Western Style Doughnuts

I mentioned in my prior doughnut recipe post that I've been rather Frodo-like recently in that I'm on a quest. Instead of looking to toss a powerful ring into a volcano, I'm trying to find the great doughnut ring that comes out of the fryer. Since doughnuts have not been my specialty, I've been determined to catch up on my dessert frying skills by trying out some varieties.

For version two of the Great Doughnut Caper, I went with a second cake-style recipe. By this I mean that the ingredients are much like cake batter but varied proportions. The first was Old Fashioned Doughnuts, which were quite good and fun to play with.

This recipe comes from a King Arthur Flour cookbook called Whole Grain Baking. I changed a few things slightly, scaling back sugar some and skipping the cinnamon and nutmeg. In addition, I went with a glaze rather than dusting with sugar.

This one was different procedurally than the last recipe, as I beat the eggs first then added in butter and sugar. I combined the flour, baking powder, and salt separately, then gradually mixed the flour and milk in, alternating and mixing as I went. Once combined, I had a thick dough which I put in the fridge to chill overnight (though only 30 minutes is needed to firm it up).

At frying time, I lined a plate with parchment paper and set up my pastry board with flour. I rolled the dough out until it was about 1/4 inch thick and cut out my doughnuts. They were a little touch to keep in proper shape, but easier than the Old Fashioned Doughnuts.

I should note here that the scraps need to rest for a few minutes before re-rolling, and even then they aren't quite the same - the shape won't be as nice and they may be denser. Just keep that in mind.

Then, I added a couple doughnuts at a time to the oil, fried for about 2 minutes on each side, the flipped them over to repeat. I placed the cooked doughnuts on a paper towel to drain and cool.

The doughnut holes are a bit frustrating to cook because they don't always stay flipped when you tip them over. They just do their own thing, so don't get frustrated. They'll still cook, but won't look golden all over.

I whisked together some milk and powdered sugar to make the glaze and dipped the doughnuts in. Bam! Glazed doughnuts.

These were impressive little guys.

Freshly dipped in glaze these little doughnuts were really tasty. I made the Old Fashioned Doughnuts and these on the same day, shared them with a few folks, and the general consensus was that these were the winners. Both of the recipes are within the cake doughnut realm, so the texture is just that. The recipe is very much like a cake batter, the dough is rather formable, though thicker than batter being poured into cake pans, and the cooked doughnut has the texture and density of a piece of cake.

The original recipe called for tossing the doughnuts in dry mixture of cinnamon and sugar rather than a glaze, and I have to say that the final result would have held up longer if I'd gone that route. The challenge with glaze is that within a day it soaks in, and the doughnut or cake begins to get soggy. That can be great for something like a rum cake, but in the case of a glazed doughnut, soggy is not the end you want. Of course, that is going to happen with any doughnut recipe you make, but the fryer adds a crisp outside that fends the glaze off from the inside layer for a day or two. So it's not so much the recipe as it is the entire idea of glazing, but what I'm getting at is that I'd definitely make this again but would love to try the dry route just to see how many days I can get out them. My final thought on the glaze is that I found this and the Old Fashioned Doughnuts began to get a little soggy within about 12 hours, but did hold up about 2 days before being completely saturated.

This recipe is a great choice for a holiday or Saturday morning. With a short resting time and no rise time, I love this recipe for a quick doughnut fix and think you will too.

Western Style Doughnuts Recipe

Ingredients:

For the doughnuts:
4 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup milk (I used whole milk, but 2% works)

1-2 cups canola oil, for frying (or flavorless oil of choice)

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup half and half or whole milk

Instructions:

Whisk together flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Lightly beat eggs a large bowl. Add butter and sugar and mix well. Add 1 cup of the flour mixture and mix until the mixture is just combined. Stir in one third of the milk. Add another cup of the flour mixture and half the remaining milk, then repeat process one last time until all are combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat To make the doughnuts, roll dough out on a floured board until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Using a biscuit or doughnut cutter, cut out doughnuts and place on a parchment-lined pan. Gently add 3-4 doughnuts at a time to the oil, maintaining the shape as much as possible. Cook for 1-2 minutes then flip over to cook the other side. Remove from oil with a straining spoon and lay on a paper-towel lined plate to cool.

To make the glaze, whisk together the milk and powdered sugar. Add more sugar to thicken glaze and more milk to thin it. Pour over slightly warm or cooled doughnuts (or dip in glaze if desired).