Donuts and a cuppa joe. As American as apple pie, a juicy hamburger, or a skinny hot dog. Glazed, chocolate frosted, jelly-filled, raised or cake, have your pick. Some people dunk ‘em in their breakfast-time coffee, then quickly take a bite, careful not to allow the donut to get too soggy in their hot morning brew. Other people are purists, munching on the gooey sweetness anytime of the day, but completely unsullied.
On Saturday mornings, when I was young, my dad used to take me fishing off of the pier in Half Moon Bay, CA. Dad was a not an outdoors man. He was not even an organized sports man. He was a business man. Not the suit-and-tie sort, but still the sort that awoke at the crack of dawn to get to the office early before anyone else had really started their day. But sometimes, he would awake early on a Saturday morning, his body still on the Monday thru Friday clock, venture into my room, and give me a nudge. Then I knew.
I would quickly dress as the sun was creeping over the driveway. We grabbed the fishing poles, dangling off the wall in the garage, taunting us as to what we would catch that day. I would hop into the car next to dad, slowly we would pull out of the driveway; not quite ready to head to the pier. I knew where we were going first.
Minutes later we would pull into Happy Donuts. It never really mattered what time you entered the parking lot: it was always full of people. I would get in line, dreaming of which sugary treats I would bring to the pier, and then return to the car, hot cocoa in one hand, a sack of donuts in the other. My dad and I never really caught anything other than mudsuckers on those Saturday morning sojourns. We never brought a passel of fresh fish home to fry in lots of butter. We just talked…and ate donuts.
It seems that donuts may never be as sweet to me as those memories. Don’t get me wrong, I still love a donut, piping hot, straight from the grease. But in this day in age, when one worries about trans-fats, saturated fats, fatty fats, I could use a donut that was… well, a little bit lighter.
Enter: baked donuts. The traditional donut’s svelte sister. Yeasted, so they’re light and pillow soft, made in about two hours, and baked until they are golden brown, these donuts really are superb. And yes, I still rolled them in powdered sugar, or cinnamon-sugar, I wouldn’t want to get too healthy on you. These donuts are a breakfast time treat, perfect with a cup of coffee.
Baked Donuts
from Marion Cunningham’s The Breakfast Book
Makes about 2 dozen donuts plus holes
2 packages dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water (105 degrees)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 1/2 cups all purposed flour, approximately
butter, melted
cinnamon-sugar (1/2 cup sugar, to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon)
powdered sugar
Sprinkle yeast over water, and let dissolve, about 5 minutes.
Put milk and shortening in a saucepan and heat until shortening is melted. Cool until lukewarm.
In a large mixing bowl put yeast, milk mixture, sugar, salt, nutmeg, eggs, and two cups flour. Beat until well blended. Add remaining flour and beat until smooth. Cover the bowl, and let double in bulk, about 1 hour.
Dust board generously with flour, and turn the dough out. The dough will be soft and sticky, but easy to work with the addition of flour. Pat dough out into 1/2 inch thickness. Using a three inch donut or biscuit cutter, cut out donuts (and donut holes) and place on a greased baking sheet, one inch apart. The donuts will continue to rise, though they don’t spread much. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, and let donuts rest for 20 minutes, uncovered.
Bake about 10 minutes, or a little longer, until they have a touch of golden brown. Remove from the oven. Brush them with melted butter. Roll them in either the cinnamon-sugar, or the powdered sugar, and enjoy while warm.
