Jelly doughnaaaaahs!

OK, well donut holes.

So for about a hundred years now, I've wanted to buy a deep fryer. I have a horrible french fry obsession. If I could only eat one thing to the rest of my life, it would probably be fries. Anyway, my sister and husband have always forbidden be from buying a deep fryer because I would gain 200 pounds. About two weeks ago, I finally said nuts to them and bought an $18 deep fryer at Big Lots. It's a small Rival Cooltouch fryer with no temperature settings or anything. Not fancy or very big, but it does the job and doesn't take up too much room.

So the first thing I wanted to try (besides fries) was donuts. I've been craving a Krispy Kreme for a while but have not had any because of the lactose thing. So after browsing the web, I found this recipe, which was supposed to replicate a Krispy Kreme. I made a few modifications though. My baking yeast was a bit old, so I was worried they weren't going to rise enough, but they turned out pretty puffy. I also only had one yeast envelope so I halved the recipe. This also gave me an excuse to try my fancy pants bismark tip to fill them with strawberry preserves. Instead of milk and eggs, I used soymilk and Ener-G egg replacer and they still came out good. Lastly, I did not make the glaze, I just sifted powdered sugar over them. The half recipe made about 30 donut holes and they lasted about 8 hours :)

Crispy and Creamy Doughnuts

• 2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
• 
  
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 tablespoons hot water or as needed

1. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, or stirring with a wooden spoon. Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, and cover. Set in a warm place to rise until double. Dough is ready if you touch it, and the indention remains.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter. Let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double. Cover loosely with a cloth.
4. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in hot water one tablespoon at a time until the icing is somewhat thin, but not watery. Set aside.
5. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large heavy skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slide doughnuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack. Dip doughnuts into the glaze while still hot, and set onto wire racks to drain off excess. Keep a cookie sheet or tray under racks for easier clean up.