Cake Donuts

I made cake donuts this weekend. 

First time with my new recipe. 

I'm not really a fan of cake donuts, I'm not really sure why.  Maybe because cake donuts are heavier.  Bob keeps reminding me that it's not about what I like.

Cake donuts were described to me as "donuts you can break a piece off of, you have to take bites out of raised donuts".  Interesting comparison.  I know that a lot of people like to dunk cake donuts in coffee.

But they are much easier to make.  No proofing time.  I think from start to finish we were done in about an hour.

We shared with others and they were very well received.  The vote was "superior" by the judges. 

I have some varieties of this recipe to try, but all in all it's a keeper. 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Does that sound good to you? 

It did to me. 

The recipe reminded me of pumpkin pie and it had great reviews so I was really excited to try it.

It didn't turn out the way I had hoped.  I blame it on my cinnamon roll recipe.  Since I've been making dough with that recipe, it has raised my expectations.  The Pumpkin rolls were dry and heavy.  Not light like my cinnamon rolls.  The spices were a little strong as well. 

Oh well I guess you live and learn.  I am going to try to adapt my cinnamon roll recipe to become a pumpkin roll recipe.  I think if I modify it in the right way, I won't lose the lightness of the dough but will get the pumpkin pie flavor I was hoping for.

I'll fill you in on how they turn out when I get around to making them.  Wish me luck :)

Donut Flavors

Once again I need some help.  Most of the donuts we make are donuts I like, but it's really not about what I like it's about what others like and will buy at the shop.  So this is where I need your help.

What kind of donuts do you buy?

Rings: Chocolate? glazed? nuts? coconut? sprinkles?

Bars: Maple? Chocolate?

Bear Claws: Cherry? Strawberry? with cream cheese? without?

Bismarks: Chocolate? with nuts?  custard filling?

Jelly Filled: Just the center or filled inside like a Bismark? 

Twists:  Glazed? Sugar coated?

Fritters: Apple? Cherry? Lemon?

What else?  I'm sure I've missed so many.  Please share your favorites.  I need variety.

Equipment Part II

I know that I posted before about equipment but as we were making donuts the other morning I thought I'd share what we are working towards and why.

Mixers:  This is a 20 quart mixer.  I think I'd like a 30 quart but I haven't made a final decision.

My mixer is 5 quarts.  I can make 2 1/2 pounds of dough with it.  I have to make my dough in two batches to get enough to make 4 dozen donuts.  If I do the math, with a 20 quart mixer I could make 10 pounds of dough or enough to make 8 dozen donuts.  The 30 quart would get me 15 pounds of dough or 10 dozen donuts.  Now I know I need the 30 quart for sure.

Proofers: This proofer would hold between 10-12 trays of donuts.  My rubbermade tub holds one.  If each tray holds a dozen donuts I could proof my 10 dozen donuts all at one time.  Of course it does take some time to roll them out, but it would be much faster than the way I do it now.  It takes between an hour and an hour and a half to proof my 4 dozen donuts depending on how long they need to rise.

Fryer:  This fryer can fry 2 dozen donuts at a time.  My fryers, plural because I now have two to help with my frying time, can fry 6 donuts at a time.

The last time Bob and I made donuts it took us 3 hours.  Start to finish.  4 dozen donuts.  Obviously with the right equipment we could make many more donuts in 3 hours, but right now I don't know what I would do with them.   Here are some pictures.

We made twists, rings, bear claws, bismarcks, and bars.  I thought they turned out pretty well considering we have scaled down equipment.

There's another auction in Portland in a couple of weeks.  I'm excited to go and see if they have the equipment we need.