Doughnuts

PART TWO:

Two posts in two days? Surely this one is about knitting--NOT!

I'm still on the doughnut kick even though I did have the knitting needles out for a nano second yesterday.

I have to keep making doughnuts for quite some time to use all the equipment, tools and food supplies I had to purchase. I vaguely remember saying something similar about my sock yarn stash.

You're not going to believe this:

     3 doughnut pans
     1 electric mini donut maker
     1 3-tier cooling rack
     6 Mason jars  (actually Ball brand, to store the flours and sugars)

     3 kinds of milk
     4 kinds of flour
     4 kinds of sugar
     baking powder
     baking soda
     yeast
     eggs
     butter
     canola oil
     unsweetened applesauce
     vanilla
     pumpkin pie spice
     ginger
     Dutch processed cocoa (sub. Hershey's)
     sprinkles
     maple syrup
     molasses

And all this was for just six types of doughnuts!

In all fairness to my compulsive self I must explain that I had some of the food items on hand, but needed more or a fresh supply because carbs, cholesterol, sweet things and oils are not frequently used in my diet. Anyway, the shopping for all of it gave me purpose and something to concentrate on while I mourn the loss of both my LWDs.

Now, as for the eating of all the doughnuts, I am not eating them! For all you Facebook Friends who wonder, most of the the doughnuts are in the freezer. The ones I make in the next few days will be joining them. I have a monumental birthday coming up next month and am determined to be at my goal weight (or so close I can touch it before November is over). Speaking of birthdays, the spouse's birthday is next week and most of the doughnuts that pass the taste test will be going to his celebration.

I'm spelling it "Doughnuts" today because I made the Buttermilk Doughnuts, glazed, from the book that started this latest obsession of mine, Baked Doughnuts for Everyone, by Ashley McLaughlin.

They look a little like bagels, don't they? These were baked in the oven in a doughnut pan. They are a regular size, not minis. It was an adventure to bake away from my home oven. I didn't have an oven thermometer to check the accuracy of the oven temperature so I had to play it by ear  . . .  or by eye in this case. When they looked done, the color of the pictures in the cookbook, I tested for doneness with a toothpick and took them out. Some were more brown than others.

The darker ones up front in the picture were actually baked in the doughnut cups closest to the back of the oven. Evidently they got more heat than the others.

I baked the final two using the remaining batter in the middle cups of the pan and tried to center the pan on the oven rack. I think they could have stayed in a tad longer. Their uneven color seems to indicate the oven left something to be desired in having an even temperature throughout. It runs on propane gas. Could that be a factor?

Cooled and glazed, it was time for a taste test.

Hmmm, not as good as anticipated. The last two, baked with the remaining batter, were smaller so I picked one of those to taste. There was a slight raw ingredients taste to it. Although the toothpick came out clean and the one I bit didn't look raw or wet inside, I think those two needed to bake longer. Later I had the nice brown one on top and went "Mmmm" instead of "Hmmm." Now that was more like it! Then I put the rest in the freezer. I must remember when I thaw them days from now that the smallest one is a dud and should be throw away like its counterpart was.

Some things I've noticed about baked doughnuts, both oven baked and machine baked: they don't look like fried, the tops do not brown like the bottoms, the bottoms are rounder than the tops, glazes and icings solve aesthetic problems, the pictures in cookbooks use the bottoms as the tops, the presentation side. And last, but not least, they are delicious no matter how you bake them.

My next attempt will be Baked Apple Donuts. I found the recipe in a blog. More information after the taste test.

Bona Fide Knitter