Food Storage Donuts
Who says you can’t have all of your favorites when you’re using food storage?! Not us! It was my sister’s birthday the other day and as kids, our birthday breakfast tradition was donuts and chocolate milk. So, I thought I’d surprise her with homemade donuts and chocolate milk (did you know powdered milk makes awesome chocolate milk?!). Why did I go homemade instead of running to the store? Well, I’ll tell you. I haven’t had a good donut in YEARS. I’ve had a lot of stale, cold, day-old donuts but none that were worth the calories or the money! Has anyone else noticed the exorbitant price of donuts? They are a $1.50 a pop. That’s because bakery items always have the highest mark-ups, in fact the industry standard is 6x what it costs to make. I figured I made a batch of these donuts (so 18 total) for a little more than the price of 1-2 donuts.
When you consider these were made almost entirely from shelf-stable food storage, it’s a complete win-win situation. The only ingredient I pulled from my freezer was butter and I totally count that as my part of my short-term food storage. (I stock up at Thanksgiving on the Land O’ Lake brand and store them in the freezer). To me, the greatest part of food storage is when you combine your long-term and short-term supplies you can make some really great things! But don’t forget, you can make fresh butter from your food storage as well! Click HERE to watch our video on making fresh butter from your food storage.
p.s. all of that oil you used to fry the donuts can be used again and again for frying. I just save my oil in a quart jar and re-use it for frying other sweet items.
Plus, I used my time-saving bread secret to have the donuts done in under an hour.
My #1 Time Saving Tip for Making Bread:
Are you ready for this, I’m going to cut your bread making time in half with one simple tip….knead your bread longer! When you knead your bread longer, you develop the gluten faster and eliminate the need for the first rise! I knead my bread for 12-15 minutes on a slow speed and then allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. After that I shape the dough as needed and carry on from there. It’s the greatest trick since sliced bread…all puns intended!
Directions
1Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, then add sugar and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
2Add in order, oil, 4 cups flour, salt, eggs (if using egg powder, otherwise add fresh with the oil), dry milk powder in mixer. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, knead in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl.
3Knead for 12 minutes at a moderate speed. (Kneading for a longer amount of time develops the gluten faster and gets us out of that time sucking first rise)
4Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.
5Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter. (I used a glass and the lid to my oil for the smaller hole. You can also just stick your finger through the middle to create the hole).
6Let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double (I let them sit for 15-20 minutes while I got everything else ready). Cover loosely with a cloth.
7Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat or in a microwave. Stir in confectioners' 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. Set aside.
8Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large heavy skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slide doughnuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack. Dip doughnuts into the glaze while still hot, and set onto wire racks to drain off excess. Keep a cookie sheet or tray under racks for easier clean up.
Directions
1Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, then add sugar and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
2Add in order, oil, 4 cups flour, salt, eggs (if using egg powder, otherwise add fresh with the oil), dry milk powder in mixer. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, knead in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl.
3Knead for 12 minutes at a moderate speed. (Kneading for a longer amount of time develops the gluten faster and gets us out of that time sucking first rise)
4Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.
5Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter. (I used a glass and the lid to my oil for the smaller hole. You can also just stick your finger through the middle to create the hole).
6Let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double (I let them sit for 15-20 minutes while I got everything else ready). Cover loosely with a cloth.
7Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat or in a microwave. Stir in confectioners' 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. Set aside.
8Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large heavy skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slide doughnuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack. Dip doughnuts into the glaze while still hot, and set onto wire racks to drain off excess. Keep a cookie sheet or tray under racks for easier clean up.
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