Glazed Doughnuts

Wanna share a good doughnut recipe I found on allrecipes.com with you guys, especially the doughnut lovers. The doughnut itself is very soft and the glaze is crispy, I am really happy with the end product in terms of appearance, taste and texture. However, a minor adjustment I would make is to substitute the butter with shortening for the glaze. I prefer whiter colour glaze, if you do not mind the colour just follow the recipe.

Other than the crispy glaze version, I made some with blueberry jam filling, chocolate glaze, and classic cinnamon sugar coating. Hmm... both Tak and I love the crispy glazed doughnuts most, followed by the cinnamon sugar coating.

Here is the recipe submitted by Kelly on Allrecipes, it is rated 4.5 stars out of 5 stars by more than 300 people, definitely a keeper!

INGREDIENTS (makes 18 pcs):
14g active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water (40 to 46 °C)
1½ cups lukewarm milk
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
⅓ cup shortening
5 cups all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil for frying

Glaze:
1/3 cup butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons hot water or as needed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
   In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, or stirring with a wooden spoon. Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, and cover. Set in a warm place to rise until double. Dough is ready if you touch it, and the indention remains.
2. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter. Let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double. Cover loosely with a cloth.
3. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in hot water one tablespoon at a time until the icing is somewhat thin, but not watery. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large heavy skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slide doughnuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack.
5. Dip doughnuts into the glaze while still hot, and set onto wire racks to drain off excess. Keep a cookie sheet or tray under racks for easier clean up.

(updated on 8 Feb 2009)