To a confused first time visitor, my blog presents a strange dichotomy. It is undeniably full of rich and indulgent cake / dessert recipes, but those often sit side by side with healthy, dare I say low-calorie, meal options. This dichotomy stems from my own life – I generally eat fairly healthily and sensibly, but I am not a fan of low-cal desserts. If you are going to eat dessert then eat dessert, know what I mean? The trick is to not eat too much of it, or too often (that’s something I am working on…)

Low-cal doughnuts (talk about an oxymoron) are usually baked instead of fried. That is not a doughnut in my book. It’s just not . It tastes nothing like it – and I should know, I have tried. Make these perfect raised & glazed doughnuts instead and revel in every delicious mouthful.

doughnuts for the first time – talk about lack of moderation. I was flushed with the churro success and since I had the oil handy it would be a shame not to. But I was pressed for time and I rushed the proving process. My first batch of doughnuts was heavy, stodgy and, actually, pretty awful. Apparently you can’t hurry doughnuts (or love) and it is foolish to try. But first a little backstory… The day I made the Valentine churros I decided to also makefor the first time – talk about lack of moderation. I was flushed with the churro success and since I had the oil handy it would be a shame not to. But I was pressed for time and I rushed the proving process. My first batch of doughnuts was heavy, stodgy and, actually, pretty awful. Apparently you can’t hurry doughnuts (or love) and it is foolish to try.

Krispy Kreme, Tim Horton’s and Dunkin Donuts to shame – this according to my husband who, as a Canadian, has a lot of doughnut eating experience. Undaunted, I threw myself into research and tried again a few days later. My second batch of doughnuts was… PERFECT. Light as air, incredibly fluffy and soft inside with a crisp, sweet, exterior. They put, Tim Horton’s andto shame – this according to my husband who, as a Canadian, has a lot of doughnut eating experience.

After 2nd proving, plump and ready to be fried. You can also dip these in cinnamon sugar instead of glazing them. For the glaze

250g | 2 cups icing (powdered) sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3-4 tablespoons boiling waterMethod Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the icing sugar and mix together. Add the vanilla extract and the water, a tablespoon at a time, until you have a glaze that will drips slowly off the spoon in a steady stream. Transfer the glaze onto a plate and set aside. If the glaze has set completely once you are ready to use it you can reheat it for a few seconds in a microwave. 75g | 1/3 cup unsalted butter250g | 2 cups icing (powdered) sugar1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract3-4 tablespoons boiling water

For the doughnuts

Makes 10-12

315g | 2 1/2 cups 00 (pasta) flour

1 packet active dry yeast

50g | 4 tbsp (caster) sugar

200ml | 6.8fl oz milk

30g | 2 tbsp vegetable shortening (such as Trex)

1 large egg

1 tsbp glycerine or corn syrup

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla extract (or paste)

An additional 45g | 1/2 cup 00 flour plus more for rolling

2.3 ltr | 2 quarts sunflower oil (or vegetable, canola etc)Method

Put the milk, vanilla extract, glycerine and shortening in a bowl and microwave for about 30-40 seconds until milk is warm (not hot). Alternatively heat in a pan. Add the egg and mix lightly together with a fork. Put 315g (2 1/2 cups) of flour, the sugar, salt, yeast and nutmeg in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Start mixing the ingredients on low speed. Slowly add the milk mixture and continue to mix until the liquid is mixed in with the flour and a very loose dough forms. Add the remaining flour a little at a time whilst mixing on low speed (you may need to add a little more if dough is very sticky). Once all the flour is incorporated continue to mix for 5-8 minutes or until the dough passes the windowpane test. Put the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let it rise until double – 1 -1 1/2 hours. If the house is really cold you can put the dough in the (turned off) oven with a small tray of boiling water. The water will create steam which will help the dough rise. Flour your worktop and tip the dough on it. Gently deflate it and then roll it out until it is 1cm (1/2 inch) thick. Use a 6-7cm (2 1/2-3in) round cutter to cut out rounds and a smaller cutter to cut out the centres. Gather the scraps and roll out again to cut a total of 12 ring doughnuts (using the holes as well). Place on a tray lined with baking paper and loosely cover with cling film (plastic wrap). Let them rise at room temperature for about 40 minutes until fluffy and puffed up. Heat the oil in a large, deep pot. If you have a candy thermometer clip it on. The oil is ready when it reaches 190C | 375F. (To check if the oil is ready without the use of the thermometer drop a small cube of bread in it. It should brown within a minute.) Lower the doughnuts into the oil using a wooden spoon two at a time. Fry until golden – about 1–1 1/2 minutes on each side using a chopstick to flip over. Drain on kitchen towels. Dip each doughnut in the glaze while they are still quite warm. Twist the doughnut so it’s well covered in the glaze then place on wire rack to cool. Enjoy while the doughnuts are fresh – they usually don’t last longer than a couple of hours in my house, but if you have leftovers you can keep in an airtight container for a day. Reheat for a few seconds in a microwave before serving. A couple of notes You can use butter in the dough instead of shortening but butter will cause the doughnuts to split due to it’s high moisture content.

The glycerine (or corn syrup) is optional but it helps keeps the doughnuts soft.

You can also make filled doughnuts using this recipe. Cut the rounds without a hole in the middle and fry them about 2 minutes on each side – best sacrifice one doughnut to do a test for optimum frying time. Fill with jam or pastry cream once they are completely cool. As a guide a properly fried doughnut will feel lighter that an undercooked one (uncooked dough is heavier).

You can dip these in sugar instead of glazing them, or add sprinkles etc.

The glaze can be on the thick side – when you dip a warm doughnut in it, the butter will melt slightly creating a wonderful shiny glaze.

The perfect raised and glazed doughnut!

I am linking this recipe to #recipeoftheweek over at A Mummy too, #TastyTuesdays over at Honest Mum and sending it to YeastSpotting gallery over at Wild Yeast blog. Also linking to Californian Girl Kindra who is hosting February’s Our Growing Edge.