Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Blame it on the rain

For some reason lately, I've had this odd craving for a sugar-covered raised donut.  Why, I have no idea, except that due to my houseboundedness (my web-browser is telling me that is not a word) with sick children and the gloomy winter, I am probably approaching depression or at the very least stir-craziness, and therefore craving SUGAR.  Somehow it seemed easier to embark upon making my own donuts today than to just strap the boys into the car and go buy one.  We even have an awesome local donut shop called Top Pot.  The President even visited it last time he was in town.  I reasoned that I really had nothing pressing to do today - why not spend 3 hours making donuts?  To some of you this may sound like a luxury, but anyone staying at home raising young children knows of the monotony to which I refer - the need to work to fill the days with something other than laundry and dishes.  On days like today when I feel like being industrious but pretty much have nothing to do, I tend to spend lots of time in the kitchen - well, as much time as my kids let me.  My husband is just quietly entertained by my industry, I think, but he is pretty unflappable.
I have only made donuts once before, and I believe they were of the cake-variety.  I have vague memories of making donuts a couple of times with my mom growing up, but I doubt they were raised donuts.  I had no idea that it could possibly take 3-4 hours to make a few donuts.  It was fun, though, and I had lots of help in the kitchen from my younger son who very much enjoyed eating donut dough (I am SO surprised he didn't get a tummy ache from eating all that uncooked yeast).
I used THIS recipe.  They turned out pretty good.  I think they taste more like funnel cakes than donuts.  They have a crunchier outside than the raised donuts you'd buy from a store, but the insides are pillowy-soft.
So, would I do this again?  Probably - of course, this is not the kind of thing one makes too often.  It's a fun little "baking" project and not that hard, just time-consuming waiting for the dough to rise.  Would I do anything differently?  Yes.  I would actually take time to make glaze instead of just coating them in cinnamon/sugar.  I think they might have had more of a traditional-donut texture/flavor if I had done that.  What did the kids think?  The little one liked the donut holes but not so much the donuts.  Not sure why.  The older one was thrown by the sugar coating and bothered that his hands got dirty when he tried to eat it - so, not a hit.  A donut, in his mind, needs chocolate frosting and LOTS of colorful sprinkles.

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