Carb Heaven

Somehow with the Halloween fall off the no-carb wagon, it seemed reasonable to have a last fling before climbing back on.  So today a friend came over and we fired up the deep frier for some good old fashion doughnuts.

In all my years of food adventures, Joy of Cooking (the 1997 edition) has yet to disappoint.  Their raised doughnut involves 3 risings, which we shortened to 2. I did the usual substitution of whole grain flour for white bleached as well as Sucanat for white sugar.  I'd like to point out that I refrained from adding my usual protein powder and nettle tea to the mix (mostly to prevent scaring off my new found friend). She supplied the makings for both chocolate and butterscotch glazes, and I dug frosting mix and powdered sugar out of the pantry.  

The frier, new love of my life, has a rotating basket and holds its temperature automatically. Since doughnuts only require 1 minute frying per side, the actually cooking was easy.  That just left glazing, admiring and eating. Notice their lovely doughnut shape and their golden hue.

Fresh from the hot oil, the doughnuts tasted a little bready to me.  Maybe it was the whole wheat flour?  Maybe we kneaded the dough too long? But later this evening, the bready taste seemed to have vanished, maybe as the yeast cooled and lost its tang. I liked the texture and the level of sweetness both.  After a careful sample of all the toppings, I easily preferred the butterscotch glaze.  The kids were crazy about the frosting/sprinkles combination.

Think of me tomorrow as I eat my last doughnut and haul my hiney back up on the wagon of health, deep frier in tow.