Raised Doughnuts with Maple or Chocolate Glaze

When I made these doughnuts I wasn't thinking of putting the recipe on here.  But, my family LOVED these and suggested I write down how I made them.  So, here's what I did.

Ingredients (recipe from West Bend America's Best Automatic Bread and Dough Maker Recipe and Instruction Booklet)

6 oz. or 3/4 cup milk

2 1/2 oz. or 1/3 cup water, 80*F

1 large egg

3 1/2 cups bread flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

4 Tbls. vegetable shortening

2 teaspoons Fast rise yeast (recommended for lighter, fluffier doughnuts) OR 3 teaspoons Active dry yeast

Vegetable oil for frying doughnuts

Directions

1.  Add milk, water and egg to bread pan.

2.  Add flour, sugar, and salt to pan.  Tap pan to settle dry ingredients, then level dry ingredients, pushing some of the flour mixture into the corners.  Place a teaspoon of shortening into each corner of pan.

3.  Make a slight well in center of dry ingredients and add  the yeast.

4.  Place bread pan into oven chamber.  Program select for DOUGH.  Press Start/Stop button to turn bread maker on.  When dough is done, remove pan from bread maker and remove dough, placing onto floured surface.  Let rest 15 minutes.

5.  Roll dough into a rectangle, about 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick.  Cut out doughnuts.  Leave on counter to rise, covered.  Knead together scraps of dough, let rest 10 minutes and reroll.  Cut more doughnuts.  Let rise in warm, draft-free place for 30-45 minutes or until double in size.

6.  Fry 3-4 doughnuts at a time in 3 inches of vegetable oil, preheated to 375*F ( I used a deep fryer instead).  Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface.  Fry 2-3 minutes until golden brown on both sides.  Remove and place on a cooling rack that is placed on a cookie sheet to catch drips.  Continue frying doughnuts and frost or sugar as desired.

Makes about 1 1/2 dozen.

For the Maple Glaze I adapted a recipe I found on foodnetwork.com from Alton Brown.  I ended up making 2 batches of this glaze recipe.  Instead of dipping just the tops of the doughnuts, I dipped the whole doughnut into this glaze.  Yummy!

Ingredients

1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. Mapleine (maple extract)

2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

Whisk all ingredients together in a large microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high 30 seconds and whisk again before dipping doughnuts.  Dip doughnuts and return them to the cooling rack set on top of a cookie sheet to catch drips.

The Results...

 Next time I make these doughnuts I want to try fast rise yeast to see how much lighter and fluffier they might be.  All I had on hand was active dry yeast.  Obviously everyone loved these.  My son suggested I open a doughnut shop, because these doughnuts were THAT GOOD!  I don't see a doughnut shop in my future, but I'm happy my family thinks my doughnuts are pretty awesome.

Update...
We made these doughnuts again, but with a chocolate glaze.  This glaze took much longer to set-up than the maple glaze, but it was also very tasty.  We warmed up our leftover chocolate glaze in the microwave and used it as hot fudge sauce on ice cream.  It was delicious both ways!

 

Ingredients (I followed only the chocolate glaze part of Martha Stewart's recipe.)

1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup assorted sprinkles, for decorating (optional)

Directions

While doughnuts are cooling, make the glaze: Place chocolate chips in a medium heat-proof bowl. Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan, and pour over chocolate. Whisk until smooth, thickened, and combined. Dip top half of each doughnut into glaze; let excess fall back into pan. Quickly invert so that glaze is on top, and place on a wire rack. Immediately decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Let glaze set, and serve.