Happy Halloween! I can’t believe this month is over already and we are deep into the fall season! I do miss the different colored leaves and all of the fall scenery from the East Coast, but I don’t mind the warmer weather we’ve been having in San Francisco.
Anyway, as usual, here are the rest of the links from October:
The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.
The yeast doughnut is from Alton Brown:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/yeast-doughnuts-recipe/in…
The cake doughnut is a Nancy Silverton recipe:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/06/cook-the-book-oldfashioned-bu…
The raspberry jam bomboloni recipe is a Kate Neumann recipe:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/raspberry-jam-bomboloni
The pumpkin doughnuts are from Bon Appétit: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pumpkin-Doughnuts-with-Powd…
I made the Yeast Doughnuts from Alton Brown since I have made cake doughnuts before and I also did not want to make the jam filled or the pumpkin flavored. The recipe is quite simple, and the mixing method is like any other yeast dough recipe.
I think the most challenging part of this recipe is the frying of the doughnuts. I have a candy thermometer, so it is easy for me to read the temperature of the oil. This is important because if the temperature is too cold, they will be oily. If it is too hot they will just burn on the outside and be raw in the middle. The recipe I followed said around 363ºF is ideal. I have a gas range and it is hard to keep a consistent temperature. Also, the temperature drops after each batch, so you need to watch it carefully.
I kept it simple and covered the doughnuts in cinnamon-sugar. Some people might want to make a glaze, while others might like powdered sugar. What ever you desire, I hope you have plenty of friends and family to share these doughnuts with!
I just bought a new cookbook, Baking With Julia, by Dorie Greenspan. It is a collection of recipes from many bakers, including Julia Child. I love the book so far-and just made the baking soda biscuits from Marion Cunningham. It is a simple recipe of only flour, baking powder, salt, shortening (or butter), and milk. I also brushed the tops with olive oil before baking to add a bit of flavor. They are great out-of-the-oven hot, or at room temperature, or reheated.
You know the drill…first half of October links:
Cake Sharing 