spudnuts (potato doughnuts)

When we travel, we listen to a lot of audio books.  One of our favorite series is by Patricia Briggs Mercedes Hauptman books.  Mercedes lives in the Tri Cities area of Washington and spudnut doughnuts make appearance more then once.  In my search for the best doughnut holes, I was asked to try spudnuts.

The dough is basically a brioche dough which is what I have decided I like best, with the addition of potato.  Of course, doughnut holes are best eaten when hot but I find the staying power of these with potato and sourdough is very impressive.  If you chose not to make doughnuts with the dough but bread, the bread is very good.  The gotcha with these is you have to make sure that they are well proofed.  If not, they sink to the bottom of the pot of oil.  I actually like the bread a bit underproofed just for the tighter structure.  Especially for cheese and bread.

The reason I am writing this down today is because my baking apprentice, the small bear who has been running around in a just t-shirt, sweater, and apron, may have to take over tomorrow morning with the help of Grandpa.  I have an early meeting.  Early meetings get in the way of baking

potato doughnuts

sourdough

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup water

1 cup mashed potatoes, as for eating.  I used yukon golds mashed with butter, cream, and salt

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup soft butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

3 to 4 cups flour

oil for frying

glaze made with powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk or water for glazing.

The night before, mix the sourdough, 1/2 cup flour, and 1/3 cup water in a large bowl.  Cover and let rise until bubbly.  Take a bit of the levain out for next time.

Mix in the potatoes,milk, sugar, butter, and egg.   I actually give the batter a hard stir after each.  Mix in the salt.  Mix in 1 cup of flour at a time until 3 cups of flour have been added.  The dough should be soft but dough and not batter.

Turn out onto a clean floured counter.  Knead until smooth.  Put into a cleaned bowl and cover.  Let rise until double.

When double, I create about a dozen or two dozen doughnut holes.  The rest of the dough I make into bread.  Let the shaped bread and doughnut holes proof until puffy.  About double.

Bake the bread at 350 degrees Fahrenheit  for about one hour.

Heat the oil to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  I am never that accurate so it is usually about 360 to 380.  I over bake too many doughnut holes but they eat.  Drop in the hole when the oil is hot.  It should come up to the top of the oil if hot enough and proofed enough.  Turn over when that side is golden.  Fry a few minutes.

Remove from the oil and let drain.  Roll in the glaze.

Feed to Koda Bear.  

These are quite addictive.  Fair warning.