Totorus

Photo credit by It's Danno!

Donuts are one of the most popular and sought after foods in the world. The variety of donuts as well as the endless possibilities when it comes to flavors makes it one of the most versatile meals available. Not only for breakfast, donuts can be had as snacks or treats throughout the day.

Donuts are easy to make as well, provided you have some of the proper equipment. A deep fryer and a donut cutter are the essentials. Then, you need the ingredients. For about 3 dozen small donuts you will need: 4 and a half cups of flour, 4 teaspoons of baking soda, 2 tablespoons of butter (unsalted!), half teaspoon of salt, 2 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk, and then for flavor, half a teaspoon of nutmeg (freshly ground works best!) and a full teaspoon of vanilla.

Take all the dry ingredients except the sugar and stir them together in a large bowl that allows for mixing. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and the sugar until they start to become light. To these you will then add the milk, vanilla and melted butter. Whip this mixture and then add to the dry ingredients in the bigger bowl.

For the best homemade donuts, keep whipping this mix until it becomes a soft, uniform dough. To bring out the best donut results there should be uniformity of ingredients, but it should not be over handled to the point of liquefaction. Perfect homemade donuts require a doughy texture to be achieved in the mix.

The homemade donuts’ dough should be smooth and easily rolled. If after mixing all the ingredients the dough is a bit runny, chill for an hour or so until the donut mix becomes more stable. After this is achieved, take the homemade donut dough out of the refrigerator.

Flour a counter section to roll the donut dough. Remove the whole mass of donut dough from the bowl and onto the floured countertop, and roll into a 3/8 inch thick mass. Then, take the donut cutter and make your donuts! All the extra pieces such as the centers of the already cut donuts should be rolled together with the others and made into another 3/8 inch think mass for more donuts. After all the donut dough is cut, take any extra pieces and roll into small balls for donut bites.

The next step is frying the homemade donuts. Make sure the deep fryer is at 370 degrees. Any cooler and the donuts will absorb too much oil. Put in only one layer of donuts at a time. As soon as the homemade donuts start floating to the surface and look golden brown on the bottom, it is time to turn them. Wait a minute or two until the other side is golden and take the donuts out of the fryer.

Let the fresh donuts drain over the fryer for a few minutes before transferring them to a sheet of paper towel to finish the process. While still warm, finish off your homemade donuts by adding the topping of your preference, from powdered sugar to cinnamon or frosting and sprinkles. Enjoy!