{Book Review} 150 Best Donut Recipes

What could be better than homemade donuts? Topped with a chocolate glaze or simply rolled in cinnamon, fresh homemade donuts are impossible to resist. Whatever your preference — the fluffy yeast style or the denser cake variety — donuts are fun and surprisingly easy to make at home. You know you’re using quality ingredients when you make your own donuts, and the freshness certainly can’t be beat! This collection of delicious recipes features a wide variety of choices. You’ll find recipes for raised donuts (made with yeast), cake-based donuts, baked donuts, holiday donuts and one-bite donuts, and dozens of recipes for toppings, glazes and fillings. Everything you need to know to make gourmet donuts at home can be found in these pages.

French Crullers

1 cup water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Canola oil

• Pastry bag fitted with large star tip
• parchment paper, cut into 4-inch squares
• Digital candy/deep-fry thermometer

Makes about 12 donuts

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring water, sugar, shortening, and salt to a roiling boil. Add flour all at once, mixing with a wooden spoon and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand to cool, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
2. Place parchment paper squares on a backing sheet. Place batter into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe dough into 3-inch "rings" onto the parchment paper squares.
3. Meanwhile, in a large, deep pot or deep fryer, heat about 4 inches oil over medium heat until temperature registers 375F. Carefully place a paper square with the piped batter upside down onto the hot oil so that the crullers will drop into the oil. When donut releases from the paper, use tongs to remove paper carefully. Deep-fry 3 donuts at a time, turning once with wooden chopsticks, until golden brown, about 15 seconds per side. Using a slotted spatula, transfer to paper towels to absorb excess oil. Fry remaining donuts, adjusting heat as necessary between batches to maintain oil temperature.
4. Let donuts cool completely prior to icing with simple sugar glaze or milk chocolate glaze. 

George Geary, a former pastry chef for the Walt Disney Company, brings humor, energy and experience to everything he does, whether it be a cooking class, a demonstration or an appearance. in many cases, the certified culinary professional also brings dessert!

248 pages total • 7" x 10"
24 color photo pages • Step-by-step photographs
Index
ISBN 978-0-7788-0411-6
$24.95 CA / $24.95 US / £16.95 UK
Publication date: October 2012

*I was not compensated for this review, but received a copy of the book for my personal review.