Hot homemade donuts

Is there anything better than a big, fat donut? Yes, there is: A big, fat donut you cook yourself at a breakfast tailgate. It's easy to do when you bank on your trusty old deep fryer and the time-honored wisdom of Betty Crocker. Here's how to do it.

 

You want to make the dough the night or morning before the game. After it's chilled and cut, store the uncooked donuts in single layers on plastic wrap covered with a little flour. Make sure there is flour anywhere the dough touches the plastic wrap, or it may stick.

 

    4 egg yolks or 2 whole eggs

    1 cup of sugar

    2 Tablespoons soft shortening

 

    ¾ buttermilk or sour milk

 

    3½ cups sifted flour

    2 teaspoons baking powder       

    1 teaspoon baking soda

    ½ teaspoon salt

    ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

    ½ teaspoon cinnamon

 

Chill the dough for two or more hours. Roll the dough onto a floured cutting board, to a thickness of one-third to one-half inch (we usually opt for a thicker donut). Cut out donuts with a sharp donut cutter (a carefully used knife will work in a pinch).

 

Heat oil to 375 to 390 degrees (oil that's not hot enough will create soggy, oily donuts; oil that's too hot will burn donuts on the outside). Gently place dough into hot oil. Turn donuts over as they rise to the surface and begin to show a little brown color. Fry about three more minutes. You'll quickly learn to tell by sight when the donuts are done. The should be  perfectly golden-brown color. Remove from the oil with a fry strainer or long fork

Shake the warm donuts in a brown paper bag filled with confectionary sugar.

Add one-third cup of boiling water gradually to 1 cup of confectionary sugar. Mix well. Dip warm donuts into the warm glaze.

By Kerry Byrne