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If ANY food deserved it’s own National Day of Celebration it’s the miraculous golden brown, sometimes iced, sometimes jelly-filled, sometimes glazed, but always enjoyed doughnut! I admit I have my favorite doughnut shop, and I admit I sometimes pass it on my way home…and it’s not really on my way home. Why are doughnuts such a guilty pleasure? Nothing about them is healthy, you can feel them add fat to your body, they’r so easy and convenient to eat, someone is always bringing them to work, and they taste sooooooooo darn good! There should be a 12 Step Program for doughnuts!
And do you know what’s more sneaky than your average awesome doughnut? The doughnut hole. They’re like little travel sized doughnuts that have all the guilt of their full-sized compadres. And thy are pretty easy to make! All you need is a pot, some vegetable oil, a baking tray and a cooling rack.
First you make the glaze. Pour a cup and a half of confectioners sugar into a mixing bowl, then add 3 tablespoons of whole milk and stir it in. You’re looking for a fairly thing glaze so it it isn’t thin enough add another tablespoon of milk.
To make the doughnut holes, put five cups of vegetable oil into a pot big enough to have at least two inches of oil covering the bottom and heat to 350 degrees. Use a deep fry thermometer to ensure proper temps. In a separate bowl, whisk one cup of milk and one egg together. In yet another bowl whisk together two cups of flour, two tablespoons of sugar, four and a half teaspoons of baking powder, and a half teaspoon of salt. Melt a half stick of unsalted butter and then stir in the melted butter, and milk/egg mixture. Stir them all together until the dough becomes soft. Use a small ice cream scoop to scoop up a ball of dough and carefully drop into the oil and let them fry for a couple minutes or until they turn that awesome golden brown color. You’ll need to flip them in the oil from time to time and you can cook several at once just don’t crowd them. Once they’re golden brown, place them on a baking tin lined with paper towels (slotted spoon works or GENTLY using tongs). Once they’ve cooled, place them on the rack and pour the glaze on, then EAT EM!