help needed for baking problems

[Nicho1]

My "name" is Nicho and I'm a donut-holic! The problem is that I am unable to make the kind of donut that I crave. I've tried numbers of times with differing recipes but to no avail.

One of the problems, I believe, is the yeast I'm using. I have Aldi yeast and even though the dough rises, it doesn't have the deep smell of yeast and after baking/cooking, there is very little yeast aroma at all.

Is there a "good kind" of yeast to purchase...even on-line would be fine.

The other problem may be the flour. (After the yeast and flour, the other ingredients should be OK.) I have used both all-purpose flour and bread flour. Neither has been successful. I know there is pastry flour and there is cake flour but I haven't ventured there yet.

I've had Amish donuts that were out of this world, too. If I could make them, I would be totally thrilled. They smell and taste very loudly of yeast!
My ideal end product would be a Krispy Kreme glazed donut. OK, my aim may be high but this will give the description of the goal.

If anyone has suggestions, I'd love to try them.

In the same vein, I've been trying to make a good sub roll with the same disappointing results. Subway and Jersey Mike's have great rolls but I just can't even get close. Help there would also be appreciated!

[grower]

I've never made doughnuts, but I do have a favorite flour -- King Arthur. I use it for biscuits and bread. Maybe someone else on the Tree has experience with doughnuts and can help you there.

[Nicho1]

Thanks, grower. I have made progress today...somewhat! I decided to take the afternoon and try to make donuts. This time, I used a recipe I found online that called for bread flour. I had gotten a stand mixer at GoodWill and let that puppy knead. That process being done longer and better has seemed to help. The dough...or sponge as the pros say...was great. When it raised both times, it came out of the bowl! In times past, it didn't raise much. So, I'm going to keep this dough recipe but the glaze needs some work. I have seen a recipe that includes a bit of maple extract and I think that would be great. The oil I'm using to fry may need some tweaking but I'm getting there.

I think that I will try to make some sub rolls this week using the bread flour instead of AP. I'll look for King Arthur bread flour when I go to the store next time. Or...do you think the King Arthur regular flour would give a nice soft, fluffy donut?

Thanks again for your help.

[JohnWalker]

Thanks, grower. I have made progress today...somewhat! I decided to take the afternoon and try to make donuts. This time, I used a recipe I found online that called for bread flour. I had gotten a stand mixer at GoodWill and let that puppy knead. That process being done longer and better has seemed to help. The dough...or sponge as the pros say...was great. When it raised both times, it came out of the bowl! In times past, it didn't raise much. So, I'm going to keep this dough recipe but the glaze needs some work. I have seen a recipe that includes a bit of maple extract and I think that would be great. The oil I'm using to fry may need some tweaking but I'm getting there.

I think that I will try to make some sub rolls this week using the bread flour instead of AP. I'll look for King Arthur bread flour when I go to the store next time. Or...do you think the King Arthur regular flour would give a nice soft, fluffy donut?

Thanks again for your help.

It's been a long time since I made donuts but I recall that the oil temperature is really important.

[grower]

I think that I will try to make some sub rolls this week using the bread flour instead of AP. I'll look for King Arthur bread flour when I go to the store next time. Or...do you think the King Arthur regular flour would give a nice soft, fluffy donut?

Thanks again for your help.

Don't know. I use King Arthur all-purpose and whole wheat for bread and self-rising for biscuits. Cake flour might work better for doughnuts.

[Summerthyme]

I haven't had good luck making the chewy cinnamon doughnuts we love... but I'll admit, I haven't tried that hard, either.

However, bread flour is really a must... if you can't find decent bread flour where you are, buy some vital wheat gluten and add 1/4 cup for every cup of flour called for in the recipe (cut down the total flour amount proportionately... if the recipe calls for 4 cups of bread flour, you'll use 3 cups of "all purpose" flour and 1 cup of wheat gluten)

The King Arthur company has a website and paper catalogs. IIRC, they have glaze "base" for sale. They also have hundreds of well tested recipes on their website... I've never had one fail yet. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/?gcli...FU42gQod5ZgFQg

They also have "dougnut flavoring", which gives the flavor of the storebought "cake like" doughnuts. Warning, they can be a bit pricey, but everything they sell is top notch quality, and their service is excellent.

Summerthyme

(can you post the link to the recipe you found? When the weather cools off in the fall, I'll probably try again)

[Nicho1]

Here's the recipe I used...I cut it in half. And, I used butter, not margarine. I NEVER use margarine. Glaze calls for maple extract...I think that would be a great ingredient:

LIGHT AS A FEATHER DOUGHNUTS
1 1 /2 cups milk, scalded
1 /2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 /2 cup margarine
1 1 /2 cup warm water
1 /2 tablespoon sugar
2 packages of yeast
2 eggs
8 – 10 cups bread flour
Add sugar, salt, and margarine to hot milk. Cool to lukewarm. Add yeast and sugar to warm water. Let rise for 5 minutes. Pour both liquids together plus eggs and add flour, After last flour has been added knead for 10 minutes. Let rise 1 hour and knead again. Let rise 1 hour and punch down and roll to 1 /2 inch and cut. Put on floured pan, let rise and deep fat fry at 350. Glaze while still warm
Maple Syrup Glaze:

• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon maple extract
• 1/2 cup milk

In a small bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar, maple extract and milk; stir well. Add additional milk, if needed, to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over donuts.

[Summerthyme]

Thanks! I'll have to try them... beck, the way the weather is, it might as well be fall, anyway! I wonder if I can find a glaze recipe that uses real maple syrup... I've got gallons of the stuff.

Summerthyme

[Nicho1]

Gallons of genuine maple syrup? You are one lucky woman! Perhaps 1/2 the amount of extract? Unless, of course, you want to add alcohol to the real stuff! I just got some maple extract today, by the way, for the purpose of donut glaze. The heat is on the way to the South, so I don't think I'll be baking any "luxury" items right now. Donuts, of course, are what I call a luxury.

[Summerthyme]

Yes, we know we're blessed. We make syrup most Springs from our maples. Sadly, two of our remaining four huge yard maples are dying... one is well over 200 years old. The other... I dunno what happened to it, but it has declined very fast. I'm really heartbroken.. not only do they give us a beautifully shaded front yard, but they are south of the house, and have provided free "air conditioning" for all the years we've been here. Taking them down is going to be a real trick, too, given how close they are to the house, the small apple orchard, and the power lines.

But we have a woods full of maple trees... I suspect that when our son and his wife and new baby daughter move to the farm (hopefully in the next 2 years), I'll get some help in tapping and gathering sap in the woods. Knowing my son, he'll insist on going "high tech" (well, higher tech than the buckets and hand carrying the sap to a propane stove in our wood shed!) and installing lines, etc. Given the state of my spine these days, that's probably the only way I should be even thinking about sugaring.

But those 4 yard trees were giving us between 4 and 7 gallons of syrup almost every spring for the last 20 years. Let's just say we're very well stocked! LOL!

Summerthyme