threadless...

i'm currently looking out the window of a british row house in market harborough, england...it's pouring rain but so green and lush, hard to believe only a week ago i was still in the snow. naturally, i'm on vacation - and no access to a kitchen to deliver any sweet treats to you. for now, here is some eye candy - www.threadless.com - a super cool t-shirt website, a must-check-out kinda site. i'm wearing this one today, definitely my favourite but i have many others. keep your eye on the site as they frequently have great $5 sales! i'll soon be off canal boating...see you in may...

mmm....donuts

i’m constantly looking for a baking challenge…i pour over recipe books, magazines, blogs, searching for interesting treats.  then i came across these lemon pistachio donuts. although donuts may not seem uber-challenging or even incredibly interesting, i was still intrigued by the idea of a homemade donut.  i vaguely recall my mother making them but don’t remember the smell of the dough as it hits the hot oil, the bubbly, crackly sounds and watching each little wheel of dough rise and expand before you eyes in mere seconds.  

oddly enough, i stumbled upon this recipe in one of my fave magazines, ReadyMade.   for you DIY'ers out there, i highly recommend this zine...it has super awesome ideas and articles for some pretty sweet projects, crafts, clothing, cooking, etc, etc...

the process takes a bit of time but each step was fairly simple – a stand-up mixer or beaters with a dough hook definitely make life a lot easier.  for the avid baker, i highly recommend a stand-up mixer…my KitchenAid has seen me through endless wedding cakes, last minute cookie orders and even a very tricky French brioche recipe (I can share that one day soon…).   

the experiment took little more than mixing, folding and rolling.  the steps may look daunting but i promise it only takes some time and mad skills are not required.

i must admit, it was a very satisfying experiment…i have attempted now twice and both times the end result was glorious.  your regular donut from Tim’s does not even remotely compare to a fresh, still warm from the fryer, donut.  the simplicity of this lemon glazed yeast donut was divine…no sprinkles or gooey jam oozing out, just delicious fried dough with the subtle sweet-tart finish on top.  the perfect Easter treat!

recipe:
adapted from Sara Spearin's recipe in ReadyMade Magazine

donuts:
3/4 c milk
3 tbsp shortening
1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsp sugar, divided
3 tbsp water at room temp
4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/4 c all purpose flour, divided
2 tbsp honey
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1/2 c potato flour
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp cake flour
1 1/2 tbsp ground pistachios
zest of 2 lemons
shortening or canola oil for frying

glaze:
2 c icing sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp honey
1/4 c milk
coarsely ground pistachios for topping

directions:
* heat milk until 115 degrees F, add shortening and butter, stir until starting to melt and add 1 tbsp sugar
* pour in room temp water, mixture should be around 105-110 degrees F
* whisk in yeast and 1/2 c all purpose flour (does not have to be smooth), place in warm place uncovered for 10-
  20 minutes (mixture should be doubled)
* transfer yeast slurry to large bowl (or stand mixer bowl), attach dough hook and add remaining sugar, honey, egg,
  egg yolk, remaining all purpose flour, potato flour and salt
* mix/knead for 7 minutes, add cake flour, lemon zest and finely ground pistachios, mix for another 3 minutes
* cover bowl tightly, place in warm spot for 45 minutes - 1 1/2 hours until dough has doubled
* turn dough out onto lightly floured surface, pat into 6 inch square, fold in half, pat into another 6 inch square, repeat
* let dough rest for 3 minutes, if sticking to surface, dust lightly with more flour
* dip a circle cutter of your choice into flour and cut out donuts, use a smaller circle to remove centers (you can either
  fry the middles for 'bits' or add back to dough for more larger donuts)
* place donuts on floured cookie sheet, not too close together, and loosely cover with plastic wrap to rise until doubled
* heat shortening in deep saucepan or electric frying pan, must have a 2 inch depth for oil or shortening, heat to 365
  degrees F (be sure to have a cooling rack and tongs next to oil
* after donuts have doubled, drop in 2 or 3 at a time (don't crowd them) and flip when a golden brown, it only takes 
  about 1 minute or so...let cool for 12-15 minutes
* whisk together glaze ingredients (if too thin, add a bit more icing sugar, too thick add milk), dunk in donuts halfway
  and sprinkles with pistachios!
*** BEST EATEN FRESH ***