Description
I used to make these with Mom as a little girl. She would make dozens a week and give to neighborhood kids. I would coat them with that ooey good frosting. I recently won a blue ribbon with this recipe. It was also featured and put in newspapers all over the U.S. Then it was voted as 1 of 100 top recipes to be put in the 2011 Members Choice cookbook. They are like eating a flavored cloud. So light and fluffy. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees F/40 to 45 degrees C)
- 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- ¾ cup milk, lukewarm
- ⅓ cup vegetable shortening
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
- 1 tablespoon warm water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Pour 1/2 cup of warm water into a small bowl
- and stir in the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Allow the yeast mixture to stand until it forms a creamy foam layer on top
- 5 to 10 minutes.
- Place milk and vegetable shortening into a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until the shortening has melted and the milk has tiny bubbles around the edge. Remove from heat.
- Place 1/4 cup of sugar and the salt into the work bowl of a large stand mixer and pour the milk and shortening into the bowl. Mix on low speed just to dissolve sugar; and allow mixture to stand until warm.
- Beat in the yeast mixture
- eggs
- and 1 cup of flour on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in remaining flour to make a soft dough.
- Continue beating the dough on low speed until dough leaves the sides of the bowl
- 2 to 3 minutes.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic
- 2 or 3 more minutes.
- Form the dough into a ball and place into a large greased bowl. Grease the top of the dough
- and cover the bowl with waxed paper. Set the bowl into a warm place; let the dough rise until doubled in size
- 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Punch down the dough and roll out on a floured work surface to 1/2 inch thick. Cut doughnuts out of the dough with a 3 1/2-inch round doughnut cutter with a 1-inch smaller cutter in the center. Let the doughnuts rise on the work surface until very light and fluffy
- 40 minutes to 1 hour.
- Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Gently pick up and drop the doughnuts into the hot oil
- working in small batches of 2 or 3 at a time
- and cook until the doughnuts are light golden brown
- turning once
- about 2 minutes.
- Drain the doughnuts on paper towels to absorb oil.
- In a bowl
- mix 1 tablespoon of warm water and vanilla extract
- and stir in the confectioners’ sugar to make a glaze. Spread a thin layer of glaze over the warm doughnuts.
Prep Time: 1 hr
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 3 hrs
Servings: 24