I must be honest, the main thing that I like about making homemade donuts, is really only eating homemade donuts. I had
to try quite a few recipes and techniques before I found one that worked. Also yeast is a b*tch, %&!@# yeast.
You might be wondering why I would
subject myself to this if I don't enjoy it and the answer is very simple - patience (well also donuts). Yes, I hate
yeast and sometimes baking because I have a serious issue with being patient. They both require a lot of waiting and a lot of rules.
Certain activities like baking or yoga
for example can be much like a mirror and give you a good peek at yourself. I know I am impatient without those activities, but
they tend to punctuate the big ones.
Now I am not in general, impatient, it IS selective; somehow for my sweet little 9 month old (no matter the state),
I seem to have infinite patience for him (at least now), but put me in rush hour traffic, be overbearing or pushy towards me, or
waste my time and you will not like what you see...I sure don't at least. So I make myself do these things as a way to learn
patience and yes also to eat donuts hehehe.
So back to these lovely Bismarck donuts, I have a few lessons learned to share. Yeast, just buy it new (if anything for a backup) and after you open it, keep it in
the fridge. Yeast is the most important ingredient here so when you start the recipe if it doesn't foam up, it's bad - toss it and find
new yeast. Let the dough rise the full amount of time. I always fall into the trap of - "eh, good enough" and I always regret it.
Donuts are really only good for the day you make them. Making them too far in advance is not a good idea unfortunately - another thing
I dislike about them - they are certainly edible, just not something you might be as proud to present. Also, a good donut will have a lighter golden
ring around the center after you have fried both sides - it just usually indicates that the donut has risen and there is enough air, so one side won't
be flat. As for filling the donuts with custard or cream, spring for the long "filling" specific tip - it is worth it.
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Moments (Week in Review)
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Somehow it is October, so it seems fitting to share one of my favorites, by possibly my favorite:
October
By Robert Frost
O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—
For the grapes’ sake along the wall.