Doughnuts for Dads
If you follow this blog fairly regularly, you probably expect that we grilled on Father’s Day. We did. My husband spent part of Saturday giving his dearest grill some extra loving care, getting it all nice and clean and shiny, prepping it for a day of anticipated grilling on Sunday. He even got a new grilling apron on Father’s Day morning (embroidered and customized, natch), as well as other doodads and gizmos to make the grilling experience more fun. Our resident dad tended the grill all day, preparing beef ribs, low and slow, mopping it religiously with a Kansas City Style BBQ sauce.
Me?
I was indoors, trying my hand at doughnuts.
We had all just finished a hefty brunch of prosciutto and cheese filled omelletes, and were craving something sweet to go with our coffees. Someone said the word “doughnuts,” and before anyone could say “Krispy Kreme,” I was off and measuring flour, opening packages of yeast and coaxing my butter to room temperature.
Here’s a confession: I’ve never made filled doughnuts before, and all of a sudden, I had the sudden urge to create them. I had made up my mind to make Blackberry Jam Filled and Nutella Filled Doughnuts.
After consulting my army of cookbooks, I settled on a variation from my 1975 edition of good ole’ Joy of Cooking. Following Rombauer’s No-Knead Yeast Coffee Cake recipe to be adapted into Jelly Doughnuts, I found myself half daring to wildly experiment and half wanting to stay true to the instructions. Since this was a first try, I forced myself to abide close to the books, and I learned a lot along the way.
Half of the batch I fried, but half I decided to bake, just to see what would happen. Without a doubt, there is no comparison, at least for this recipe. Frying is the way to go. Here is what else I learned (I hope you find it helpful!):
- Consistent oil temperature is critical. I do not own one, but a deep fryer would be ideal in this situation. As much as I dislike deep fried foods, I can see how having one could be very useful, and there are certainly so many applications beyond doughnuts!
- The directions state that the dough should be cut into 1/4-inch thick 2 1/2-inch rounds. I would advise to go thinner. There were some doughnuts that did not cook all the way, probably because they did fluff again when allowed to rest. Next time around, I will probably shoot for 1/8 thickness.
- A heaping teaspoon of jelly filling is way too much. I’d say half a teaspoon will do nicely. And perhaps it might be a good idea to warm up the jelly a tad.
- Doughnuts take time. It’s not something you can just whip up on a whim.
- Be prepared to eat them right away. That may mean you will be eating doughnuts at an odd hour in the afternoon (but you don’t mind that, do you?).
Jam or Nutella Filled Doughnuts
Yield: Makes one dozen doughnuts.
Ingredients:
1 cup water, 105 to 115 degrees
2 packages yeast
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
fillings of your choice (jam, jelly, Nutella, etc.)
1 egg white
powdered sugar
cooking oilDirections:
In a bowl, combine water, yeast and 1 cup of sifted flour and allow to sit for about 4 minutes. Cover the bowl and allow the sponge to rest in a warm spot for half an hour.
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, cream the butter and gradually add the sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add salt, lemon rind, and the sponge. Switch the paddle to a dough hook. Gradually add the remaining 3 1/2 cups sifted flour and beat the dough for about 5 minutes or until the dough looks like a smooth ball. Allow it to rise for about an hour.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll it to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 2 1/2-inch rounds (you will need a total of 24 rounds).
On twelve of the rounds, place 1/2 a teaspoon of your desired filling in the center. Brush the edges with egg white wash, top with a dough round, and press the seams shut along the edges. Allow doughnuts to rest for about half an hour.
Heat your oil to 375 degrees. Carefully place the doughnuts in the oil, gently turning with a slotted spoon. Each doughnut takes 2 to 3 minutes to cook. Drain doughnut and place on a paper towel. While hot, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Continue cooking the batch, then enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer & Marion Rombauer Becker, 1975 Ed.
Those are irresistible!
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:51 am
Thanks Cherine :) They were definitely hard to stop eating!
I don’t think there could be anything better than nutella filled doughnuts. You have one lucky dad!
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:51 am
I agree! But we’re lucky to have this dad, too!
Wow, you’re killing me. Those look fantastic!
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:50 am
Thank you, Gitte!
This is exactly why we need deep fryers!! :-) From donuts to fritters to lumpia and turon. And of course fried chicken!! Thanks for the post. I’m getting myself a deep fryer soon! :-)
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:50 am
Ah, now I want turon! With lots of langka!
Loved the filling….and here I am eating a donut from the street vendor…
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:50 am
Ah, I’m sure the street vendor doughnut tasted much better — I have a whole new respect for the doughnut and the bakers who create them!!
MMMMMMMM!!! Nutella filled doughnuts!! And I just bought Nutella this weekend!!
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:49 am
Ah, now you just need the doughnut!
How about jam AND nutella – YUM! Father’s Day sounded wonderful!
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:49 am
Yes! Next time, I’ll have to try mixing it together :)
Nutella-filled doughnuts…what a brilliant idea!!!
Will never be able to make these but I am full of admiration and am getting the craving for a nutella doughnut!!
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:48 am
Aw, thanks!!!
These look so good… how can anyone say no to something filled with Nutella?
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:47 am
Yes, well put! Nutella makes everyone happy!
That looks wonderful. Making donuts slightly scare me but I keep hoping I’ll try it. I love your recipe and might try this over the weekend. I’m sure my daughter would love some :D
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:47 am
Your daughter would love making them, too. I gave my kids some extra dough and they went to town shaping their own!
Mmmm. These doughnuts are sinfully yum! They turned out looking perfect, Liren. I don’t know which I’d grab for first, the nutella or jam filled one.
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:46 am
Thanks Cristina! I would go for the Nutella (but I’m a bit biased).
What a fun treat for Father’s Day! I surprised my husband with a Big Green Egg Grill. He has had his eye on one for a while now. He was very excited~ especially once he got it all put together ;/
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:46 am
Wow, congrats to your hubby on the Big Green Egg! Is he totally loving it? We still love our grill, but my husband has mentioned that he would still love a big green egg in addition to the lynx one day. I imagine you and he are grilling up all kinds of delicious things!
I love this, Liren. I’ve been meaning to make doughnuts. I admire that you did it-a lot of work!
Wow, these are impressive and look divine!!
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:44 am
Thank you Melissa!
I know the one thing I miss most about work is having a deep fryer…lol…
those doughnuts look really good! I would love a few of them!
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:44 am
I seriously am tempted to get a deep fryer after this!!
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! filled doughnuts of ANY kind are my thing!! so when are you coming for a visit – i’ll have all the ingredients ready so we can make these!!!
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:41 am
Hee hee! If I ever make it out there, we’ll make doughnuts (maybe I’ll be proficient at it by then).
I have been wanting to make homemade doughnuts for sometime – you have inspired me. Perhaps over the weekend, I will test these out! Thank you for sharing!
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:41 am
Hope you have fun if you end up making them! It does take a long time, but it’s a tasty labor of love!
I’ve never made doughnuts before either, but these look fantastic! I love the Nutella filling.
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:40 am
Thanks! It was a long day of doughnut making…but a fun one!
Uh-oh!!! Dangerous post for me; LOVE nutella and doughnuts. So. I’ll just say “Absolutely fabulously!!!” and run before they get me ;)
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:40 am
Thanks Denise…I totally understand :)
I think I have the same edition of “Joy” that you do–it’s almost as old as I am! :-)
You keep outdoing yourself, Liren. These look great. These would definitely top what I’ve been doing lately–eating Nutella right out of the jar. My husband’s been removing it from the counter so he wouldn’t do it, too. :-)
Yummy!
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:39 am
We must be about the same age, Jean ;)
As for Nutella out of the jar, I’m guilty too. The other day, I actually saw a larger bottle of Nutella at the store. It took a LOT of will power to not put it in my cart.
Your donuts are amazing! I have always wanted to make some but never did, they are truly gorgeous and since I am a neighbor I will drop by to taste one ;o) they are irresistible – I’m sure father’s day was quite a success!!
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:38 am
Perhaps one day, we’ll have to have a Bay Area meet up – we can make doughnuts!
Beautiful! And probably tasted amazing!
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:38 am
Thank you! It definitely satisfied the craving :)
Your trial run seems with donuts seems to have been a success! These look perfect.
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:37 am
Thank you :) LOL, you should’ve seen the first doughnut (not so pretty).
I love jelly donuts! Great idea to use nutella! My aunt owns Chuck’s donuts in the bay area, so I’ve had more than my fair share of donuts growing up. These look good.
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:37 am
Wow, she does?? I’ve heard nothing but the best about Chuck’s!
oh my god. these look and sound divine. i’ve never considered making donuts at home (probably because I have an aversion to mass quantities of oil, but whatever). and congrats on top 9!
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:37 am
That is the hard part – using so much oil! I actually used the tiniest sauce pan I have, and fried them one at a time, in an effort to conserve the cooking oil!
Great tips! I do detest frying but I may just give this a go. And congras on being at the top of foodbuzz!
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:36 am
I do agree, frying is usually not my thing, but once in a while…
Congrats on your Top 9, too!!! The noodles look SO good!
Delish! I’m sure everyone was delighted with those yummy donuts.
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:35 am
It was hard to stop eating them!
That sounds like really great flavor combination! I love the Blackberry with the Nutella, great idea. Mm. Can’t wait to try your recipe.
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:35 am
Actually, I made them separately, but perhaps if I try again, I’ll combine the two in one doughnut!
These look delicious – I try to avoid doughnuts, but nutella filled doughnuts may get the best of me! Congrats on today’s Top 9!
Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:34 am
I know, we try to avoid doughnuts too, but on Dad’s Day, we indulged :) Thank you for the congrats!
What a great photo! Simply delicious!
Yum Yum and Yum again!
Those are perfect…Can not believe you had never made these before.
Liren replied: — June 29th, 2010 @ 11:07 pm
Well, perfect is a strong word…but I was really happy with how they turned out :)
Hi Liren,
long time for a visit, non? *kisses on cheeks*.
I have always, always wanted to try my hand at donuts. However, with a Tim Horton’s within walking distance, it’s hard not to just simply buy them and get the flavour that you want. But making them is always half the battle, non? It’s to see if you can execute it.
Thanks for the tips, it’s always good to know someone else’s war stories. And of course, LOVING the use of Nutella ;)
Liren replied: — July 15th, 2010 @ 7:01 pm
Jenn! So good to see you here again! I know, it’s been nuts! I have a new respect for doughnut bakers now…from now on, I’ll probably leave it up to the experts. This is a once a year kind of thing for me :)
these look truly delicious. i wish i could eat doughnuts everyday! thanks for reminding me about this book – i need to revisit it!
Liren replied: — July 15th, 2010 @ 7:31 pm
Oh, doughnuts every day! If only!
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Hi Liren!
I would love to try these delicious looking doughnuts (love nutella!!). but i dont have a paddle hook at home and limited resources :( is there any alternatives to make the dough? such as kneading?
Thank you! and you got a great blog and photography skills :)