Conference turris::cooks

    
    I think the following two recipes may be what you're looking
    for.  Both are from a cookbook entitled "The Culinary Arts Institute
    Encyclopedic Cookbook".  The first one will make doughnuts with
    the holes while the second is for those "puffy" ones filled with
    jelly.
    
    			Doughnuts
    
    1 cup sugar
    2 tablespoons melted shortening
    2 eggs
    4 cups sifted flour
    4 teaspoons baking powder
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
    1 cup milk
    
    Beat eggs until light.  Add sugar gradually, beating well.  Blend
    in shortening.  Sift dry ingredients together and add alternately
    with milk to sugar mixture.  Roll 1/4 inch thick on floured board.
    Cut with donghnut cutter and fry a few at a time in hot deep fat
    (360 degrees), turning once.  Drain on absorbent paper.  Makes
    about 24.  HINT - instead of a doughnut cutter I use a large mouth
    drinking glass and a shot glass for the inside hole.  Also you can
    sprinkle with sugar as they are cooling.
    
    			Raised Doughnuts
    
    1 1/4 cups milk, scalded
    1/4 cup shortening
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 cake yeast
    5 cups sifted flour (about)
    3 eggs
    3/4 cup sugar
    1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
    1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
    1/8 teaspoon mace
    
    Combine milk, shortening and salt and cool to lukewarm.  Add crumbled
    yeast; let stand 5 minutes.  Add 2 1/2 cups sifted flour.  Beat
    until smooth.  Cover and let rise until bubbly.  Add eggs and sugar
    mixed with spices.  Mix well.  Add enough remaining flour to make
    a dough that can be kneaded.  Knead until smooth.  Cover and let
    rise until doubled in bulk.  Roll out 1/2 inch thick.  Cut or mold.
    Let rise on breadboard until doubled in bulk.  Fry a few at a time
    in hot deep fat (375 degrees) 3 minutes or until lightly browned,
    turning once.  Drain on absorbent paper.  Makes about 3 dozen
    doughnuts.  HINT - The best way I have found to get the jelly inside
    is to use a pastry bag fitted with a long thin tip.  Fill the bag
    with your favorite jelly, insert into the center of the COOLED doughnut
    and squeeze!  Although I've never been able to find one, a friend
    of mine uses a large syringe that she found at a professional cooking
    store and she says that is the best way.
    
    Enjoy!
    
    Bob

    2 tablespoons melted shortening
    
    1 1/4 cups milk, scalded
    1 cake yeast
    1/8 teaspoon mace
    
    rise until doubled in bulk.  Roll out 1/2 inch thick.  Cut or mold.
    
	Hi Bob

	Thanks for your recipes sounds great, I will try them, but
	since I`m in Italy, maybe the names are different, 
	heres a few questions:
	
	1) What is mace?
	2) What is scalded milk - when you over boil it?
	3) Cake yeast - is it in powder? Or is it a block, if so
	   how much do I put?
	4) shortening - margine, butter or what?
	5) cut or mold - do you mean that you form the dough into balls?

	Sorry about all my questions, but I`m not the greatest cook out -
	not even near it!

	Thanks again
	Francesca

    
    Francesca:
    
    Hope this helps - I've answered your questions in the same order:
    
    1)  Mace is a spice.  It is the part of a nutmeg kernel (from
        a tree known as the Myristica tree grown in the British West
    	Indies) between the outer husk and the inner shell.  Used
    	mostly in pies, gravies, and to flavor sauces.  Although it
    	has a different flavor than nutmeg, you might try nutmeg as
    	a substitute or if eliminated, may not make to much difference.
    
    2)  Scalding is to heat a liquid to the point just BELOW boiling.
    	Milk, when scalded, will form a thin skim on top.
    
    3)  This gets complicated - cake yeast is the moist yeast that
    	is usually found in the refrigerated section of the market.
    	According to a reference book I have, active dry yeast (the
    	kind in the small packets) may be used as a substitute but
    	should be softened in warmer licquid.  One packet of dry
    	yeast has the leavening power of one cake ( 3/5 oz.) yeast.
    	I'd start by using one packet.
    
    4)  Shortening is hydrogenated vegetable oil with small amounts
    	of butter and margine added.  It is white in color and semifirm.
    	In the U.S., the best selling brand is most likely Crisco. 
    	It comes in a blue can with white lettering.  DO NOT use butter
    	or margine as a substitute.  
    
    5)  Yes. you may either form the dough into balls or cut with a
    	doughnut cutter.
    
    If you need anything else, be sure to let the conference or myself
    know!  All of us encourage exchanging ideas and information!
    
    Bob
    
    P.S.  If you don't have any luck finding either the Mace or
    shortening, let me know off-line and I'll send you some from the
    U.S.  GOOD LUCK!!

    Does anyone have a good recipe for crullers?  All of the recipes that I
    have found are just regular doughnut recipes with the dough twisted
    in a long stick shape rather than a round doughnut shape.  The bakery
    in our local grocery sells "crullers" which are quite different from
    any kind of doughnut I've ever had--it's a very light, airy, egg-type
    dough (full of lots of air spaces).  Similar to a popover, maybe?? 
    (sweeter though, I think,--unless all of the sweetness comes from 
    the chocolate icing drizzled on the top).  These are twisted but in a 
    round doughnut shape.  The shape doesn't much matter to me--just the
    dough.
    
    Thanks.
    

>    Does anyone have a good recipe for crullers?  All of the recipes that I
>    have found are just regular doughnut recipes with the dough twisted
>    in a long stick shape rather than a round doughnut shape.  The bakery
>    in our local grocery sells "crullers" which are quite different from
>    any kind of doughnut I've ever had--it's a very light, airy, egg-type
>    dough (full of lots of air spaces).  Similar to a popover, maybe?? 
>    (sweeter though, I think,--unless all of the sweetness comes from 
>    the chocolate icing drizzled on the top).  These are twisted but in a 
>    round doughnut shape.  The shape doesn't much matter to me--just the
>    dough.
    
the New Orleans contingent out there must know this recipe....
you need a recipe for begnets (spelling is atrocious on this one, I'm sure) - 
you know, those light, airy fried pillows of dough that you can buy for 
breakfast in New Orleans...

However, I don't understand your reluctance to use a recipe you have...that's
all they are!  It is a form of fried bread we call "donut" in modern language.
I no longer have a recipe, but I remember the only difference was the dough
had a few extra eggs in it.

    
    	RE .0
    
    	I don't have a recipe for what you're looking for, but I know that
    	at Dunkin Donuts they have what you're describing, and they are
    	called French Crullers. You might try looking up that in some cook
    	books.   
    
    	Hope this helped....
    
    	Dina

    RE:  0
    
    Try using a recipe for cream puff pastry.  You may have to experiment 
    with the cooking piece, but they are both egg based pastries (one is
    baked, one is fried).  Good luck and let us know how it came out!
    
    dm