Halloween

With Halloween round the corner, October's DB had to have the colour of the festival.....

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.


Making these doughnuts was reliving childhood memories... we made doughnuts in school, 8th standard, in a meal planning class with Mrs Punia... I burnt my hand a bit as the hot oil spluttered while we dropped the doughnuts were fried. I never fried anything after that till the time this challenge came about. Deeba encouraged me on....

Way back then, I had come home n tried them again with my nani... we did really well.... I could never find that particular recipe again... anyone has it... pl send it accross....
Daksayani was over painting Diyas in preperation for Diwali..... We made lollipops with the doughnut centers.....

Simran loved her special pink heart doughnut which I had to try very hard to save from the boys....

Yeast Doughnuts

Preparation time:
Hands on prep time - 25 minutes
Rising time - 1.5 hours total
Cooking time - 12 minutes

Yield: 20 to 25 doughnuts & 20 to 25 doughnut holes, depending on size [I made half this quantity]
Ingredients:
Milk 1.5 cup / 360 ml
Vegetable Shortening 1/3 cup / 80 ml / 70 gm / 2.5 oz (can substitute butter, margarine or lard)
Active Dry Yeast 4.5 teaspoon (2 pkgs.) / 22.5 ml / 14 gm / ½ oz
Warm Water 1/3 cup / 80 ml (95°F to 105°F / 35°C to 41°C)
Eggs, Large, beaten 2
White Granulated Sugar ¼ cup / 60 ml / 55 gm / 2 oz
Table Salt 1.5 teaspoon / 7.5 ml / 9 gm / 1/3 oz
Nutmeg, grated 1 tsp. / 5 ml / 6 gm / ¼ oz
All Purpose Flour 4 2/3 cup / 1,120 ml / 650 gm / 23 oz + extra for dusting surface
Canola Oil DEPENDS on size of vessel you are frying in – you want THREE (3) inches of oil (can substitute any flavorless oil used for frying)
Directions
1. Place the milk in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm enough to melt the shortening. (Make sure the shortening is melted so that it incorporates well into the batter.)
2. Place the shortening in a bowl and pour warmed milk over. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let dissolve for 5 minutes. It should get foamy. After 5 minutes, pour the yeast mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer and add the milk and shortening mixture, first making sure the milk and shortening mixture has cooled to lukewarm.
4. Add the eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and half of the flour. Using the paddle attachment of your mixer (if you have one), combine the ingredients on low speed until flour is incorporated and then turn the speed up to medium and beat until well combined.
5. Add the remaining flour, combining on low speed at first, and then increase the speed to medium and beat well.
6. Change to the dough hook attachment of the mixer and beat on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and becomes smooth, approximately 3 to 4 minutes (for me this only took about two minutes). If you do not have a dough hook/stand mixer – knead until the dough is smooth and not sticky.
7. Transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
8. On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 3/8-inch (9 mm)thick. (Make sure the surface really is well-floured otherwise your doughnuts will stick to the counter).
9. Cut out dough using a 2 1/2-inch (65 mm) doughnut cutter or pastry ring or drinking glass and using a 7/8-inch (22 mm) ring for the center whole. Set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with a tea towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.
10. Preheat the oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 365 °F/185°C.
11. Gently place the doughnuts into the oil, 3 to 4 at a time. Cook for 1 minute per side or until golden brown (my doughnuts only took about 30 seconds on each side at this temperature).
12. Transfer to a cooling rack placed in baking pan. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes prior to glazing, if desired.

Old Fashioned Donuts
Adapted from Twisted Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 t. baking soda
2 T. butter
1 t. baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 t. vanilla
1/4 t. nutmeg
3 cups all purpose flour

Directions:
In a bowl, combine sugar, eggs, buttermilk, butter, vanilla, milk, and nutmeg. Mix until well combined.
Add baking soda and baking powder and 2 cups flour.
Continue adding flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until mixture is a stiff dough, and no longer sticky.
Roll out on a floured board to 1/2" thick.
Cut into a donut shape, and let rest for 10 minutes.
Fry in 350 oil for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.


Why is it that i can't conform to form??????? Instead of rolling the doughnuts in cinnamon sugar after frying... I put the cinnamon n coffee into the batter....... results were amazing..... I loved the flavour they had....... n lesser work of rolling... from the frying pan to my mouth.... They were yummy....

Dunking the doughnuts in chocolate ganache, poking to fill jam in some n pouring sugar syrup on some for Daksayani....... She went bananas.... calling half a doughnut, an elephant's trunk n playing elephant across the lawn......
I baked some of the old fashioned dough..... came out like a wonderful bread... the coffee n cinnamon flavour were much deeper in the baked doughnut compared to the ones on fry....


That's my neighbour Armaan with his friends Arjun n Aman along with Armaan's sweet sister Simran..... The boys loved the though of Halloween treats a week in advance n Simrans such a sweet doll..... :)


The boys played music n just had a great time n were cracking in the usual way boys create a ruckus... Arjun's the cutest... took my heart away..... became conscious in a bit n totally refused to be photographed.....

Aman's happiness was the chocolate.... :) n mine too :) :) :)

Verdict
The doughnuts were fun to make and would definately try them again after I can deal with my Yeast Ghost.... till then, it's the old fashioned doughtnuts for me...