My annual attempt at making doughnuts

Mashed Potato Doughnuts
Taste of Home Baking Classics Copyright 2008


1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 cup warm buttermilk (110° to 115°)
1-1/2 cups warm mashed potatoes (without added milk and butter)
3 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 cups sugar, divided
4 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 cups all-purpose flour
Oil for deep-fat frying
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm buttermilk. Add the potatoes, eggs and butter. Add 2 cups sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Do not knead. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Turn onto a floured surface; divide into fourths. Roll each portion to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. doughnut cutter.

In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon; roll doughnuts in cinnamon-sugar while warm.

Yield: about 2 dozen.
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I traditionally make doughnuts for my coworkers on the Tuesday before Lent. This year I mixed up this dough after work on Monday and then went to lie down while it spent the 2 hours it required in the fridge. I never got up. I was down for the count. The next evening, when I felt a bit better, I did roll out the dough and made about 20 doughnuts before tossing more than half the dough. I'm perplexed about that since the recipe is only supposed to make 2 dozen and I probably could have made more than double that but I didn't need all of those doughnuts.

These weren't bad. I made them the night before I brought them to work so they lost their crispness by then, but they had nice flavor. I had to add a LOT of extra flour to the recipe and the dough sat that extra day so I'm not sure if these turned out like they were supposed to but they definitely weren't my worst doughnut attempt. My coworkers liked them.

I'm feeling better now but I'm still pressed for time the rest of the week so we'll see how it goes.

Question of the Week: Did you do anything to celebrate the Tuesday before Lent? Did you eat pancakes? Doughnuts?