Donut

A doughnut or donut is a type of fried dough food popular in many countries and prepared in various forms as a sweet (or occasionally savory) snack. But you always had it from the bakery. Here is a quickie to make it at home.

Ingredients:

For the dough
1. Milk – 1 cup
2. Maida (flour) – 2 cups
3. Mashed potatoes – ½ cup ( need 1 1/2 medium sized boiled potato)
4. Salt – ½ tbsp
5. Icing Sugar – ¼ cup
6. Yeast – 2 packets
7. Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp
8. Vegetable oil – 1 ½ cup (for frying the dough)

For Glazing:
Vanilla Glaze

1. Icing Sugar – 1 ¼ cup
2. Butter – 1 tbsp
3. Milk – ½ cup
4. Lemon juice – ¼ tbsp
5. Vanilla extract – ¼ tbsp (or 6 drops)

Chocolate Glaze

1. Icing Sugar – 1 ¼ cup
2. Butter – 1 tbsp
3. Milk – ½ cup
4. Lemon juice – ¼ tbsp
5. Hershey Cocoa sauce – 4 tbsp

• Preparing the Dough:

• Microwave 1 cup of milk so that it is warm (not hot). Add 5 teaspoons of yeast (2 packets) and a pinch of sugar and stir. Let stand for about 5 minutes
• In a bowl combine, 2 cups of maida, ½ cup of warm mashed potatoes, ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ cup of sugar.
• Then in the bowl add 2 tablespoons of oil and slowly add the milk mixture (from above). Make sure not to add the all the milk at once.
• As you add the milk mix the dough well by hand or in a mixer with a dough hook for 3 minutes. You should have a soft texture.
• Put the dough in the middle of the flour and sprinkle a little flour on top and on your hands. Knead the dough a few times.
• Once the dough has been kneaded, spread it out to be a half inch thick with your hands or with a “belan”.
• Now it is time to cut out the donuts, you can use a donut cutter or... Just use something about the same size and then... Find something to make the hole with. Here is an example. I used a small bowl to cut the outer shape. To make the inner hole I used a champagne flute. And in the end I got the perfect ring.
• Place the donuts on a floured pan rise as you get the oil ready. Let them rise for a total of ten minutes (it takes about five minutes for the oil to heat up).
• Pour about a half inch of oil (vegetable oil) into a pan. The oil needs to be very hot. If the oil starts to smoke it is way too hot. Be careful, else you will end up burn the dough.
• Test the oil with some of the scraps of dough and when it is ready cook the donuts until golden brown on each side. Allow the donuts to cool on a rack or on some paper so that the oil soaks off.

Vanilla Glaze
In a mug, microwave half of cup of milk with a teaspoon of butter (you'll use this later)
In a bowl mix:
1 cup of powdered sugar or icing sugar
2 Tablespoons of the milk mixture
¼ teaspoon of lemon juice
¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract
If you a really thin glaze, just add a little more of the milk mixture.

Chocolate Glaze
Use the milk mixture from above.
In a bowl mix:
1 cup of powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons of Hershey Cocoa
3 Tablespoons of the milk mixture from above.
Put a slightly warm donut face down in the chocolate glaze, turn slightly and remove.

Sprinkle sugar coated colour or chocolate sprinklers. You can get them in any bakery store.