Make Some Dairy and Egg- Free Doughnuts This Week-end

Allergy-Friendly Doughnuts

Around here, Fat Tuesday is also known as Fastnacht Day, so I just had to try making some doughnuts last week. While I have a doughnut pan and have baked doughnuts in the past, this year I decided to try the real fried (oh so healthy) kind. I found an eggless doughnut recipe online and converted it to meet our egg-free and dairy free needs. If you've got a craving for a great doughnut this week-end, look no further:

Egg and Dairy- Free Doughnuts

• 1 cup lukewarm soy milk (I heated it a bit in the microwave)
• 4 tsp yeast
• 1/3 cup plus 1 TBS sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 2 TBS butter, room temperature (I used Fleishmann's unsalted sticks)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Mix the yeast into the lukewarm soy milk. Add 1 TBS granulated sugar and mix it up. Put flour, 1/3 cup sugar and salt in a separate bowl. Mix in the yeast concoction and add the vanilla. 
2. Knead (I used my KitchenAid with dough hook) gently until a smooth, soft dough forms.
3. Add the softened butter and knead 3 more minutes.
4. Cover the bowl and allow dough to rise and double in size (about one hour).
5. After dough has risen, knead again lightly and turn it out on a well-floured surface. Keep lots of flour on-hand (literally!) as this dough is super sticky.
6. Use a rolling pin to roll dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness and take a 3 inch biscuit cutter (I just used a wide glass) to cut out donuts. I took a plastic water bottle cap and cut out the hole in the center and added that back into my dough. Use the last hole as your "fry tester" when it comes time to fry the oil.
7. Let the doughnuts rise again for about 30 minutes, covering with a towel or plastic wrap. Try not to let the cover touch the dough. I used toothpicks to keep the cover propped up.
8. When the doughnuts have doubled in size, you are ready to fry them. Pour oil (I used canola) into a sturdy pot and bring to frying temperature. I have a candy thermometer that indicated the proper temperature, but you can  use the "fry tester" to find out if it's hot enough. If it floats to the top immediately, you're good to go.
9. Immerse each doughnut into the hot oil. They will float up and brown in seconds. Keep flipping them and remove from the oil when they are golden brown. This all really happens fast. I just did one doughnut at a time.
10. Place doughnuts on paper towels to absorb oil.

I then put some confectioner's sugar in one zip top bag and cinnamon and granulated sugar in another.  I shook the doughnuts that I knew we would eat immediately in the toppings.

Yum! Warm doughnuts!

The rest of the doughnuts I froze without topping. We defrost some and shake them in the topping bag as we're ready to eat them.

Unfortunately, this week I've had to increase my treadmill time after all the doughnuts last week.

But it's been worth it...yes it has...