mix, mix… stir, stir

Thanks to Holly who writes the Phemomenon blog, and is a fellow Tuesdays with Dorie Baker, I got a hankering to make doughnuts. She used the Real Butterscotch Pudding we made for last week’s Tuesdays with Dorie baking assignment to make pudding filled doughnuts! When I saw that, I knew what we would be eating Christmas morning.

photo by David Peterman

The recipe for the doughnuts is from Peanut Butter and Julie and was quite a success, having never made doughnuts before. I didn’t go the cappuccino cream filled or even pudding filled route like Julie and Holly did, but basic glazed with just a hint of nutmeg in the dough. A simple sugar glaze, or sugar and spice dusting made lovely garnishes.

A few things I learned: The oil temperature required constant monitoring and adjustment, which surprised me because I used a heavy cast iron dutch oven thinking it would hold a nice constant temperature. It could be that I was over correcting with the heat adjustments and had I gotten it to settle in at 375 degrees F with the proper amount of flame, it would have stayed right there.  Also, doughnut holes cook best when turned frequently rather than cooking one side at a time. I found that as the first side cooked a large air pocket formed on the top making them virtually impossible to turn over. By keeping them turning, the expansion was more evenly distributed, making it possible to cook all sides to a nice golden brown. Lastly, after deep-frying just plan to change your clothes and wash your hair.

After feasting on the doughy-sugary delights we did head straight to the gym, which sounds more neurotic than it really was, but I did find it rather funny. Our gym happened to be open on Christmas and we, along with many other people I will point out, were just enjoying the luxury of working out with no pressing time commitments for the day. Who knows, homemade doughnuts and going to the gym could become a new holiday tradition.

Basic Sugar Glaze
Place 1 cup of powdered sugar in a small, shallow bowl and whisk in 1 tablespoon of hot milk. Add one teaspoon of vanilla and additional hot milk by the teaspoon until the glaze is nicely thinned. Dip the doughnuts in the glaze while they are still hot.

Spiced Sugar Coating
This is rather free-form and can be adapted to the spices you have on hand. The reason this isn’t a cinnamon and sugar coating is I had no cinnamon. I actually like the mixed spices better than straight cinnamon and sugar, so it worked out well.

To 1/2 cup of granulated sugar add 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice, and 1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg. I tossed in two pinches of ground pink peppercorns as well. Mix to combine. I used a bowl with a fitted lid so I could place the doughnut in and just give it a shake to coat.

This week’s Tuesday’s With Dorie activity of baking Pumpkin Muffins led to a pancake and cranberry maple syrup creation all because the grocery store only had large cans of pumpkin. Leftovers generate such creativity!

photo by David Peterman

Muffins first. Dorie’s recipe for pumpkin muffins in Baking: From My Home to Yours, is very good. As usual, my taste preferences drove me to fiddle with it a bit. I substituted half the all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour, which is a very finely ground flour made from soft wheat that has a low protein level and thus has less gluten forming ability, which results in tender baked goods. Whole wheat pastry flour is a great way to add a touch of whole wheat goodness while avoiding the heavy dense texture that can result with some whole wheat baked goods.

Protein content in flour
Low protein flour is sold as pastry flour or cake flour and is a good choice when baking goods where tenderness is the goal, for example, biscuits, muffins, cakes, and pie crusts. Often a combination of all-purpose flour and pastry flour works nicely. On the other end of the spectrum is bread flour which is high in protein and great for forming the strong gluten bonds necessary for bread to rise and hold its shape. The tricky element is the protein content of flour ranges depending on where the wheat is grown. In the southern region of the U.S, all-purpose flour has much lower protein content than flour in other parts of the country. National brands of all-purpose flour have a protein content of 11-12, but all-purpose flour in the South, such as White Lily brand, has a protein content of only 8-9. Pastry flour generally has a protein level of 8-9 with cake flour at 7-8.  Whole wheat pastry flour has a protein content of 9 vs. anywhere from 11-15 for whole wheat flour. Just for reference, bread flour is in the 12-13 range. So if a recipe works great at home, but bombs when making the same recipe while visiting a different part of the country, it could be the flour, not you!

Ref: McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking. New York, Scribner, 2004.
Corriher, Shirley. CookWise. New York, HarperCollins, 1997.
Wing, Daniel and Alan Scott. The Bread Builders Hearth Loaves and Masonry Ovens. White River Jct., VT, Chelsea Green, 1999.

I added half a cup of fresh cranberries because I had them on hand, and cranberries with pumpkin, well, you just can’t go wrong. Dorie suggests topping the muffins with sunflower seeds, but I stayed true to the pumpkin theme and when with pumpkin seeds (pepitas) then gilded the lily with a sprinkling of ginger sugar to add a nice crunch to the top. I increased the amount of salt to 1/2 tsp. from 1/4, which just didn’t seem like enough for the volume of batter and all the other spices. There were many comments in the group that the 400 degree F oven temperature was too hot; I choose to bake at 350 degrees F with a convection fan, and my muffins baked beautifully in about 22 minutes.

Overall, I love the results. They are flavorful, tender, and most importantly, not greasy. The cranberries add a nice tart zing and great color. A big thank you to Kelly of Sounding My Barbaric Gulp for selecting a recipe to get us all in the mood for fall and one that inspired some great pancake improvisation - read on…

photo by David Peterman

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cranberry Maple Syrup

These deliciously dressed up pancakes are the result of leftover pumpkin after making pumpkin muffins. The Cranberry Maple Syrup walks the line between a beautiful jam and syrup, with the whole cranberries offering textural interest and the perfect tartness to play against the sweet maple syrup. The pecans in the pancakes blend seamlessly with the syrup, like a perfect match. This would be a very festive start to Thanksgiving or Christmas day. Leftover pancakes freeze well and reheat nicely in the toaster for a quick mid-week breakfast. 

Makes about 10 six-inch pancakes.

Cranberry Maple Syrup
1 cup whole cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp. dark rum or bourbon
zest of one orange
2 star anise pods, or a cinnamon stick

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the cranberries begin to pop, cook at a low boil for 5 minutes stirring and mashing the berries occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside. When ready to serve, remove the star anise pods or cinnamon stick and re-warm if necessary.

Pumpkin Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger powder
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. clove
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Preheat griddle to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices, and nuts. Mix well to incorporate the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, pumpkin, and melted butter. Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and stir just enough to combine. A few lumps and dusty spots are better than over mixed batter.

Ladle batter onto hot oiled griddle or frying pan and cook until golden brown on both sides. Serve with Cranberry Maple Syrup.