Thank goodness for conscientious readers who take the time to comment. One such reader notified us that in last week’s article on the secrets to making perfect doughnuts, I’d included a recipe for doughnuts, but the recipe didn’t include mashed potatoes. I want to give her a big thank you for passing on this observation.
Considering I’d been talking about spudnuts, I can see where our reader naturally assumed the recipe would have been for spudnuts and that the recipe would include mashed potatoes. Now that I think about it, I have to say “OF COURSE my recipe should have been for spudnuts!” So this time around, I’m going to talk about the perfect glazes and conclude with my favorite spudnut recipe, which certainly does include mashed potatoes. (Last week you got my favorite all-around doughnut recipe).
So. OK, let’s talk glazes. Some people say it's the glaze that makes the donut. From classic dark chocolate to unusual flavors like matcha green tea and amaretto cherry, you can count on glazes to dress up your treats.
MARSHMALLOW GLAZE is a perfect example of a perfect glaze. Mini marshmallows are melted into a simple vanilla glaze for an inspired twist on a proverbial classic. All you do is mix powdered sugar (about 1 ½ cups), vanilla (to taste, but I start with 1 teaspoon), a pinchof salt in a bowl. Then just melt some butter (start with 3 tablespoons) and1⁄4cup water in a 2-qt. nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups of mini marshmallows; stir until completely melted, 1–2 minutes. Whisk into sugar mixture, and voila, a perfect and unique glaze.
AMARETTO CHERRY GLAZE is a favorite in the neighborhood. You just whisk powdered sugar (about 2 cups), ¼ cup syrup from a jar of maraschino cherries, 1 teaspoon almond extract, and a pinch of salt in a bowl until smooth. Couldn’t be easier or tastier.
CREAM CHEESE GLAZE is to die for. Using a mixer, beat together an 8 ounce package of cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of hot water and the seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean. Add a pinch of salt and powdered sugar (about 2 cups). If you don’t have a vanilla bean, just add perhaps a ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
ORANGE GLAZE is also an all-time favorite. This versatile glaze is also used over sweet rolls and monkey bread. I also swirl it into tapioca pudding. You mix powdered sugar (start with 2 cups), 3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate (undiluted), 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest, and a pinch of salt. This is divine.
Next, on to glazing your doughnuts. There’s no real mystery to it, though. Some folks use their hands, dipping both sides of a warm doughnut into a bowl of glaze; they’re then drained on a cooling rack set in a baking sheet. Some folks think it’s quicker and more efficient to use kitchen tongs for this. Rather than having my glaze in a bowl, I like to have it in a square baking pan. This way I can dip and turn 4 doughnuts at a time; I do use tongs to turn the doughnuts, though. And by the way, you can reuse the dripped glaze that’s caught in the baking sheet. Just scrape it back into your bowl or baking pan and mix it until it’s smooth again.
My mouth is watering and I can’t wait to make some spudnuts this weekend. With the perfect glazes and the best spudnut recipe, heaven awaits!
TRADITIONAL SPUDNUTS (yield: 4 dozen)
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1-1/2 cups warm milk (110° to 115°)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
7-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Additional oil for deep-fat frying
GLAZE
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid; cool to 110°-115°. Discard remaining cooking liquid. Mash potatoes without milk or butter.
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in reserved cooking liquid. Add the mashed potatoes, milk, oil, sugar, eggs and salt. Add enough flour to form a soft dough. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down; let rise again until doubled, about 20 minutes. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. doughnut cutter.
In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden brown.
For glaze, in a large bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, water and vanilla until smooth. Dip warm doughnuts in glaze. Cool on wire racks.
Add Recipe to Cook'n Sources: - www.garagesalefinds.com
- www.thepickyeater.com
- www.tasteofhome.com
- www.saveur.com
- www.flickr.com
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
FAQs
The classic spudnuts recipe is made with cooked and cooled mashed potatoes. “Regular” donuts are made with a similar yeast dough, minus the taters. Are spudnuts healthier than donuts? No, unfortunately, either type of donut is not healthy.
What is the difference between donuts and spudnuts? ›
Potato doughnuts, sometimes called a Spudnut, are a type of doughnut, typically sweet, made with either mashed potatoes or potato starch instead of flour, the most common ingredient used for doughnut dough.
What is the glaze on glazed donuts made of? ›
Glaze or fill as follows, and serve as soon as possible. Whisk together 2 cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. When the doughnuts are cool enough to handle, dip into the glaze; if you like, flip them so the tops they're completely covered. Put on racks to let the glaze harden.
Can you freeze spudnuts? ›
If you wish to freeze them, place cooled doughnuts on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer until frozen through and then transfer to an air tight container or large freezer bags. These freeze very well.
What is the unhealthiest doughnut? ›
Apple fritters are among the unhealthiest doughnuts. Just because a doughnut has fruit it it doesn't mean it is a good choice.
Why are donuts called spudnuts? ›
Brothers Al and Bob Pelton of Salt Lake City, had fallen for potato-based doughnuts in Germany and tried numerous experiments with potato water and mashed potatoes to make their own. They eventually concocted a dry potato mix that worked, and named their doughnuts Spudnuts.
Why are Amish donuts so good? ›
The ability to do this all in one swish in their food truck makes for the freshest, most delicate, and fluffiest donut you'll ever have. Why is an Amish donut so special? Amish doughnuts follow traditional recipes and are always made from scratch. The basics include sugar, flour, milk, yeast, and eggs.
What are donuts without holes called? ›
In fact, there are various types of doughnuts that do not have a hole, such as beignets, fritters, and cake doughnuts. These doughnuts are usually denser and have a different texture and taste compared to traditional doughnuts.
What are Louisiana doughnuts called? ›
What is a beignet? Beignets were first introduced to the city by the French-Creole colonists in the 18th century. The concept is simple – dough is fried then covered with mounds of powdered sugar – but the result is extraordinary.
What are the 3 basic ingredients in glaze? ›
A BASE GLAZE is a mixture of these three basic groups: SILICA, FLUX AND ALUMINA.
Glazes need a balance of the 3 main ingredients: Silica, Alumina and Flux. Too much flux causes a glaze to run, and tends to create variable texture on the surface. The texture may vary from shiny, where the glass is balanced, to matte where the excessive flux oxides may form visible, possibly lumpy, crystals.
What are the 4 main ingredients in glaze? ›
Glaze: there are more than 3 basic components in glaze, these are: silica, alumina, flux, colourants and modifiers. The common ingredients in glaze colours are, “ copper oxide", “copper carbonate", “cobalt oxide" and “ iron oxide.”
Which city in the US has the most donut shops? ›
Don't let its reputation for kale salads and acai bowls fool you—Los Angeles is the hole-ly grail for donut devotees. Almost 1,500 independent donut shops dish out these deep-fried delights, which means there are more opportunities for a sugar high here than anywhere else in the country.
Who invented Spudnuts? ›
History. After brothers Al and Bob Pelton of Salt Lake City ate potato-based doughnuts in Germany, they tried a number of things, from wheat dough that was flavored with potato water to using mashed potatoes, before creating a dry potato mix that not only worked for them but made it possible to franchise the concept.
Where did Spudnuts originate? ›
In 1946 brothers Al and Bob Pelton in Salt Lake City, Utah began what would become one of America's favorite food confections, a chain of Spudnut Shops stretching from coast to coast, Alaska to Mexico. Many became devoted fans of Spudnuts, named for being potato flour donuts, "spud"nuts.
What is healthier than donuts? ›
Believe it or not, fruit is a great way to fulfill a sweet craving. You may not believe it when you are craving candy, cookies or aforementioned donut, but eating a piece of fruit can really fulfill sweet cravings! Try some fruit and wait a little bit, you will likely notice that the craving has subsided.
What is a healthy option than donuts? ›
Turn things around by stocking up on healthy pantry options like popcorn, whole wheat crackers and peanut butter. Try new things with a service like NatureBox, Graze, SnackNation and get regular deliveries of new, healthy snacks.
What is better than donuts? ›
Donuts are usually made with a white flour, while bagels can be made using whole grain flours, which would provide even more protein and fiber. Because of this, bagels are the healthier choice between the two. (Bonus points if you choose a whole wheat bagel!)
How many calories are in a Spudnut? ›
Calories in Spudnuts Donuts
| Calories | 251.1 |
|---|
| Total Fat | 9.9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2.2 g |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2.3 g |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4.8 g |
8 more rows
Alice Osborne