My favorite doughnut ! Crispy and Creamy

I have tried so many versions of glazed doughnuts, and this one finally came out perfect! Just like the ones at my favorite doughnut shop.

This is a great recipe. I have followed it more than a dozen times and I have tried variations. Most of the failures reported here are yeast-bread related. This, of course, means that you must take a lot of care with the bread basics. As described in the recipe, proof your yeast in the warm water. Give it 5 minutes or more. If you do not see a good healthy foaming action, toss it and start over. Dough handling is key. This is a rich dough with milk, egg and shortening. It is stretchy and yes, sticky. You don’t need to get stuck to it. When handling it, in the kneading and in the rolling and cutting, use flour to keep it manageable, but take care not to add so much flour that you change the ratio. I believe this recipe is correct. Some bakers reviewing here have noted the bread of the donut as being “not sweet enough”. This yeast bread rises prior to frying and then gets a big lift when dropped in the oil. Do not increase the sugar. I have tested in steps all the way to a doubling of the sugar. The only effect is that the dough becomes heavy and the taste approaches that of a cake donut. The recipe is correct. For this donut you want the lightness and the lift. The sweetness is in the glaze. If you want it sweeter, top it with a heavier glaze. For those of you with a BREAD MAKER, try it. Put the ingredients in exactly as listed and run on a dough-only setting. Turn the dough out onto your surface. Do not knead again, the machine did that. Avoid a full punch down. Press and rol

Written by P. Powel