Mad about Doughnuts

Who doesn’t love Doughnuts? Now, you will love them more with a simple sugar syrup and a hint of cardamom glaze.

My all time favorite? Doughnuts. Yup, can’t get enough of them and I simply love it with a hot cup of coffee. Who doesn’t love them? Making them is even more fun. Getting a good dough is the key here and you have an option of baking them or frying in oil.

Ingredients

• 1-1/8 cup Whole Milk, Warm
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 2-1/4 teaspoons (one Package) Instant Or Active Dry Yeast
• 2 whole Large Eggs, Beaten
• 1-1/4 stick Unsalted Butter, melted
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• Glaze (a simple sugar syrup with a hint of cardamom)
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• a bit of water to submerge the sugar
• dash of cardamom
• Oil to fry

Instructions

1. Heat the milk till it is warm (not hot).
2. Add sugar to milk and stir till it is completely dissolved.
3. In a small cup add yeast and pour milk/sugar mixture over yeast. Stir gently, then allow it to froth for 10 minutes.
4. Add beaten eggs to melted butter, stirring constantly till it is completely incorporated.
5. Pour in the yeast mixture to the butter & egg mixture, whisking it constantly till it is thoroughly combined.
6. Slowly, start adding flour to the above mixture and whisk it constantly.
7. For 10 minutes, keep mixing the flour till it starts coming together.
8. If the dough is a bit sticky, add a bit of flour.
9. Gently knead it on a lightly floured surface till you get a good springy dough.
10. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to sit for half an hour. Then, transfer the dough to a fridge.
11. Refrigerate dough for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

To Make the Doughnuts

1. Remove bowl from fridge and turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface.
2. Roll out to 1/4 to 1/3-inch thickness.
3. Using a 3-inch cutter, or a glass, cut as many rounds as you can, then roll out remaining dough and repeat the cutting process.
4. Cut holes out of each round using a 1 1/2-inch cutter or a small bottle cap (that’s what I used).
5. Place both doughnuts and holes on a floured baking sheet.
6. Cover with large tea towel and place in a warm place.
7. Allow doughnuts to rise undisturbed for at least an hour.
8. Doughnuts should be visibly puffier and appear to be airy.

To Fry the Doughnuts:

1. Heat oil (i used regular sunflower oil) in a pot.
2. The oil should not be too hot- otherwise it will burn the doughnuts.
3. One to two at a time, gently pick the doughnuts and slide them in hot oil. Allow them to cook 1 minute on each side; they will brown very quickly.
4. Remove doughnuts from the oil and place it on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
5. Fry the remaining doughnuts and holes. The holes will cook more quickly than the doughnuts; about 30 seconds per side.
6. Allow doughnuts to slightly cool.

To Glaze/coat

1. In a small pan, add sugar with a bit of water and dash of cardamom powder (water level should just be enough to submerge the sugar, don’t add too much)
2. Put it on a medium flame and allow the sugar to dissolve and infuse with the cardamom.
3. As the liquid starts to get to a thick consistency (with sugar completely melted and caramelized) , turn off the flame and set it aside.
4. One by one, brush the doughnuts with the sugar syrup.
5. If you want an extra sugar rush, dip them in a cinnamon sugar (cinnamon + granulated sugar mix)
6. Serve warm if possible, or room temperature.

Cardamom & Cinnamon Swirl bread...

The ambience was perfect for baking. I had the whole house to myself & I had all the ingredients in my kitchen cabinet. My buddy, the radio was belting out good songs. I am on a baking spree these days and I can’t complaint. This bread is special because, it includes my two favorite C’s- Cardamom and Cinnamon. Oh boy, the smell that wafts all around the house, just spikes up your spirit! This one is a winner :)

Phew, preparation time is long. And you have to be patient while the yeast does the trick. If you are an impatient soul like me, it becomes tough. Trust me, all the patience is rewarded with a sensational and aromatic bread :)

Ingredients

• 1 cup Milk
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 2-1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 3-1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 11/2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• 1/2 Tablespoon Cardamom
• Egg And Milk, Mixed Together, For Brushing
• Softened Butter, For Smearing And Greasing

Instructions

1. Step 1 will be to awaken your sleeping yeast. Mix yeast and 1/4 tsp of sugar in a bowl with 2-3 tbsp of warm water. Set it aside for five minutes for the yeast to froth.
2. Melt butter with milk. Heat until very warm, but don’t boil. Allow to cool until still warm to the touch, but not hot.
3. Since I used salted butter, I haven’t used any salt separately for the dough.
4. In a bowl beat sugar and eggs until combined. Pour in milk/butter/yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the flour, bit by bit and knead until combined.
5. If dough is very sticky, add 1/4 cup flour and knead for 5 minutes.
6. Once the dough is done, place it in a bowl and set it in a warm, hospitable place for an hour.
7. The dough should double in volume after an hour.
8. Once the dough is doubled, punch out the air and gently knead it on a work surface.
9. with the help of a rolling pin, roll the dough in a rectangle (ensure it is not too wide to put in the baking pan).
10. Spread some butter on the dough.
11. Mix sugar, cardamom and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over the butter-smeared dough. Starting at the far end, roll dough toward you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seam to seal.
12. Spread the baking pan with softened butter. Place dough, seam down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 45 minutes.
13. Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius.
14. Mix a little egg with milk, and brush over the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven.
15. Remove from the pan and allow bread to cool. Slice and serve with a cuppa steaming coffee- bliss!

Apple & Cinnamon rolls

My baking story begins in a super market- I spot a big sale on apples and buy them without thinking. The burden of impulsive purchase lies heavily on my heart and I try to eat my apples everyday. So, here I am, eating apples in the morning, noon and night- Now, I am sick and tired of eating them. After a week of indulging in apples, I don't even want to look at them. Luckily, there are only three apples left and I don't feel like eating them anymore. They are sitting on my table in a bowl and glaring at me...Finally, I am thinking of using them in a pie? cake? - Guess what happened to my apples??

Viola, Apple Cinnamon rolls-

Ingredients- (for the base)


2 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup raisin
1/2 cup milk (warm)
1/4 cup warm honey
1/4 cup melted butter
1 egg
2 1/2 tsp yeast

Ingredients- (for the filling)

1 cup chopped apples (chopped to tiny bits)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds- can use walnuts/pecan nuts)
1/2 tsp cardamom 

Preparation- dough

In a bowl, dissolve yeast in milk, honey and melted butter. Set it aside for five minutes. In another bowl, mix salt and raisins with flour. Pour in the yeast liquid with egg. Slowly, start kneading the flour- Dump the contents on a lightly floured surface and patiently work on the flour for 10 to 15 minutes. Once kneaded, the flour should be smooth and silky. Place it in a greased bowl and cover it with a damp tea towel. Allow the dough to raise for an hour.

Preparation- filling

In a bowl, mix apples with cinnamon, cardamom, butter, sugar and nuts. Blend well and keep it aside.

Final preparation- 

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch out the air and knead it gently on a lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, start rolling out the dough into a flat square. Brush melted butter on the dough. Dump the apple filling in middle and spread it gently on the dough (all around the flat square). Start rolling the dough along the long edge till it is completely rolled up into a big log. You have to do it gently and ensure that the apple filling does not fall out. Slice the dough into equal sized pieces and place it on a baking tray. Cover it with a damp cloth and allow it to raise for 15-20 minutes. Give it a quick egg wash (egg beaten with milk or water). Bake them in a preheated oven @ 175 degree celsius till golden brown. Enjoy!

House smells of cinnamon- Cinnamon rolls

One ingredient that is versatile is cinnamon. I love cinnamon flavor in almost everything- You can add in gravies, rice recipes and of course my favorite cinnamon rolls- ah, I could kill for a cup of steaming coffee and cinnamon roll. Here's my batch of home made cinnamon rolls- Enjoy!

Ingredients-

1 pkt active dry yeast (7 gm)
3/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

For the filling-

1/4 cup softened butter
1 big tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar

Preparation-

In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast, milk, sugar, salt, egg and one cup of flour. Stir the ingredients well. Add the remaining flour and knead it to a smooth dough. Store it in a bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Allow the dough to raise and double in size (should take an hour).

For the filling, combine butter, cinnamon and brown sugar to a good paste. Once the dough has risen, roll it on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Smear some butter on the flattened dough. Spread the filling on the dough. Roll it up along the long edge till it forms a one big roll. Slice the roll into equal sized pieces and place it on a baking tray. Cover it with a damp cloth and allow it to raise for 10-15 minutes. Give it a quick egg wash (egg combined with milk). Pre heat the oven to 200 degree Celsius and bake the rolls for 15 to 20 minutes till golden brown. Give enough space for the rolls to rise when baking it in the oven. Once baked, serve it hot with steaming cup of coffee!