Homemade Doughnuts and Doughnut Holes

I wouldn’t be a true Canadian if I didn’t have a hankering for doughnuts. Between Tim Hortons and Dunkin Donuts, I was practically weaned on these caloric concoctions, and it was likely one of my first words. They are the ultimate comfort food, whether accompanying a hot cup of coffee and crossword puzzle on a lazy weekend morning, or savouring a bag-ful at an outdoor market in the summertime, fingers coated in cinnamon sugar. Mini carnival doughnuts are the most lethal and underestimated of the doughnut genus, as their diminutive size confounds the stomach –  the hand bypasses the brain on its way to grab another and the bag is empty before the brain finally catches wind of the ploy. When my mom sees a mini doughnut stand at the Saturday Saltspring Island Market, she’ll buy a dozen, quickly eat one, then shove the bag towards me with an emphatic “Get them away from me!”

After I made these at home one morning before work, I sampled one doughnut hole still warm, and immediately swallowed 3 more without chewing. My willpower is not strong enough. But who can resist a dessert that can also be eaten as breakfast? I wouldn’t recommend keeping leftovers at home, unless you’re planning on running a marathon in the days ahead. I brought a tupperware container to work and handed doughnuts out in meetings throughout the day, keeping them at the opposite end of the table from me. Enjoy!

(Makes approximately 20 doughnut holes)

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 egg, whisked

1/2 cup milk

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 tsp salt

3/4 cup Canola Oil (for frying)

For coating:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

or

1/4 cup granulated sugar and

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Lightly whisk together the egg, milk, sugar and oil in a large bowl. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt to the egg mixture. Stir until well mixed.

2. Heat the oil in a saucepan for frying. Prepare two shallows dishes, one with a sheet of paper towel and one with the sugar coating. I used two separate sugar coatings: one with icing sugar, the other with granulated sugar and cinnamon. They were both equally delicious.

3. Once the oil is hot, carefully drop batter by the tablespoon into the oil, if making doughnut holes. If making mini round doughnuts, roll a tablespoon and a half of dough between your hands, attach the two ends of the roll together into a ring shape, then carefully drop this into the oil.

If making mini round doughnuts, shape the dough into a ring

4. Remove with a slotted spoon when browned on all sides, about 4-5 minutes. You may have to play around with the time a little, depending on the size of your doughnut holes. If larger, you may need to fry for an additional minute to make sure the insides are cooked.

Fry for 4 to 5 minutes, or until all sides are nicely browned

5. Drain the doughnuts on a paper towel, patting all sides. Roll doughnuts or doughnut holes in powdered or granulated sugar while still warm. Serve warm or cooled. Make sure to properly store any leftovers in a tupperware container or in saran wrap and they should last you for 4 days or so before starting to go stale.

Drain on a paper towel and pat dry

Roll the still warm doughnut on the sugar coating