Last night I had this sudden urge to make donuts!! So I did this afternoon using the recipe taken from 17andBaking. I had bookmarked it for a looong looong time but was simply unwilling to mess with yeast. It seemed easier than I thought though and I was certainly glad I tried.... Anyway, the writer of 17andBaking, Elissa, is a very very talented senior whom I look up to very much. Not only does she bakes well, her photography skills are also excellent!!

Being a student baker myself, nothing excites me more than knowing friends in this big family of bakers who are around my age! :) Other student bakers' blogs I visit frequently would be Wendy of My Buttery Fingers, Lauren of CeliacTeen and Karina of Pastries of a Chocoholic :)

Right, so back to my donuts, I'd think it's pretty much a failure because I dislike how thick they were! I felt like I was eating more donut bread than the filling I had topped it with :\ However, I'd definetely use this recipe again as the texture of the donuts were great. The only adjustment I'd make is rolling out a thinner donut dough (less than 1/2 inch as directed by the recipe). Also, I'm sooooo going to get a donut-cutter for my next attempt. I wish that my donuts had the small little holes in them =(

Yeast-Raised Doughnuts
From Gourmet via Joy the Baker via 17andBaking
Makes 12 doughnuts, plus doughnut holes and scraps

1 (1/4-oz) package active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons warm water (105–115°F)
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for sprinkling and rolling out dough
1 cup whole milk at room temperature
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
About 10 cups vegetable oil for deep frying

Stir together yeast and warm water in a small bowl until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If yeast doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)

Mix together flour, milk, butter, yolks, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and yeast mixture in mixer at low speed until a soft dough forms. Increase speed to medium-high and beat 3 minutes more.

Scrape dough down side of bowl (all around) into center, then sprinkle lightly with flour (to keep a crust from forming). Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Alternatively, let dough rise in bowl in refrigerator 8 to 12 hours.)

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round (1/2 inch thick).

Cut out as many rounds as possible with 3-inch cutter, then cut a hole in center of each round with 1-inch cutter and transfer doughnuts to a lightly floured large baking sheet. Cover doughnuts with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until slightly puffed, about 30 minutes (45 minutes if dough was cold when cutting out doughnuts). Do not reroll scraps.

Heat 2 1/2 inches oil in a deep 4-quart heavy pot until it registers 350°F on thermometer. Fry doughnuts, 2 at a time, turning occasionally with a wire or mesh skimmer or a slotted spoon, until puffed and golden brown, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain. (Return oil to 350°F between batches.)

Toss doughnuts in cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, sugar, etc

I dipped mine into milk chocolate ganache and then coat them with oreo crumbs/crushed hazelnuts. Enjoy :)

Hee, donuts for lunch break at school tomorrow! ^^