Cooking with Kids - The Best Old-Fashioned Doughnuts

Is there anything more delicious than a fresh stack of warm, crispy, sugar-coated scrumptiousness? This may not look kid friendly, but actually, it has turned out to be one of our best "cooking with kids" projects yet!


INGREDIENTS for DOUGHNUT:
3 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp table salt
1 1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg, if possible. If not, just use the dry spice - it is essential for a tasty doughnut!
3/4 cup buttermilk (don't use regular milk because this is another essential to making your doughnut tasty!)
4 Tbs unsealed butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
Either 6 cups vegetable shortening or oil for frying
INGREDIENTS FOR TOPPING:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tbs ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
1. Begin preheating your oil. You will want it to be at 375. My cookie thermometer was broken, so we just had to test a few doughnut holes to get it to the right temp, which worked out just fine! (that was hubbies job!)
2. In a medium bowl, mix together ingredients for the coating (sugar and cinnamon). Set aside. Cover cookie sheet with several layers of paper towels to absorb excess grease. Set aside.
3. Mix together all the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Mix with a wisk. Add buttermilk and eggs. mix thoroughly.
4. Melt butter and pour into mixture and mix thoroughly.
5. Dough will be sticky. Flour your counter and any finger that will be working the dough to get it to come together. Don't work the dough too much. If it gets too warm, it makes it hard to keep it's shape.
6. Flour your rolling pin and roll out to 1/2 inch thick (guide your kids to just smooth it out. Don't press down! :)
7. Dip your cookie cutter in flour and then start cutting out the doughnuts. This is a great job for the kids and should keep them very busy!
8. Have hubby manning the actual cooking of the doughnuts in the hot oil. He timed them, it was about a minute on each side.
9. As the doughnuts cool on the paper towels (approx 1 minute to cool off), have the kids dip the doughnuts into the cinnamon/sugar topping. Don't forget to keep some plain for dunking in your coffee later. :) yumo!
Keep the doughnuts uncovered, as covering will make the crispy outside, mushy. We don't want that now, do we??
This recipe was found online, but is originally from Baking Illustrated 2004. Perfect & foolproof recipe!!!


Enjoy! Kristen

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