Time to Make the Donuts! Daring Bakers Challenge, Oct 2010

So, I have been sooooo damn excited and could not wait for my first Daring Bakers Challenge! Never heard of it? Well, the Daring Bakers Challenge happens once a month. You have to be accepted into the group in order to get the next months challenge. I was a little iffy at first. But, then I thought, "What the hell, might as well try it, huh?"

This months challenge: Donuts. I know! DONUTS!! A bit scary when you think about it, right? It can be a thing of beauty if done right. But, if done wrong...watch out buddy. Hard, hockey pucks expoding in your stomach. Yes, I may be a little melodramatic but oh, well. Here is a link to Alton Brown's Donut Recipe.

I must say that I absolutely love the smell of bread yeast. So, it was great just for that. My house smelled like freshly baked bread for days. I loved rolling out the dough and cutting out circles with juice glasses. That part was much easier than I thought.

Oh, and when I took off the teacloth once the donuts did their final "poff" it was beautiful. Aren't they pretty?

But then I had to transfer them from the cookie sheet to the hot oil (cue dramatic music). How do I put this? A couple came out looking a bit like Krispy Kreme glazed donuts. However, a majority came out looking like tumors. There were a couple that were pretty enough for pictures. But, it's not about how pretty they come out, right? It's about the taste. Yummy!

I decided to fry the donut holes and roll them in cinnamon sugar. Delicious!


The verdict? Would I do it again? Maybe. I think I will try to make the donuts that are more cake-like and use the donut shaped baking pan and see how those babies come out. We'll see. But this is the main reason why I joined the Daring Bakers. I know that I would never have tried to make donuts on my own. I would have found a way to put it off since I am the Queen of Procrastinators. So, thank you Daring Bakers for making me do something that was a little out of my comfort zone.

~Smoooches~