# Please Help! Desperate To Make Fluffy Fried Donuts and Beignets!



## nmc1964 (Jul 10, 2013)

Hi..I am originally from New Orleans but currently live in Houston, Texas. For YEARS I have been dying to make a good quality glazed donut and beignet but the problem I cannot seem to overcome is that they tend to be too heavy and "doughy" and once they get cold, you can probably use them for a hockey puck! I bake challah most every Friday and I'm not afraid of yeast but apparently the bread flour I use for challah is not made for donuts. I'm looking for a Krispy Kreme-type of airy donut and I have every type of flour you can imagine...do I need a mixture of flours? Should the dough ball be firm before the first rise or should it be tacky or sticky? Am I over working the dough or adding too much flour? Last night I tried boiling the milk to kill that mystery enzyme, yet I still was not happy with the final texture. My Challah dough works best (on its first rise) if it looks "shaggy". Thanks to anyone willing to help!


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## tricia775 (Jan 8, 2013)

I know it's been a couple months but oh well, here goes. I can't answer all your questions but in my experience the most important things when making donuts are: Not too warm or cold liquid to bloom yeast. Proofing the dough enough the first time AND the second time after cutting. And probably most important is having hot enough oil. In professional doughnut making we proof, beat down, roll out to fairly thin depending, cut, place on screens, do final proof and fry. I think the big problem for home bakers is having the patience to wait and knowing when they are proofed fully. At second proof after cutting, they should be so light and airy that they are difficult to move. This is why pros use screens, the final proofed product doesn't have to be moved, just put into the fryer, screen and all. The oil should be hot enough as well at least 350. Proofing at home can be tricky. In the oven on lowest heat (with door cracked if too hot) with a dish of water temp can be around 100-105 and that's perfect. I wouldn't recommend the standard moist towel trick as they are pretty heavy and the donuts will be restricted from rising. AP flour works well. Whether by hand or machine kneading should be about 5-6 min until the dough is smooth . Add just enough flour so it's not sticky. It shouldn't be sticky but still moist to the touch and smooth, kinda hard to describe. Also you mentioned boiling the milk. I've never heard of that enzyme problem? But sounds interesting. As long as you let the milk cool enough so it didn't kill the yeast. Good luck! The recipe I love for home is on allrecipes.com called My Moms Raised Doughnuts, that recipe and technique is very good. Maybe it's just your recipe?


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