Day 10: Doughnuts for Dinner!

A Moment on the Lips, A Lifetime on the Hips

I have decided that while I'm on this self-appointed anger-management-therapy-of-making-bread that Fridays will be fried bread day. Get it? Fry-Day? Yeah, go ahead and groan.

So, usually, Friday is pizza night. However, we had a later lunch than usual so I declared doughnuts for dinner. What a hit! If you want your family to really love you, make doughnuts for dinner. It seems wrong to eat this for dinner, but really, it felt so right.

Then, there was the "morning after" thoughts, the "awwwww, what I have done?", the "my jeans don't fit!", and of course the guilt. But then to remember the delight of the doughnuts. The men's expressions were that of shock and awe. It was like Christmas with a 4 year-old. The guilt dispersed (and the fat re-distributed).

 I found a recipe that didn't require an overnight resting period. And I think the cinnamon and nutmeg are perfect for the dough's flavor. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy as well as the recipe.

Glazed Doughnuts (Southern Living Cookbook 1987 pg 104)

* Italics are mine

1 pkg dry yeast

2 Tablespoons warm water (105-115 degrees)

3/4 cup warm milk (105-115 degrees)

1/4 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg  + a little more. yum

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon  I used a tad-bit more. yum

1 egg (fresh from a warm water soak)

2 1/2 cups bread flour

Vegetable Oil

Glaze - 2 cups powdered sugar and 1/4 c milk combined and stirred until smooth.

    Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add milk, next 6 ingredients, and 1 cup flour; beat at medium speed of an electric mixer until blended, about 2 minutes.  Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups flour. Cover and let rise in warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

    Punch dough down; turn dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead several times. Roll dough to 1/2 -inch thickness,  and cut with a 2 1/2-inch doughnut cutter. I used a round biscuit cutter with a small star cookie cutter for center .Place doughnuts on a lightly floured surface. I used floured cookie sheets. Cover and let rise in warm place, free from drafts, 30  minutes or until doubled in bulk. I didn't cover because of my bad experiences with covering dough.

    Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees;  carefully remove dough and carefully drop in 4-5 doughnuts at a time. Cook about 1 minute on each side or until golden. Drain well. Dip each doughnut, while warm, in glaze, letting excess glaze drip off. Let cool on wire racks. "Cool", what's that? These are warm doughnuts, man. You can keep your "cool". Yield: about 1 1/2 dozen.