Make it at home - Doughnuts

Who knew? Doughnuts, like bread, are dead easy to make.  It can  be done using a breadmaker or traditional kneading/rising method.

The hardest part about making doughnuts, is finding non-GMO frying oil. Let me know if you have found a way to access gallons upon gallons of organic canola oil. Don't worry, we aren't crazy; we don't usually deep fry our foods, but for a special treat and for our apple fritter "business," c'est bien.

Okay, I know the recipes I put up on here are mainly treats.  Coincidence? I think not. I love treats. I admit to having a sweet tooth (and a cheese tooth!). I like making treats for my family as well as the healthy stuff. I think my reasoning for making treats at home is that treats should be, well, a treat. We shouldn't eat them everyday, and unfortunately these days, we do (as a society, hello, I don't mean we ALL do!). Treat foods, such as French fries, burgers, candy, chocolate, pastries and of course, doughnuts, are eaten daily. No wonder we are getting fat as a nation.  Many writers and cooks I have been following over the years are making a move out of mainstream foods altogether, including things like doughnuts. I am not prepared to eat only seaweed and sprouts - when we do that aren't we bound to fail?

Lovely Doughnut and "Hole"

There are plenty of recipes online, such as one at Allrecipes.com Crispy and Creamy (which looks amazing), but here is one I used adapted from Women's Home Companion Cook Book, 1944. I have separated the directions into two methods - proceed as you will. I admit to adapting this for my breadmaker. I have nasty carpal tunnel in my wrist and I have to watch how much kneading I do. The original recipe calls for a yeast cake and had subsequent activation directions. Since I just threw the ingredients into my breadmaker, I am ASSUMING that you could just adapt the same way for instant yeast without a breadmaker. I didn't test this, so if you are an experienced traditional bread baker and it doesn't make sense to you - by all means, adapt for your needs! Please let me know if I have made an error.

RAISED DOUGHNUTS

Traditional Method
2 1/4 tsp/1 pkg yeast
1/4 c lukewarm water
3/4 c scalded milk. cooled to lukewarm
4 c flour, sifted
3/4 c sugar (any type may be used including white, organic cane, maple sugar etc.)
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 c melted shortening (of our choice - unsalted butter may be used)
1/4 tsp, ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Start yeast in water and milk. stir in eggs and shortening. Combine flour, sugar, salt and nutmeg and add to liquid.  Beat 10-15 mins by hand or 4-5 mins with electric mixer. Cover, set in warm place and let rise 1 hour or until doubled.

See combined directions for part two.

Breadmaker Method
3/4 c milk (scalded and cooled)
1/2 melted shortening (of our choice - unsalted butter may be used)
1/4 c water
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 tsp salt
4 c flour
3/4 c sugar (any type may be used including white, organic cane, maple sugar etc.)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
2 1/4 tsp (or one package)  instant yeast

Scald milk (may heat in microwave for two minutes) and add the shortening to melt. Add water, cool to lukewarm.  Add ingredients in order your breadmaker recommends. Set to dough setting.  Proceed as for the combined instructions.

Combined instructions / part two
Turn dough onto floured board. Roll out to 1 inch thickness and cut out with doughnut cutter (or in my case a combination biscuit cutter and  apple corer!).   Set on floured board in warm place until double in size.

Heat frying oil  to 365-375F in deep pot (about two inches is sufficient) or use standard deep fryer.  Drop doughnuts in hot oil and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes, turning halfway. Drain on paper towels or rack. Dust with sugar or glaze of your choice.

Doughnut Glaze

• 1/3 c butter
• 2 c powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 4 tbsp hot water or as needed

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in hot water one tablespoon at a time until the icing is somewhat thin, but not watery. Dip warm doughnuts into glaze and set on rack to dry.

Twitter temporarily down...

It seems that Twitter was temporarily in overload as the news of the vote of non-confidence in parliament today.

For a few minutes, Twitter was down - probably in response to so many people tweeting on  the vote and the impending upcoming election.

No Impact Week - Progress Report

Okay, I cheated.

Everything has been going well (except that my daughter told me this morning that she can't wait for Sunday - I ask why and she told me that "veggie week will be over"  - what do you say to that!?). The problem was I felt guilty about two things yesterday.

First, I had to take a 6 hour drive yesterday to London and back for a school activity. There wasn't much I could do about this, but I look forward to the time when I won't have to do these sorts of things (although I had a great day!)

Second, I had take-out Chinese. I know, my bad. It wasn't my idea. We decided to take advantage of the fact that we were in Kitchener on the way home last night to drop in on my daughter and her growing family. Next thing we knew we were invited to share their dinner of Chinese take-out. I could have said no thank you and left, but since it was dinner time and we wanted to continue with our visit, we partook.

So, we lapsed. What will I do to make amends?

No Impact Week

This week is No Impact Week at a few universities. I took the liberty of signing myself and family up. Aren't  I considerate?

No, I did not ask them what they thought or if they wanted to participate. Like a good "radical," I simply told them we were participating.

In truth, I realise I am hardly radical. I am not too far from mainstream really. That is the sad part. I am striving to be a better consumer by NOT consuming.

We kicked things off by watching the documentary "No Impact Man" on Netflix.

Curiously, there are a lot of documentaries on Netflix, and despite what some people have heard, a lot of great shows and movies. Admittedly, some of them are already available online, but if you are watching on TV with a WII or other device, Netflix does make it easier. But, forgive me as I digress.

Our challenges this week for our family are:

• No meat
• Reduce dairy
• No convenience or processed foods (not a usual behaviour anyway for us)
• Don't buy anything new
• Turn off electronics through power bars at night
• Have a fun evening by candle light during "earth hour" by making it three hours

Things we can't change this week:

• Travel by car - I have to drive several long trips this week due to school, volunteer and professional activities
• Alternative family activities - because of above, I will be absent several evenings this week, but the weekend is still available!

I know really in most ways we are pretty mainstream, but here is a list of some things we have already undertaken on a more permanent basis:

• Litterless lunches (doing since 1992!)
• Three R's in order - Reduce first, then reuse... lot's of people brag about their amazing recycling, but when you look in their bin you can see they buy a LOT of packaged stuff. Would have been better to not buy that stuff at all!
• Buying used items at thrift stores over new when possible
• Composting -backyard and municipal depending on our volume
• Making purchasing choices based on reducing packaging (buying in bulk, buying from certain companies, making yogurt ourselves etc.)
• Canning our own food - while not as efficient as a factory, it allows us to reuse packaging (jars) and be more food concious (we would never waste what we put our hard work into)
• Cooking! (rather than fast food and eating out)
• Eating "whole foods" not processed
• Backyard vegetable garden
• Not cutting our grass often - using an electric mower over gas (push would be better!)
• Rain water collection for gardens
• Making handmade gifts for Christmas and Birthdays
• Buying from a CSA for meat and veg (when we can afford to)
• Buying Local food / Shopping at a local food store and the farmers' market
• Eating seasonally for most food products- never buying an imported food if a local one is available
• Environmentally safe cleaning products (vinegar, water, natural soap, baking soda, some natural purchased laundry products)
• Carrying reusable cups for hot and cold drinks on the road
• Backyard chickens! (reminds about the food system, helps us with a holistic garden system, reduces our waste - we feed it to the hens, each egg is precious!)

I don't think this is anywhere near an exhaustive list. And, though it is a good start - there are a lot of other things we could do. Especially in terms of electricity. We haven't made the move to become vegetarian either, however we don't eat a lot of meat and what we do eat is mostly local and pastured.  I am not ready to move into vegetarianism yet, but who knows...it might be next?