I find inspiration for cooking/baking from many places: T.V., friend's recipes, what people are talking about eating of facebook, and from FoodGawker and Tastespotting websites. I particularly like these websites because they have pictures for the recipes and food topics. While browsing through Foodgawker this last week I came across this website Honey Butter that talked about Chocolate Glazed Donuts. Man do I love donuts.
I remember growing up and getting up early to go with my grandpa to the doughnut shop and having a plain glazed doughnut with orange juice while he had coffee and a doughnut. Whenever things are gloomy some in my family turn to donuts (doughnut holes, cake donuts, glazed, you name it.)
So I decided that today was the day to do this. I mixed the dough using my bread hook in my kitchenaid mixer (I like to find ways to use it) and put the bowl over my oven as I preheated it for making lunch. Lunch was Cresent Roll Wrapped Turkey dogs. I love using this method to proof my dough. I have found it works well for bread and pizza dough as well. Once the time had passed I rolled out the dough and used a metal doughnut cutter to make about one dozen doughnuts, doughnut holes, and used a small pumpkin cookie cutter for the left over dough. I laid them out on two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and put them on the "proofer" once again.
I did follow the recipe precisely for the doughnuts and the chocolate glaze, but I am a sucker for plain glaze as well. So I used The Pioneer Lady's recipe found here reduced quite a bit. I was also thinking about a white chocolate type of glaze...and when I went to get more butter from the fridge I saw a bunch of packages of raspberries from Cost-co staring at me so I also made this White chocolate Raspberry Frosting recipe as well.
So how did they turn out? Great - My husband scarfed a few up and so did I. I have a plate on the counter for my brother and roommate to try. I think that the Chocolate Glazed ones are the most successful, and the rolled in sugar ones.
What would I do different next time?
Well I definitely think that frying doughnuts is an art. It will take a few tries to get the right amount of browning on them. I would also try more ways to make glazes where I am satisfied with them. The Plain glaze doesn't look so good once it dries and the raspberry glaze I would have like to be more like a frosted than glazed. But they taste great and now I have left over glaze to figure out what to do with! Also what I might try next time is something like the VooDoo Doughnut's Maple Bacon Bars if you haven't tried one and are in Portland, Oregon - you need to have one.
On a personal note...I know this is the first post in a long time. I am thinking of future posts and hoping that they will be more frequent than the length of time between this post and the last. Hope you like the new background as well.
edit: I will add photos in a while. Now it's time to make dinner...
