KidStir is made by parents for parents and kids. Kits are designed to teach skills and those skills both build on each other and create a confident cook but also teach problem solving skills outside of the kitchen.
Cooking teaches patience and waiting and delayed gratification. Bread, after all, goes as fast as it goes.
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Yeast and chocolate ring doughnuts read to eat, er, sell.
A still warm, glazed yeast ring doughnut is maybe the best thing to eat while it is still hot.
I find them difficult to resist but care much less for them when they’re cooled to room temperature.
Doughnuts have gone and gotten themselves and fancied up with some places putting gold foil leafs on top. Can you imaging anything more idiotic than to eat gold? On a doughnut?
The only thing I want golden on a doughnut is the outside from being well and properly fried.
And, yes, I am not so much a fan of cake doughnuts. It sounds schizophrenic. It doesn’t know what it wants to be.
A perfect glazed yeast ring needs to be tall. That means the dough needs to be rolled less than other bakers would. There is a thickness which becomes too much and the middle of the doughnut will not cook. That’s yuck. As in so many things in life, a balance. Just the right amount of rolling the dough.
A glaze, not a glazed eye
The glaze has to be sweet and crack a bit when you bite it. The key to that is hot water.
Chocolate glaze can be made many ways, including an eclair icing which is really very good. For decadence, and we are talking doughnuts, ganache is the way to go. It’ll hold whatever garnish you add and keeps its shine.
Cinnamon sugar and powdered sugar are very acceptable on doughnuts, but each is used the exact opposite moment. Doughnuts for sugaring need to be placed in the cinnamon sugar mix (add a wee bit of cardamom to this: trust me) so the heat and oil of the doughnut “grab” the sugar mix.
Pour some sugar on me
Powdered sugar doughnuts must be dusted when the doughnut is completely cool. This is entirely an aesthetic issue. If the doughnut is warm, the oil will absorb the sugar. Yeah, that’s horrible, oily yummy doughnuts with thick powdered sugar. They look a fright but are SO good. To keep them white, coat them while they are cool. Here’s why, regardless how well you work, they just aren’t the same as the bakery. Bakeries use a powdered sugar designed just for doughnuts. It has a bit of oil and more corn starch added so it stays white longer.
At home, use the stuff from the store. If anyone complains after you make home made doughnuts, get creative in your punishment.
When it's time to make the doughnuts, make this one. For best results, I suggest starting yesterday. Make the dough a day ahead so it has time to develop flavor. The yeast will be happier for it and then so will you for the better doughnut.
Add water, eggs, yeast and all dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix 2 minutes on low speed.
Add shortening and all old dough.* Mix 8 minutes on speed 2
Mix 3 minutes on speed 3. Finished dough will be sticky but clean the bowl.
Place finished dough in prepared bin. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, but preferably over night.
Roll to approximately 1/2 thick. Cut shapes, proof 10-20 minutes.#
Fry at 350° - 375° till done. Remove to draining rack or cinnamon sugar.
If you are making Bismarks, Allow to cool before filling.
Make the glaze
Add the powdered sugar and corn syrup to a metal bowl.
Whisk in a teaspoon of hot water at a time. It is a small amount, but just a few drops makes the difference between a nice stiff glaze, which will run a bit on hot doughnuts, and soup which will hardly cover at all.
You can adjust the ratios as you prefer and double the recipe easily.
If you prefer lemon flavored glaze, fresh squeezed lemon juice before the water is a good way to get flavor as is fresh zest.
Recipe Notes
*In bakeries, often the bits which remain after the doughnuts are cut is saved and added to the new mix of dough.
#Proof times are entirely dependent on the heat of the place and the doughnuts. The dough will tell you more about when it is ready than a clock. Look for well risen dough. It takes some practice to know when it is too much, but a jiggly is getting close. As with most things yeast raised, it is better to catch it early than late.
I don't find a doughnut cutter useful. It has but one use. I prefer ring cutters which are sold in various sized kits and have a multitude of uses.
Bismarks are the whole dough round fried as is with no hole cut out. They will require a bit more time in the fryer to fully cook.
Of course, any holes you cut out are excellent baker treats. Share if you wish
A note about frying and fat
I prefer peanut oil.
I do not prefer canola oil for anything.
If you can swing it, lard is maybe the best choice of all, but that’s impractical to keep in a fryer.
It is possible to fry on the stove top, but that can be so risky for a variety of reasons, the most notable is the risk of the fat catching fire or spilling and burning. I use a deep fryer and make sure the fat has been changed, saved if not dirty, so the doughnuts don’t taste like chicken fingers.
Some Gear
Here are some tools I use just to make the process easiest.
