Pina Colada Doughnuts

Happy National Doughnut Day friends!  And what a joyous day this is!  Now that I am out of student teaching and have my days free, which means I have more time to spend on recipes, which results in more exciting and delicious things to create!  Plus, I think it's incredibly important to pursue one's interests, and although I'm currently working part-time, I'm glad I have a little more time to devote to the things I love.

Like doughnuts.

My absolute favorite doughnut is the Entenmann's chocolate frosted doughnut.  Whenever they're 1/2 off at Shop Rite I'll always get a box.  And eat the whole thing because no one else in my house will eat doughnuts.  When I bought my box of Entenmann's this week I noticed that today is the Salvation Army's National Doughnut Day.  This day was founded to commemorate the "Doughnut Lassies" who would serve doughnuts to the soldiers during WWI.  It was a way to raise funds and awareness of what the Salvation Army was doing for soldiers and other families who have fallen on hard times.  You can read more about Doughnut Day here, as well as other things you can do to support the Salvation Army.   Something as simple as donating your clothes after a spring cleaning could do a lot of good.

For National Doughnut Day, I wanted to make a doughnut that I know people in my house would eat.  Another recipe from my "To Make" board can now be crossed off - Pina Colada Doughnuts by Cherry Tea Cakes.  It's been about 90 degrees this entire week so I thought a nice, refreshing pina colada doughnut would be perfect for today.

The last doughnuts I made were doughnut holes, mostly because I didn't have enough time was too lazy to roll and cut the doughnuts out myself.  Again, I have a lot of time on my hands, so I was looking forward to a big cooking/baking project.  And believe me, these doughnuts are so worth your time!  To be honest, the process is done in about 30 min increments, so it does not seem like a lot of effort at once.  Just make sure you plan your time out accordingly.

Scalding the milk may seem like an unnecessary step, but it does help the dough rise by denaturing the proteins that inhibit the rising process.  Science!  This is where having a candy thermometer comes in handy, as you want to heat the milk to about 180 degrees F before removing it from the heat.

Also, when you're adding the flour to the dough, you want to add the last cup in about 1/4 cup increments.  This will prevent you from adding too much flour at once, plus it makes the dough easier to mix.  You want the dough to be sticky, but not so sticky that it doesn't come off your hands.

Speaking of sticky doughnuts, I was having a lot of trouble with these when I went to put them into the oil. They were sticking to everything and lost their shape.  To combat this, pat the doughnuts down gently after they have risen the second time, and keep them in the refrigerator just until you're about to put them into the oil.  That should help them hold their shape a little better in this heat and humidity.

To transfer the doughnuts to the oil, I would lift the doughnuts up gently around the edges,

place onto my slotted spoon,

and use the spoon to transfer the doughnuts into the oil.  I didn't get sprayed with hot oil once!  Frying things is so easy it's slightly terrifying.  Like, I want to do this all of the time.

While making the glaze, don't worry if it seems a little thin; the glaze will thicken up upon standing.  And make sure you sift your powdered sugar!  It will make incorporating the sugar into the melted butter much smoother.  Top with shredded coconut and you're all set!

These donuts are delicious without the glaze, but the glaze is what really makes it a pina colada doughnut.  The outside is crispy but the inside is soft and fluffy - absolutely perfect.  This is a really special treat to have around the house or to serve at a summer party.  Plus, you can make this recipe in increments, so even though it may seem like a big project, it's much more manageable when you break it down.  The donuts are best the day you fry them, so take about 30 minutes to fry them up the day you're planning to serve them.  Happy Doughnut Day everyone!

And yes, I filed these under "breakfast."

Pina Colada Doughnuts

Yield: about 18 doughnuts

Prep time: 3 hours (including rise time)

Cook time: 3 min per doughnut

Ingredients

For the doughnuts

-     ¼ oz package yeast

-     ¼ c hot water

-     ¼ c sugar

-     ¼ c shortening

-     ½ c milk, scalded and cooled

-     ¼ c pineapple coconut juice blend

-     ½ tsp salt

-     1 egg

-     4 c flour

-     canola oil, for frying

For the glaze

-     2 tbsp butter

-     1 c powdered sugar, sifted

-     ¾ c pineapple coconut juice blend

-     Shredded coconut to garnish

Directions

Dissolve yeast in hot water.  Cream together the shortening and sugar.  Add the scalded milk, juice blend, salt, and egg.  Add the flour about 1 c at a time and incorporate completely after each addition.  For the 4^th c of flour, add the flour about ¼ c at a time and combine using a spatula or your hands if necessary.  You want the dough to be slightly sticky, but not so sticky that it doesn’t come off your hands.

Lightly oil the bowl and the surface of the dough.  Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature for about 60 minutes.   While the dough is rising, boil down the pineapple coconut juice to make the syrup for the glaze.  Keep the juice over low heat so it is barely simmering.  You want to reduce it to about ½ c, which should take about 30 min.

Turn dough onto floured surface and roll to about ½ in thick.  Cut with floured cookie cutters (I used a piping tip and a large glass…).  Place the doughnuts and doughnut holes on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper and cover.  Let rise for about 30 – 40 min. 

While the doughnuts are rising, make the glaze.  Melt the butter and remove from heat.  Stir in powdered sugar until incorporated.  Stir in the pineapple coconut syrup about 1 tbsp at a time until the glaze has reached the desired consistency (it'll thicken up when you let it sit).  Set aside.

Heat the oil in a medium sized pot to 350 degrees F.  Slide the donuts into the oil using a slotted spatula/spoon.  Fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Remove from oil and allow to dry on a plate lined with a paper towel.  Once cool enough to touch, dip the doughnuts into the glaze (you may need to reheat it) and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.  Garnish with shredded coconut.

Adapted from: Cherry Tea Cakes

Posted by Ali B at 7:59 AM