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…

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.

Jelly and Nutella Filled Doughnuts

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!):

  1. 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!
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Doughnuts take time. It’s not something you can just whip up on a whim.
  5. 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

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 oil

Instructions

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.

Comments

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    • Liren

      I know, we try to avoid doughnuts too, but on Dad’s Day, we indulged :) Thank you for the congrats!

      Reply
    • Liren

      Actually, I made them separately, but perhaps if I try again, I’ll combine the two in one doughnut!

      Reply
    • Liren

      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!

      Reply
  1. Baking Barrister

    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!

    Reply
    • Liren

      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!

      Reply
    • Liren

      Wow, she does?? I’ve heard nothing but the best about Chuck’s!

      Reply
    • Liren

      Thank you :) LOL, you should’ve seen the first doughnut (not so pretty).

      Reply
  2. citronetvanille

    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!!

    Reply
    • Liren

      Perhaps one day, we’ll have to have a Bay Area meet up – we can make doughnuts!

      Reply
  3. Jean

    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!

    Reply
    • Liren

      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.

      Reply
    • Liren

      Hope you have fun if you end up making them! It does take a long time, but it’s a tasty labor of love!

      Reply
  4. SMITH BITES

    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!!!

    Reply
    • Liren

      Hee hee! If I ever make it out there, we’ll make doughnuts (maybe I’ll be proficient at it by then).

      Reply
  5. Chef Dennis

    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!

    Reply
  6. Stella

    I love this, Liren. I’ve been meaning to make doughnuts. I admire that you did it-a lot of work!

    Reply
  7. Debi Shawcross

    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 ;/

    Reply
    • Liren

      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!

      Reply
  8. Cristina

    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.

    Reply
    • Liren

      Thanks Cristina! I would go for the Nutella (but I’m a bit biased).

      Reply
  9. Joy

    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

    Reply
    • Liren

      Your daughter would love making them, too. I gave my kids some extra dough and they went to town shaping their own!

      Reply
  10. The Housewife

    These look so good… how can anyone say no to something filled with Nutella?

    Reply
  11. mdivani

    MMMMMMMM!!! Nutella filled doughnuts!! And I just bought Nutella this weekend!!

    Reply
    • Liren

      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!!

      Reply
  12. Jun Belen

    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! :-)

    Reply
Kitchen Confidante®
154