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11/05/2011 National Doughnut Appreciation Day Jelly Doughnuts

Source of Recipe

Food Network


Recipe Introduction

Naturally, Eva would invite me to blog about doughnuts. Eva loves good food. She can take a fridge full of half-rotten vegetables and turn them into the best _____ (fill in the blank) you�fve ever tasted. Sweets are not her thing. Given the choice between a doughnut and a good meal, she�fll choose the meal. I, on the other hand, would choose the doughnut. I have a problem. When junk food (cake, doughnuts, chocolate, etc.) is in the house, my mind cannot rest until it is all gone. A good friend came over for dinner one night with a restaurant sized cheesecake. Brad and I ate it in three days. I have disgusted my sister on more than one occasion with my ability to eat far beyond a normal portion of baked goods. Most recently, I purchased day-old cake from a supermarket (nasty at the best of times) and enjoyed every last bite. [Eva: it was disgusting] Like I said: problem. So. Doughnuts. Who knew they had such an interesting and contested history. Apparently, they�fve been around for �ecenturies�f Archaeologists have found petrified fried cakes with holes in the centre in prehistoric ruins of Southwestern United States. Recorded history begins mid-19th century. Olykoeks (oily cakes; Dutch in name and possibly German in origin) were made by taking sweet dough and frying it in pork fat. Did someone say �gfat�h? I�fm salivating. A difficulty arose with said olykoek as they never cooked evenly; the centres were rarely fully cooked. To assist this problem, there was experimentation with placing nuts in the middle of the dough to counteract the doughy-ness. Here�fs where History (his-story) diverges. How did the hole come to the centre of the doughnut? Legend: In 1847 Sea Captain Hanson Crockett Gregory went on voyage with his mother�fs (Elizabeth�fs) tasty creations and her recipe to make more (because, if he�fs anything like me, they lasted only his first day). He either: Had some difficulty trying to steer his ship whilst holding a doughnut and impaled his doughnut on the spoke of the wheel. Seeing opportunity to safely store the doughnut while steering, he ordered his cook to prepare doughnuts with holes in the centre. Didn�ft like the nuts his mother placed in the centre, so picked them out. The cook then created all subsequent doughnuts with the centre removed. Does it matter? Well, whatever the truth is, it propelled doughnuts into limelight. By the 1920�fs, doughnuts were being mass produced (changing the frying ingredient to lard and adding baking powder over yeast producing a more cakelike product) and the 1940��s and 50��s saw the advent of doughnut chains such as Trademarked_Name_1 Doughnuts and Dunkin�f Doughnuts who were able to use inexpensive tin doughnut cutters with holes. My doughnut day did not involve me experimenting with recipes. I�fve seen my mother slave over a hot stove and make these from scratch and, to be honest, it�fs more work than it�fs worth. Mass production equals ease for me in both cost and time. Plus, I�fm one of those people who like the Boston Cream doughnut and its centre full of goo; I�fm not even going to try. 365 Foods

List of Ingredients

HOME COOKIN�f 11/05/2011 National Doughnut Appreciation Day Jelly Doughnuts



Jelly Doughnuts


4 to 4 1/2 cup white bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 ounce (.6 ounce) cake fresh yeast or 1 envelope dry active yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
1 cup lukewarm milk
2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for dusting
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup preserves of choice
Vegetable oil, for frying
Cinnamon and sugar, for rolling doughnuts


Recipe



In the bowl of a mixer, combine 4 cups flour and salt. Add the yeast. In a small bowl, combine the milk and 2 tablespoons sugar. Add with the remaining milk to the flour. (If using dry yeast, mix the yeast with 2 tablespoons of the milk and 2 tablespoons sugar and let sit until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes and add to the flour.)
Add the eggs and butter to the flour mixture. Begin to mix the ingredients into a soft, but not sticky, dough. Add a little extra milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. Work in extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. (You can do this in a mixer fitted with a dough hook.) Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Punch down the risen dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few seconds. With a lightly floured rolling pin, gradually roll out the dough to about 1/2-inch thick. When rolling dough, let it rest periodically to relax. Cut out into 3 to 4-inch rounds with a lightly floured biscuit cutter. Re-roll the scraps to make more rounds. Place the doughnuts on lightly floured baking sheets, spacing them apart, and cover lightly with a dry towel. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.

Transfer the risen doughnuts to a heavy pot filled 3-inches high with vegetable oil at 350 degrees F. Fry the doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden and puffed, turning frequently, 5 to 7 minutes.
Lift the doughnuts from the oil using a slotted spoon and roll on a plate lined with granulated sugar and cinnamon mixed together. Let cool slightly and fill a pastry bag, fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip with jelly preserves. Insert the tip into the end of each doughnut and pipe approximately 1 to 2 teaspoons preserves into them and serve.