“I’ve got an idea”, said Pete, “let’s go buy junk food!”
I know it’s a strange thing to say, but we were headed to Leichhardt Market Town and we thought it might be fun. Something different – an “end of school holidays” treat, as it were.
But…we just couldn’t do it. We really tried. We just couldn’t bring ourselves to buy anything from the takeaway food court, or lollies or biscuits from the supermarket. I did manage to pick up a packet of Kettle Chips, but only because I have a shocking weakness for crisps.
On the way back to the car, we passed the Wendy’s Donuts stand.
“What about doughnuts?”, I asked.
“Oh, I love those. Will you make some for me when we get home?”
Sigh. How could I refuse?
I wrote a tutorial on making these several years ago (the recipe and instructions are here). This is the first time we’ve made them with our homegrown eggs, and the centres were a gorgeous golden yellow. Half the balls were filled with Pete’s jams, the others were left plain and simply tossed in castor sugar.
Pete ate TWELVE, and then told me he felt a bit sick.
Homemade junk food, indeed.
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Nothing like coming home to make junk food Celia. Stellar job, they look fantastic. Not sure I would be able to finish one let alone 12. I am sure Pete’s sweet/junk food tooth is satisfied for a while now.
:-) Mandy
Mandy, I hope so. He wants me to make sure everyone knows that they were only small doughnuts.. ;-)
Twelve. <> Go, Pete!
:-)
Oops, that didn’t work, let me try again:!
Twelve. ** I am not worthy ** Go, Pete!
:-)
(Using > and < probably not very clever given the whole html thing)
Twelve. Honestly. He even looked a little green around the gills afterwards. ;-)
12?! Mad. I want just two :D. They look amazing – so much lighter and fluffier than the tat you get in shops! I love them.
Nick, if you lived closer, I reckon we’d send you food parcels. All uni students need food parcels, I’ve decided. I’ve been feeding Big Boy’s mates (they’re all 19 and 20) for years. And at that age, you still have the metabolism to handle doughnuts! ;-)
I am so glad you posted this, i was just thinking today that i’d love a donut but there is no donut shop in town and the ones at the bakery are gross, thank you, i’ll be making these in the morning :) now if only I could find a low fat version lol
Lauren, there just isn’t a low fat version, BUT…you could turn half the dough into 15 doughnuts, and then bake the other half as a pain viennois (and stick chocolate into the middle of it!). :)
I went to the supermarket today for the milk and automatically bought low fat, so so long as they work they will be lower fat lol, I’m going to cook them in about 1/2 an hour so we’ll see. I tried to knead like the video showed but i think I need to watch it a few more dozen times to get the knack lol
Woohoo it works with low fat milk so now I’ve got donuts that are almost good for me lol. I’m going to try baking some and see how they go. Took a bit of fiddling to get the oil temp right so there’s 5 that are very dark but either the kids or the dogs will eat them lol, they are delish and I’m going to bed before I eat anymore!
Lauren, that is fantastic, thank you SO much for letting me know it worked, and for being so enthusiastic and trying the recipe so quickly! I suspect if you bake them they’ll just end up as sweet bread rolls, which will still be very nice, but not really doughnuts.
Once you’ve got the dough nailed, there’s a heap of stuff you can make with it – the pain viennois I mentioned above, and also these variations that I’ve tried:
You know my family actually believe that if we don’t eat doughnut on every Suday, things could go wrong in our lives :) I am gonna try your recipe soon :)
Tes, thank you – watch the Bertinet video clip, it’s really helpful and shows you exactly how to make the dough!
http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/video/2008/03/bertinet_sweetdough
Stunning, I would be in deep trouble if these were in my kitchen!! Have pinned it! c
Celi, thank you. I only make them infrequently – it must have been a couple of years since the last time. Otherwise we just make ourselves sick.. ;-)
That plateful of doughnuts is just gorgeous – the best photo I’ve seen for ages! If they tasted half as good as they look, they must have been fantastic!
Suelle, thank you – they are really delicious, it’s a great recipe. We fry them in grapeseed oil, so I wonder if that makes them virtually saturated fat free?
Wow! They look good, but sooo fattening. He is a brave man your husband:)
He’s a mad man, is what he is, Glenda. There are certain things he can’t resist – doughnuts, friands and chestnut brownies.. ;-)
Oh I did have a good laugh over this one Celia. But Pete is right, if you’re going to have junk food, have home made ;-)
Choc, thank you, I’m chuffed that you had a giggle, as I certainly did. Pete had the cutest look on his face when he asked for doughnuts, like a little boy asking for a treat.. ;-)
12 ? That is super hero portions! These look absolutely divine
Claire, I know. Not even the teenage wolves could match him in doughnut eating! ;-)
Those look sooooo good. It’s not hard to see why Pete ate twelve! I really miss Wendy’s and their hot donuts, but I’m not sure I could justify making a giant batch. Don’t suppose the dough freezes at all? *hopeful look*
Kate, I don’t think it will freeze well as a doughnut, but the dough is really versatile. So you could turn some of it into doughnuts, and use the rest to make other things. Here are some of the things we do with it (the bacon slices are particularly good):
They look amazing! Kudos to Pete for managing twelve!
Caroline, I had to hide the last three from him.. ;-)
We had fried food the other night and overdosed too!
It’s just too easy to do, isn’t it? I love fried food, it’s a terrible addiction.. ;-)
Donuts are fried food crack! Especially homemade jelly donuts/doughnuts.
I rarely make them for just that reason.
Those look fantastic, Celia- you are a food wizard(ress).
Heidi, they’re really too easy to eat! And quite easy to make, and they’re always impressive! :)
I can vouch for these doughnuts as I’ve made them from Richard’s book and they are better than any I have ever bought ready made! I was lucky enough to go on one of his courses in Bath and enjoyed it immensely, he is a charming man and a great tutor. You have reminded me to get out the book and make them again.
Jeannette, thank you for the support, nice to know others love the recipe as much as we do. Bertinet’s Dough is one of my favourite cookbooks ever. How nice to know that he’s a good guy in person too!
It takes a special man to eat 12 doughnuts, but of course, when YOU are the baker, the job to wolf them down gets a lot easier! Still, twelve is not for sissies!
Great job to both of you!
Sally, to be fair, most of the ones he ate were plain, I’m not sure even he could eat 12 jam doughnuts. ;-)
I wondered how they might be filled with custard or dulce de leche ?
Celia, yummy! My mother made what we called Carnival Doughnuts, similar to yours, jam-filled, but dusted with icing sugar instead of crystallised sugar. Mum made them for special occasions (and not) and it wasn’t uncommon for her to make them in batches of close to a hundred or more. Yum. Thank you for bringing back those memories. And LOL for Pete to eat 12 of them.
Lizzy, your mum is a star, I can’t imagine frying 100 doughnuts. It took us a bit of time just to fry up 30!
Can’t put it better than Sally did ! well done both of you.
Thanks darling. They were great fun to make!
they look amazing..there’s something about a good doughnut that speaks decadence and comfort all at once..x
Jane, thank you, there is nothing nicer than a fresh doughnut, and nothing worse than a cold stodgy one the next day. It’s one of those things that needs to be eaten straight away! :)
For anyone who cooks as well as you and Pete do complete with sourcing your own produce from your own backyard, I can understand totally that you couldn’t bring yourselves to eat anything from a food court. And why would you when you can make your own ‘junk food’. And Pete ate 12 of these??? That’s a huge accomplishment! Where’s his trophy? I have never made donuts but I’m keen to try these. I just know how over-joyed my family would be xx
Charlie, I shall tell him that you think he deserves a trophy, he will be pleased. :)
Do have a look at the Bertinet video before you make the dough – it’s quite sticky so it can be fiddly to handle. Well worth it though!
http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/video/2008/03/bertinet_sweetdough
I’m with you guys on this one, make-at-home junk food is always better (except for chips like you said – I’m addicted to tasty cheese CCs)!
Claire, cheese supreme CCs have been BANNED, because I can’t stop eating them!! :D
I’m on Sally’s team too! I don’t even think Little D could manage 12 xx
Little D? Little D? Darling, your son is 6’6″.. ;-)
Go Pete! What a compliment Celia! The food court smells tempting, but is always disappointing, no matter how hungry you are :) I so want some of these doughnuts right now- I shouldn’t read these posts before breakfast!
Becca, you are so right about all the aromas, but everything just looked oily and stodgy, and we just couldn’t find anything to buy. We have spoiled ourselves. We do manage the occasional barbeque chook, but quite infrequently…
I adore doughnuts but never buy them from the doughnut shops, too junky for me and often hard and covered in icing. But a freshly made fat doughnut rolled in sugar and from a bakery that knows what they are doing and I am sold. If I made some myself I would be with Pete many so alas they are infrequent indulgences.
Roz, I don’t even like the Krispy Kreme ones – the icing is just too sweet for me. But you’re right, these puffy fat ones are irresistible (as my husband will tell you.. ;-)).
They look delicious! I will have to give them a go. I’ve never made doughnuts at home before :)
Amber, they’re great fun! I hope you enjoy them. As I’ve been saying to others above, do check out the Bertinet video on handling the sweet dough, it’s very informative!
Now are they doughnuts or donuts? I never know..maybe it depends on where you live. Whichever way, they look scrumptious and I think Pete had the right idea going for 12..the stomach ache would’ve been worth it! :)
Chris, we say doughnuts, because ours look like dough nuts, maybe a walnut or something similar? As I said above, I had to hide the last three doughnuts from him, or he would have eaten those too! :)
12?!!!
Now that is true dedication. Clearly, he wanted you to know just how much he really appreciated your effort. What a guy. ;-)
I know, I know. Took one for the team, he did. ;-)
Home made doughnuts are a thing of beauty. We all eat way too many (it is bad doughnut etiquette to count…and publish someone else’s consumption Celia!) and send a plate around to the neighbours as well. I always plan to fill them with custard or pastry cream to replicate the crema bombolini my kids fell in love with when we went to Italy a few years ago…but we end up just rolling them in cinnamon sugar and eating them before any can be filled. Kids have a few friends coming over today so I might make a batch of these – perfect doughnut eating weather today!
SG, I’d love to know what they’re like with custard, we’ve never got around to trying that. I told Pete you were defending him. :)
Yuuuummmmm :) Frankly, I can’t blame Uncle Peter :P
…they do look that dangerously good.
Uncle Peter has a very sweet tooth. Luckily he has a metabolism that can cope with it, unlike his wife.. :D
Nothing better than homemade junk food… it’s the very best kind!
(and 12 is impressive.)
Thanks Brydie! To be fair, it was 12 over a few hours, not all in one sitting. But it was impressive nonetheless! :D
I’m having trouble reconciling the word junk with food and your photographs!! Unbelievable.. you really are the best at making all sorts of baked treats!! If only I were in your kitchen, I would have saved Pete from his stomachache (ok, I’ve had a glass of wine and I’m not even sure I spelled that word correctly.. it looks all wrong.. and somewhat blurry, lol)!! In any case, you’d better call me next time so I can give Pete a hand!!
Smidge, bring the wine, give me a little notice, and I’ll make up a batch for you.. :D
I know exactly what you mean about not being able to buy things at the food court. I find increasingly that the food on offer is so remote from the original ingredients, so processed, salty and unhealthy. Even the sandwiches! Homemade doughnuts (so glad you use that spelling!) are amazingly delicious – I think people have become disassociated with what they really taste like. The big-name brands have an aftertaste and a synthetic quality that I find abhorent (although sadly my teens don’t). Have to admit to sharing a weakness for crisps though – the hand-cooked variety like Kettle are also my favourite.
I’ve never made doughnuts but I think this weekend it will be my mission to prove that Mum’s are far better tasting than the over-rated KK! Rant over! Thanks Celia
Sally, junk food is supposed to be processed, salty and unhealthy! We just can’t seem to eat it anymore! And you’re right, can’t stand the aftertaste and the need for gallons of water afterwards. But I think if we all like really good crisps, then maybe we can argue that they must be ok? ;-)
I can’t imagine your teenagers finding anything processed which could touch on your homemade versions! And rant away, as a true kindred spirit, I give you carte blanche! x
Thank you! :)
12 doughnuts is impressive. They look delicious! Your post made me think of one of my favourite Homer Simpson quotes “Donuts, is there nothing they can’t do?”. stuck at house with no car as P took car keys to Switzerland for the day – could I even attempt with 000 flour?
Anna love, I don’t think so re the 000 flour – it is a yeast dough, so it needs some higher protein bread or bakers flour to rise? How cool is it that you guys can pop over to Switzerland for the day? :)
Give that man a gold star.
Mind you, I’m thinking could I manage 12 of those beautiful doughnuts, and I reckon I could.
Gill, Pete kept insisting that I tell everyone they were very small doughnuts – he reckons they’re only as big as the holes they punch out of commercial doughnuts. They were, of course, much bigger than that. ;-)
another recipe to try! I cannot buy junk food either and crisps for me are a no no as I will eat the whole packet all at once :)
Tandy, isn’t it funny how crisps are really the last thing we can all give up? Most junk food now makes me feel a bit queasy, but I could still eat a packet of crisps for breakfast.. ;-)
They look stunning and I want one! *stamps foot*
Oooh, don’t be cross, if I could, I’d send you some.. :)
yummy… I love them so much… Thank you dear Celia, with my love, nia
Thank you Nia! They were very yummy!
Agree with Hotlyspiced above Pete deserves a trophy, 12 at one sitting, that’s a great compliment to you. You deserve a trohpy too.
Norma, I was chuffed that he liked them so much, then worried when he ate so many, so I hid the last three.. ;-)
Celia, you’ve called up fond memories of my childhood. Once in a while we would get off the bus from school, walk in the door and smell doughnuts! My mom made the most amazing yeast doughnuts, fried in lard, dredged in cinnamon sugar. My grandfather would show up about half way through the frying, we always thought he could smell them from his house a mile away. Your’s do look like doughnut holes and everyone knows that the holes have no calories!
Liz, Pete will be delighted to know there aren’t any calories in these! It must have been wonderful to come home to those doughnuts! :)
These are my favorite all full of jam…super fantastic post.
The neighbours liked the jam ones too, although Pete preferred them plain!
:-) Pete and I had the same thing on the brain! They look delicious.
I made donuts for the first time last sunday for my nieces (who slept over) and my kids – they were in awe. Its amazing how awesome they were, stuffed with strawberry and cardamom jam. And easy too. I’m making them again tomorrow, and stuffing with a maple meringue filling as well as making rings! Stay well
Maple meringue filling! And rings sound cool, look forward to seeing how you make them! :)
These doughnuts look delicious! They remind me of the ones my neighbour used to cook (and share!) on weekends when I was growing up!
Amber, sounds like you grew up with wonderful neighbours! :)