Strawberry Doughnuts

A few weeks ago my husband and I skipped town for a few days *gasp* by our selves! My mom stayed with the girls (bless her heart) and somewhere during those few days got it in Pia’s head that we needed to make doughnuts again (thanks mom!).

So within a few days of my return, and about 2 dozen “are we making doughnuts today?” later, I decided we were going to make doughnuts.

And when I asked her what kind of doughnuts there could be only one reasonable response from a three year old girl: “pink!” Since I wasn’t in the mood to get the food coloring and the deep fryer involved, I thought about “natural” forms of pink. Lucky us, strawberry season has begun, and that was where I landed. I just made a traditional yeast doughnut, but decided to make a “pink” organic strawberry glaze. The glaze was amazing. I would have deep fried my own hand and dipped it in the glaze and eaten it. Wait…. That was going a little far- but I think you get the point.

Strawberry Doughnuts, makes 2 dozen
Fluffy Doughnut Dough
½ oz of instant rise yeast
¼ cup water (that is about 110 degrees)
1 ½ cups whole milk
½ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup Crisco
2 ½ cups AP flour
3 cups cake flour

Add the milk to a small pan, and bring the milk to a boil. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and let the milk cool. (I think it helps if you transfer it to another bowl so that it can cool faster).

In a small bowl, combine the hot water and the yeast. Let sit while rising, about 10 minutes. (Also, make sure that you test the temperature of the water after it is in the bowl- because a cold bowl can cool the temperature down so much that the yeast doesn’t rise. Also, make sure that you stir the yeast into the water right when you add it).

Combine the milk, sugar, salt, eggs, Crisco and the 2 ½ cups of AP flour.

Mix well, and then add the yeast.

When this is well combined, add the additional 3 cups of cake flour.

Mix on high for about 3-5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth.

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a non-drafty place for about an hour (or in my case up to 4 hours!).

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll the nice, fluffy, soft dough to about ½ inch in thickness.

Using a doughnut cutter, or two round cookie cutters, cut out the doughnuts, (saving the holes).

Place these on a sheet pan (mine had a silpat, but you could use wax paper or parchment), and let them rise about another 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours.

In a large, heavy pot, heat 1 qt of vegetable oil to 350 degrees (please use a thermometer!!) Fry the doughnuts and doughnut holes just until golden brown, before gently flipping them with a chopstick or a Chinese spider strainer.

When golden on both sides, pick them up with the Chinese spider strainer. Let them sit on a cooling rack to drain.

Dunk them (or double dunk them!) in the strawberry glaze and put them on the rack to cool and harden up.

Strawberry glaze
2/3 cup strawberries, pureed
½ cup butter
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 Tbs vanilla paste, (or extract)
¼ cup hot water

Puree strawberries.

In a small saucepan, heat butter until it has melted add the vanilla and powdered sugar

Add the strawberries and stir until it is starting to melt. Add the water (if needed!) to thin the glaze, and whisk it until smooth.

Enjoy!!