The Chronicles of Yeast: Proofing and Rising

Because I am a glutton for punishment and because I am not going to let a small packet of goodness defeat me, I tried making a yeast-risen mound of deliciousness. Hold on tight because here we go...blastoff!! Sorry, we watched The Little Einsteins this morning. 

You know what this is? This is everything you need all poured into one bowl to make donuts. Yup, you heard me right, I said donuts. We are babysitting a deep fryer for a friend so I decided to take full advantage of the situation and make some fried rounds of dough.

In this bowl has proofed yeast, butter, sugar, salt, flour, milk, cinnamon, and egg yolks all swimming together ready to make a mound of soft, squishy dough.  You mix it all together and let rise for about two hours. This is where I think I have figured out the trick to making my dough rise the way it is suppose to. I got the proofing of the yeast down and now I just need to create the perfect rising situation. I am going to test my theory later today with the ultimate challenge: bread.  Once I have mastered the art of proofing and rising, I will share my wisdom.

After two hours, the dough is all smooth and soft. Dust a surface with flour and roll to 1/2" thick. I used a 2" biscuit cutter to cut out my donuts. I didn't want big donuts and I didn't have a small enough cutter to make holes.

The audience today was this little peanut. She sure does love to play with those scraps. This girl is never going to have dough-rolling-out anxiety like her mother.

Back to the donuts. Place your dough on a greased or floured sheet. Cover with a towel and let rise for a half hour. Here is where I started testing my rising theory.

I set up a draining and dunking station. In bowl number one, we have standard, plain paper towel. In bowl number two, we have powdered sugar. And rounding out the group, in bowl number three, we have cinnamon sugar.

Here they are. Look at that deep fried goodness. They are all brown and yummy.

I drained them and then dunked them immediately. Holy wow.

Time to eat them.

Our guest today was the one and only, often imitated, never duplicated Tracy. She's a super nurse, wonder mom, and fried dough lover. Look at that donut eating technique. Strategic placing of the bowl to catch any falling crumbs and a two-fingered donut holding grasp. She's done this before.

Avery, on the other hand, is all about the finger-licking.

Kendall prefers the mouth-stuffing technique. She does not mess around. Donut eating is her game.

I almost forgot. This is what they look like in the middle.

Yeast-risen donuts should be a little lighter and more airy. Mine were a little dense because my yeast did not rise as much as it should have during its first rising. They were still tasty but not as fluffy as expected.

Also, you must re-dunk your donuts in the powdered sugar once they cool.

These donuts were delish. And the next time I make them, they will rise the way they are suppose to. I am going to master yeast one way or another. I will win. I will dominate.

Here's the recipe for the donuts. I hope you have better luck in the rising process than I did.

Yeast-Raised Donuts

1 (1/4-oz) package active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons warm water (105–115°F)
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for sprinkling and rolling out dough
1 cup whole milk at room temperature
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
About 10 cups vegetable oil for deep frying

Stir together yeast and warm water in a small bowl until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If yeast doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)

Mix together flour, milk, butter, yolks, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and yeast mixture in mixer at low speed until a soft dough forms. Increase speed to medium-high and beat 3 minutes more.

Scrape dough down side of bowl (all around) into center, then sprinkle lightly with flour (to keep a crust from forming). Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Alternatively, let dough rise in bowl in refrigerator 8 to 12 hours.)

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round (1/2 inch thick).

Cut out as many rounds as possible with 3-inch cutter, then cut a hole in center of each round with 1-inch cutter and transfer doughnuts to a lightly floured large baking sheet. Cover doughnuts with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until slightly puffed, about 30 minutes (45 minutes if dough was cold when cutting out doughnuts). Do not reroll scraps.

Heat 2 1/2 inches oil in a deep 4-quart heavy pot until it registers 350°F on thermometer. Fry doughnuts, 2 at a time, turning occasionally with a wire or mesh skimmer or a slotted spoon, until puffed and golden brown, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain. (Return oil to 350°F between batches.)

Toss the donuts in powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, or whatever your little heart desires.

Recipe from http://www.yumsugar.com/Yeast-Raised-Donuts-Recipe-7517521