Yeast Doughnuts

The doughnut mission continues! I've tried Old-fashioned and Western Style doughnuts sofar, and this time I am going for my first attempt at yeast doughnuts.

Yeast doughnuts are the most common I see mass produced; it's the light and fluffy variation that is topped with various items or deeply admired when plainly glazed (right up my alley!). While cake doughnuts tend to be more dense, yeast doughnuts are airy and flavorful.

I went with a trusted source for this, following an Alton Brown version of the recipe. I'm a big fan of A.B., being a total nerdy fan for Good Eats and having seen two of his live shows. Understanding the reasoning behind the steps helps make a better baker and cook, so I really find him to be a great source of information.

It all started with butter and milk. I heated some milk up, then added some vegetable shortening. I took the lazy way of microwaving the milk to warm it, then added in the shortening and stirred it to melt it into the milk. I don't use vegetable shortening often, and though I considered swapping this out for butter, I stuck to the recipe for quality control.

While the mixture cooled down a bit, I sprinkled some yeast over warm water and let it sit until the mixture became foamy, waking up the yeast. Then, I combined the milk mixture with the yeast mixture in my stand mixing bowl.

I added the eggs, sugar, salt, and half of the flour, then mixed it all together on medium.

Next, I gradually added the remaining flour, swapping out the paddle on the mixer for the dough hook as it was kneadin' time. I did not wind up needing to adjust the flour, as the dough began to form into a ball and pull away from the sides of the bowl nicely.

I then covered it and let the dough rise for about an hour.

Boom! That's quite a rise.

The next part I've gotten somewhat down to an art. I roll it out on a lightly floured surface, then use biscuit or doughnut cutters to cut out the dough, just as I had in my prior doughnut recipes. This one rose for 30 minutes after cutting out, allowing the yeast to work a bit more. I then fried them 3-4 at a time in a large Dutch oven filled with oil heated to about 365 degrees F (I have been using the doodles out of my thermometer lately).

I glazed them lightly with a glaze made of a few tablespoons of water and some powdered sugar. Though a lot of recipes call for milk or half and half as the liquid in the glaze, and I've done that, I prefer water as I feel better about it sitting at room temperature. Though sugar is a preservative, I figure if I can use water, why not?

Alton did not fail me. This is a fairly quick recipe with only an hour and a half of rising time, and I'd say it definitely does the trick. Not too yeasty in flavor but also quite airy, these doughnuts hit the spot. They held up well with the glaze, which I consider a crucial component of a quality doughnut. I'd qualify the flavor as average, but not mind-blowing. Definitely a recipe to keep on hand when you want yeast doughnuts but don't quite feel like waiting an extensive amount of time for a long rise. I'm betting that topped with some various options, these would be fantastic. 7/10.

Yeast Doughnuts Recipe

Ingredients:

For the doughnuts:

1 1/2 cups milk

1/3 cup vegetable shortening

2 packages instant yeast

1/3 cup warm water

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 and a half cups flour

3-4 cups cooking oil of choice (I used canola)

For the glaze:

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup water

Instructions:

Heat milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat or in the microwave for one to one and a half minutes.. Add butter and continue heating until just melted, then set aside to cool slightly to warm. In a small, bowl add warm water and add yeast over the top. Let sit for 5 minutes, then add to a large mixing bowl and combine with the warm milk mixture. Add eggs, sugar, salt, and half of the flour. Combine the ingredients on low speed until flour is incorporated and then turn the speed up to medium and beat until well combined (the paddle attachment works best). Add the rest of the flour and begin mixing on low. Once flour is slightly mixed in, increase the speed to medium and beat well. Change to the dough hook attachment of the mixer and beat on medium for about 3-4 minutes speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and becomes smooths. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour in a warm area. After rising, pour the dough onto a floured surface and roll out until 3/8 inch thick. Use doughnut or biscuit cutters to cut out doughnuts and doughnut holes. Set on floured baking sheet and let rise for 30 minutes. Heat cooking oil to 365 degrees F in a heavy bottomed pan or Dutch oven. Gently place the doughnuts into the oil, 3 to 4 at a time. Cook for 1 minute per side. Transfer to a cooling rack placed in baking pan. Allow doughnuts to cool prior to glazing. To make the glaze, mix water and powdered sugar with a whisk until well combined, then dip each side of the doughnuts into the glaze to complete.

adapted from yeast doughnuts