Okay, so I got this craving for something sweet and fried the other day, you know? And donut holes, specifically the powder sugar kind, just popped into my head. Had to make them. Let me walk you through how it went down in my kitchen.
Getting Started
First things first, I rummaged through my pantry and fridge. Needed the basics. I grabbed:
- Flour, the all-purpose kind.
- Sugar, just regular white sugar for the dough.
- Baking powder, gotta make ’em rise.
- A pinch of salt.
- Some nutmeg, ’cause donuts need that warm spice, right?
- An egg.
- Milk.
- Melted butter. A little fat makes everything better.
- And of course, a big bowl of powdered sugar for the coating later.
Pretty standard stuff, luckily I had everything. Didn’t need to run to the store, which was a huge plus.
Mixing It Up
Alright, mixing time. I dumped all the dry stuff – flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg – into a big bowl. Gave it a quick whisk, just to combine everything evenly. You don’t want clumps of baking powder in one bite, trust me.
In another smaller bowl, I whisked the egg, then poured in the milk and the melted butter. Mixed that wet stuff together. Then, I poured the wet mixture into the dry ingredients bowl. I stirred it all together with a wooden spoon. The key is not to overmix. Seriously, just mix until it comes together. The dough was pretty soft, a bit sticky, which is exactly what you want.
Frying Time!
This is where the magic happens, but also where you gotta be careful. I poured vegetable oil into my heavy-bottomed pot – enough to let the donut holes float, maybe about 3 inches deep. Turned on the heat to medium. Getting the oil temperature right is crucial. I don’t have a fancy thermometer, so I did the old wooden spoon trick: stick the handle in, if little bubbles form around it steadily, it’s probably ready. Or drop a tiny bit of dough in; it should sizzle and float up.
Okay, oil’s hot. I used two spoons to drop little blobs of dough into the hot oil. Didn’t want to overcrowd the pot, so I did it in batches. They puffed up almost immediately! It was pretty cool to watch. I turned them gently with a slotted spoon so they got golden brown all over. Took maybe 2-3 minutes per batch? You just gotta watch them, they cook fast.
Once they looked perfectly golden and cooked through, I fished them out with the slotted spoon, letting the excess oil drip off back into the pot. Then I put them on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up any extra grease.
The Sweet Finish
While they were still warm – this is important, the sugar sticks better when they’re warm – I dumped a few donut holes at a time into the bowl of powdered sugar. Gave the bowl a good shake and tumble until they were completely coated in that sweet white dust. Made a bit of a mess, powdered sugar everywhere, but totally worth it.
And that was pretty much it. Stacked ’em up on a plate. They looked just like the ones you get at the shop! Popped one in my mouth straight away. Warm, soft, sweet… oh man, so good. Definitely hit the spot. Making them yourself is just satisfying, you know?
