Doughnuttery + Other Summer Adventures In My Kitchen
Hi, friends!
I have a feeling this post will be all over the place.
There are so many food adventures and new recipes I'd like to share with you.
I really should split this into more than one post, but time is short these days for blogging --
too much sunshine, pool time, and summery things going on.
So, where to begin....
About 4-5 month ago we made a pretty big shift in how we eat after
discovering Andrew was "sensitive" to certain chemical additives.
discovering Andrew was "sensitive" to certain chemical additives.
As a family we eliminated all artificial colors and artificial flavors - completely.
As well as certain "worst offender" preservatives like BHA, BHT, TBHQ.
Zip, Zap, Boom, Bah, - ALL GONE
I'm not going to blog about all the details,
but the reality is more money spent on groceries,
more time spent in the kitchen, and we eat out less.
Is it worth it? Yes.
Is it for everyone? No.
Should you feel bad if your children are eating
goldfish crackers or skittles as you read this? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Do I feel better eating all natural food? Healthwise, not one itty bitty bit.
I feel exactly the same,
but it makes a big difference for my child
and as mothers we all know how much that means
and the lengths we will go to make life better and happier for them.
That brings me to doughnuts....
That brings me to doughnuts....
There are a few things Andrew really "misses" from the old days.
One is doughnuts.
In the summer we'd all ride our bikes to Graeters for a doughnut
after swim practice on Friday mornings.
after swim practice on Friday mornings.
Unfortunately, their ingredients didn't make the cut,
and thus began my search for an easy "homemade" doughnut.
and thus began my search for an easy "homemade" doughnut.
Afterall, I kind of liked doughnut Fridays too. A lot.
I tried both cake and yeast doughnuts.
In several varieties:
Cinnamon Sugar + Chocolate + Banana Chocolate
They were the perfect rainy day food project and we had MANY rainy days in June.
They were the perfect rainy day food project and we had MANY rainy days in June.
The winning recipe is this one:
Cake Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze
(recipe at end of the post)
(recipe at end of the post)
I'm grateful the yeast ones weren't a huge hit.
They were messy and too time consuming.
Too fiddly for my liking.
And cleaning a deep fryer is, well, gross.
I do have another yeast doughnut recipe in my queue though, without banana.
They were messy and too time consuming.
Too fiddly for my liking.
And cleaning a deep fryer is, well, gross.
I do have another yeast doughnut recipe in my queue though, without banana.
Next up on the request list was soft pretzels....
My first effort was with an Auntie Ann's copycat recipe and it was a total failure.
Then this weekend I gave this recipe a try.
Holy pretzel making!! These are UNBELIEVABLE!!
(sorry, phone picture here)
Holy pretzel making!! These are UNBELIEVABLE!!
I followed the recipe to a T and they came out better than I expected.
Except I ended up with 9 instead of 8. No complaining!
I will make these monthly.
They are so, so, soooooo incredibly good.
Doughy, fluffy, light, salty.
Better than anything you could ever buy.
They take about 2 hours to make, an hour of which is time for the dough to rise.
I made them on Sunday while C napped.
I prepped dinner while the dough was rising.
There were too many dirty dishes in my tiny kitchen
and I vowed next time the pretzels would be dinner.
Seriously, dipped in melted cheese or tomato sauce with a few raw veggies on the side.
That works for me.
Except I ended up with 9 instead of 8. No complaining!
I will make these monthly.
They are so, so, soooooo incredibly good.
Doughy, fluffy, light, salty.
Better than anything you could ever buy.
They take about 2 hours to make, an hour of which is time for the dough to rise.
I made them on Sunday while C napped.
I prepped dinner while the dough was rising.
There were too many dirty dishes in my tiny kitchen
and I vowed next time the pretzels would be dinner.
Seriously, dipped in melted cheese or tomato sauce with a few raw veggies on the side.
That works for me.
Ok, I have one more recipe to share, but I'm going to save it.
It is the best thing I've made all summer.
It's from Ina (of course) and it doesn't involve yeast or deep fryers.
(PS. If you want to read more details about our diet,
my friend Linsey wrote an excellent post about it here.)
Cake Doughnuts
2 C cake flour, sifted
1/4 C granulated sugar
2 t baking powder
small pinch of nutmeg
1 t salt
3/4 C buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 T butter, melted
Preheat oven to 425.
Spray doughnut pan with cooking spray
In mixing bowl combine all ingredients, beat until combined.
Fill each doughnut cup 2/3 full.
Bake 7-9 min.
Let cool in pan for 5 min. before removing
Chocolate Glaze
In microwave bowl combine 1/2 c semisweet choc. chips, 1/4 c whipping cream, 2 T butter
microwave 1 min. stir, microwave 30 sec more,
whisk in 3/4 c powdered sugar until smooth and 2 tsp light corn syrup
It is the best thing I've made all summer.
It's from Ina (of course) and it doesn't involve yeast or deep fryers.
(PS. If you want to read more details about our diet,
my friend Linsey wrote an excellent post about it here.)
Cake Doughnuts
2 C cake flour, sifted
1/4 C granulated sugar
2 t baking powder
small pinch of nutmeg
1 t salt
3/4 C buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 T butter, melted
Preheat oven to 425.
Spray doughnut pan with cooking spray
In mixing bowl combine all ingredients, beat until combined.
Fill each doughnut cup 2/3 full.
Bake 7-9 min.
Let cool in pan for 5 min. before removing
Chocolate Glaze
In microwave bowl combine 1/2 c semisweet choc. chips, 1/4 c whipping cream, 2 T butter
microwave 1 min. stir, microwave 30 sec more,
whisk in 3/4 c powdered sugar until smooth and 2 tsp light corn syrup