Yum Kosher

A couple of weeks ago, when I was in Brooklyn, I stepped into The Peppermill on 16th Avenue and saw that they were selling containers of donut mix!  What could be easier than that?  Add warm water, let rise 45 minutes and the donuts are a piece of cake ;).  So today, when my daughter invited us for a Chanukah party, I offered to bring donuts!  Of course, I was running late and decided to use the donut mix, but the finished dough looked so small, that I started to panic that there wouldn’t be enough (ever happen to you??) and put up a fresh dough of my favorite tried and true donut recipe as well.  Well, the results of my made-from-scratch recipe were so outstanding that the donut-mix donuts were all left over!  The dough mixes up in one bowl and it is a perfect consistency and yummy to work with.   I have this recipe since I was newly married, and despite all the recipes I’ve tried over the years, this one kicks!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 2 packages dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortning (or margarine/butter)
• 1 egg
• 4 1/2 cups flour
• oil for frying

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine water, yeast and sugar in a mixing bowl till yeast is dissolved and starts to foam.  Add rest of ingredients and mix until the dough forms a ball and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. 
2. Rise 30-45 minutes until double in size.  Roll out and shape with a round cookie cutter.  Rise another half hour.  Fry until brown on one side, then flip over and fry on the other side (about 30 seconds-1 minute on each side).  
3. While still warm, dip into confectionery sugar or regular sugar.  This recipe is not very sweet, so I like to fill (inject) it with raspberry jelly or custard.  Topping it with poured fondant or chocolate glaze gives it a professional touch.

Yield approx 24-30 donuts