Categories: BreakfastChocolateDonuts

Another year older and Donuts to celebrate

So well, with a very heavy heart, I have to break this news that I turned 29 last week. A year short of the big three-O. The past couple of years celebrating my birthday just hasn’t been my thing. This year even more so and no its not the age thing. I am pretty comfortable with getting old. Getting grey hair, THAT I am not comfortable with.

Age is just a number and I have realized that as I am growing older I have become more fun to be with. Or so I would like to think. But honestly, I was a really reserved girl growing up. Would not talk, would be very shy, kept to myself most of the time. I am still most of all that, but yes I have loosened up a bit over the years.

I also feel its never too late to do anything, but yes with age certain things do take a lot more effort, and the things on my bucket list (I love pinterest to keep a track of these things) need to be crossed off as soon as possible. I did cross off cake decorating this year from my bucket list. 🙂 So I have made some progress on crossing things off my list, and I am not worried about that either.

So its definitely not the time is running out thing.

My birthday has always been a time of family gathering and everyone being around.

When we were kids, my aunt’s family and my family would get together at my grandparents’ place each year during winter holidays and each day would be a celebration. The celebrations would begin with my cousin’s birthday on 23rd December, followed by his parents’ anniversary on the 25th. 26th we would celebrate my parents anniversary, followed by my birthday on the 27th. Fast forward a few years, and we added another date to the December calendar with my brother’s anniversary falling on the 28th. Having everybody together and celebrating each other’s big day was what made my birthday fun.

Being miles away from friends and family is not the same.

But then I do have the sweetest friends here. I still can not believe my friend remembered something I had said months back in passing and got me that for my birthday. She also made sure that I did not stay home and do nothing all day, and took me out for a couple of drinks. Then I have a husband who brought me pretty flowers to cheer me up and wanted to take me out, but understood when I refused and brought dinner home to me :).

And even though they are not here with me, my friends and family made feel more special by sending their wishes through calls and messages. So by 27th night, it did end up feeling a lot like my birthday.

As for the cake, this birthday I decided I won’t do any.

I have been craving homemade donuts for the longest time and decided thats what I wanted to do for my birthday. Treat myself to some homemade donuts. But not all went as planned. For some reason the whole process of making them while I wasn’t at par with being my healthy fit self just put me off the donuts. I was almost not going to share this recipe with you.

And then a little later I ended up eating 4.

One after the other.

So here it is. The recipe. 🙂

YEAST RAISED DONUTS

Author: Shumaila

Serves: 18

Ingredients

For the donuts (recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm milk, plus 1 cup lukewarm milk
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening/butter, melted
pinch nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour (I used about 4 1/2 cups)
Vegetable oil, for frying
For the chocolate glaze (recipe adapted from Alton Brown)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup whole milk, warmed
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Instructions

In a bowl, sprinkle the yeast over 1/2 cup milk, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk,vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, or stirring with a wooden spoon. Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, and cover. Set in a warm place to rise until double. It should take about an hour or so depending on the weather. Dough is ready if you touch it, and the indention remains.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter, or use different size round cookie cutters. Let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double. Cover loosely with a cloth. I let the doughnuts rise on square pieces of individual parchment paper. its easier to slide them off into the oil this way.
Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large heavy skillet to 325 degrees F. Slide doughnuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack.
Combine butter, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla in medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Decrease the heat to low, add the chocolate, and whisk until melted. Turn off heat, add the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Place the mixture over a bowl of warm water and dip the doughnuts immediately. Allow glaze to set for 30 minutes before serving.

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