Donut Days

from Leite's Culinaria

It's cold and drizzly and it's making me crave doughnuts.  The kind of doughnuts that's hot and fresh from the fryer, glazed with sugar and paired with some good dark coffee and a soft cozy robe.  As a rule, I don't eat doughnuts.  As least not the ones that are sold at the doughnut shops.  They are always cold, flavorless and disappointingly sad.  I have been lucky enough to have tasted freshly made, small batch doughnuts with a simple sugar glaze from farmer's markets in San Luis Obispo and Seattle.  Every time  I have one of those culinary beauties, it's  a revelation for my tastebuds.  Paul & I talk about having doughnuts for dinner and finding the perfect recipes to use.  Today I looked at one of my favorite food sites and there's this beautiful shot of glazed doughnuts and a recipe.  I think it's fate speaking and we are finally going to have doughnuts for dinner, yeeha!

Glazed Doughnuts Recipe from Leite's Culinaria

For the doughnuts:
3 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 cup whole milk, heated to 110˚F (43°C)
2 to 2 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for the work surface
2 tablespoons superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
Vegetable oil for frying

For the sugar glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted to remove any lumps
3 to 4 tablespoons milk or water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)

For the chocolate glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons milk or water
2 tteaspoons vanilla extract

Make the doughnuts:
1. In a medium bowl, dissolve 2 tablespoons of the yeast in 3/4 cup of the warm milk. Stir in 3/4 cup of the flour to create a smooth paste. Cover and let rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
2. Combine the remaining warm milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the flour mixture along with the sugar, salt, vanilla, and egg yolks. Mix until smooth. Turn off the mixer and add 1/2 cup of the remaining flour. Mix on low for about 30 seconds. Add the butter and mix until it becomes incorporated, about 30 seconds. Switch to a dough hook and, with the mixer turned off, add more flour, about 1/4 cup at a time. Knead the dough on medium speed between additions until the dough pulls completely away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth and not too sticky. It will be very soft and moist, but not so sticky that you can’t roll it out. (You may have flour left over.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
3. Line a baking sheet with a lightly floured dish towel. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2 inch thick. With a doughnut or cookie cutter, cut out 3-inch-diameter rounds with 1-inch-diameter holes. (Note: If making filled doughnuts, clearly, don’t cut out the holes.) You can re-roll the scraps and cut out additional holes.
4. Place the doughnuts at least 1 inch apart on the baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rest in a warm spot to proof until they almost double in size, 5 to 20 minutes, peeking every five minutes. To test whether the dough is ready, touch it lightly with a fingertip. If it springs back immediately, it needs more time. If it springs back slowly, it is ready. If it doesn’t spring back at all, it has over-proofed, in which case you can punch it down and re-roll it once.
5. While the doughnuts are proofing, heat a heavy-bottomed pot with at least 2 inches of oil until a deep-fat thermometer registers 360˚F (182°C). With a metal spatula, carefully place a couple of doughnut holes or doughnuts in the oil, being careful not to crowd the pot. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until light golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on a wire rack over a paper towel, and let cool slightly before glazing. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts and holes, keeping the temperature consistent.

Make the glaze:
1. Whichever glaze you’re making, place the sugar (and cocoa powder, if relevant) in a bowl and slowly stir in the milk and vanilla, if using, a little at a time, to make a smooth, pourable glaze.

Glaze the doughnut:
1. Pour the glaze into a shallow bowl. Dunk the doughnuts, let any excess glaze drip off, and then transfer the doughnuts to a wire rack placed on a baking sheet or over a sheet of parchment paper to rest until glaze sets. (Who are we kidding? We know these glazed doughnuts are going straight from bowl to gaping mouth.)