The Tested Kitchen

Visit any supermarket, grocery, or bakery and chances are there are several packs of sliced white bread loaves sitting on the counter ready for customers to pick them up, pay, and take them home.  I’ve had my share of purchasing one or two of these loaves but I began to worry when some did not show any sign of molds long after its expiration date.  This was the primary reason why I wanted to find a recipe that had the same softness and fluffiness without the addition of any preservatives.  After several attempts, I finally found one online and tweaked it a little bit, it now has the right texture and taste similar to those commercially produced minus the preservatives.

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water (1-3/4 cup room temp water and 1/4 cup hot water)

1/4 cup white sugar

1-1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil

6 cups sifted bread flour

Manual hand kneading:

• In a bowl, mix together water, sugar, and yeast.  Stir until yeast is dissolved.  Set aside for 10 minutes.
• In another bowl, combine flour and salt.  Set aside.
• To the yeast mixture, add canola oil then the flour mixture (one cup at a time).
• Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes.
• Roll the dough into a ball and allow to rest in a greased bowl covered with a damp cloth or in your oven for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
• Punch down dough and divide into 2 portions.  Roll each portion into a cylindrical shape and place in a well-greased loaf pan.
• Cover with clean cloth and let rest for 30 minutes (begin preheating your oven to 350° once 10 minutes has passed).
• Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove from loaf pans and allow to cool onto wire racks.
• Slice cooled bread to your desired thickness.

Breadmaker kneading (Note: My breadmaker had a difficult time kneading the dough since it was a bit small for this recipe quantity so I decided to halve the recipe):

• In the breadmaker bowl, mix together water, sugar, and yeast.  Stir until yeast is dissolved.  Set aside for 10 minutes.
• In another bowl, combine flour and salt.  Set aside.
• To the yeast mixture, add canola oil then the flour mixture.
• Set the breadmaker to dough setting and press start.
• Remove dough from the breadmaker once kneading is done.
• Roll the dough into a ball and allow to rest in a greased bowl covered with a damp cloth or in your oven for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
• Punch down dough and divide into 2 portions.  Roll each portion into a cylindrical shape and place in a well-greased loaf pan.
• Cover with clean cloth and let rest for 30 minutes (begin preheating your oven to 350° once 10 minutes has passed).
• Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove from loaf pans and allow to cool onto wire racks.
• Slice cooled bread to your desired thickness.

Kitchen Aid kneading:

• In the mixing bowl, mix together water, sugar, and yeast.  Stir until yeast is dissolved.  Set aside for 10 minutes.
• In another bowl, combine flour and salt.  Set aside.
• To the yeast mixture, add canola oil then the flour mixture (add one cup at a time).
• Using a dough hook, set the mixer speed to 1 for 10 minutes then to speed 2 for 15 minutes.
• Roll the dough into a ball and allow to rest in a greased bowl covered with a damp cloth or in your oven for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
• Punch down dough and divide into 2 portions.  Roll each portion into a cylindrical shape and place in a well-greased loaf pan.
• Cover with clean cloth and let rest for 30 minutes (begin preheating your oven to 350° once 10 minutes has passed).
• Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove from loaf pans and allow to cool onto wire racks.
• Slice cooled bread to your desired thickness.

Note – You can use warm milk for a creamier texture.

 One of the many breakfast staples on our table is hot pandesal.  Its unique texture and taste makes it ideal as an accompaniment to an assortment of bread fillings and viands.  The corner bakery or panaderia sell these in the morning and are often sold out by 8 am. My son loves to eat pandesal with cheese, cheese spread, and most of the time on its own, which was why I kept on experimenting with recipes until my bestfriend shared her recipe with me.  After a few tweaks, and a couple of recipe combinations later, I was able to produce one that my son approved of.  For Filipinos who love to eat pandesal but are currently residing outside the Philippines, here’s a recipe that you may want to try for yourself. I’ve also included procedures for both manual kneading and when using a breadmaker.  Happy baking!!

(Update(s) – I’ve now included the procedure when using your Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer.  For those interested in making Malunggay pandesal, simply add 1/2 tablespoon Malunggay powder to the flour mix.)

Ingredients

1-1/4 cup warm water

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg, beaten

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 cups bread or all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons dry yeast

breadcrumbs (for rolling/coating the dough) – approximately 1 cup

Procedure for manual/hand kneading:

1. Combine warm water, sugar and yeast in a bowl. Stir until sugar and yeast are dissolved.
2. Allow to ferment for at least 10 minutes.
3. In another bowl, combine baking powder, salt and flour.
4. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture followed by the eggs and oil.
5. Knead until you achieve a fine texture.
6. Roll into your desired size of cylindrical shape.  Please keep in mind that this will still expand since you need to proof the dough prior to baking.
7. Sprinkle breadcrumbs onto your work surface and roll the cylindrical-shaped dough onto the breadcrumbs until completely covered.
8. Cut the dough into your desired size.
9. Re-dip the slices in the breadcrumbs and place onto slightly greased baking pans/sheets.
10. Cover with a clean cloth and set aside to proof while you begin preheating your oven.
11. Preheat your oven to 350° for 15 minutes.
12. Bake the pandesal for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve hot.

Procedure when using a breadmaker:

1. Combine warm water, sugar and yeast in the breadmaker pan. Stir until sugar and yeast are dissolved.
2. Allow to ferment for at least 10 minutes.
3. In another bowl, combine baking powder, salt and flour.
4. Add the following ingredients to the yeast mixture in order: eggs, oil, and flour mixture.
5. Set the breadmaker to dough setting and press the start button.
6. Roll the dough into your desired size of cylindrical shape.  Please keep in mind that this will still expand since you need to proof the dough prior to baking.
7. Sprinkle breadcrumbs onto your work surface and roll the cylindrical-shaped dough onto the breadcrumbs until completely covered.
8. Cut the dough into your desired size.
9. Re-dip the slices in the breadcrumbs and place onto slightly greased baking pans/sheets.
10. Cover with a clean cloth and set aside to proof while you begin preheating your oven.
11. Preheat your oven to 350° for 15 minutes.
12. Bake the pandesal for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve hot.

Procedure when using a Kitchen Aid or any heavy duty stand mixer:

1. Combine warm water, sugar and yeast in the mixing bowl. Stir until sugar and yeast are dissolved.
2. Allow to ferment for at least 10 minutes.
3. In another bowl, combine baking powder, salt and flour.
4. Add the following ingredients to the yeast mixture in order: eggs, oil, and flour mixture.
5. Using a dough hook, set the mixer to speed 1 to stir the ingredients (approximately 10 minutes) then set the mixer to speed 2 and allow to knead for 15 minutes.
6. Roll the dough into your desired size of cylindrical shape.  Please keep in mind that this will still expand since you need to proof the dough prior to baking.
7. Sprinkle breadcrumbs onto your work surface and roll the cylindrical-shaped dough onto the breadcrumbs until completely covered.
8. Cut the dough into your desired size. Note – I’ve noticed that the dough tends to expand sideways so you can cut it a bit thicker.
9. Re-dip the slices in the breadcrumbs and place onto slightly greased baking pans/sheets.
10. Cover with a clean cloth and set aside to proof while you begin preheating your oven.
11. Preheat your oven to 350° for 15-20 minutes.
12. Bake the pandesal for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve hot.

Note:

If you are using instant dry yeast, skip the yeast fermenting part. Just mix the yeast with the flour mix.

If you want a creamy-tasting pandesal, use milk instead of water and melted butter instead of vegetable oil.

Keep any remaining pandesal in a zip lock bag and store in the freezer.  Re-heat in the oven toaster or microwave prior to eating.

Ensaymada/Ensaimada is a sweet bread that is formed into a spiral, baked, and topped with melted butter and sprinkled with sugar (and in some cases grated cheese).  After several failed attempts at making ensaymada/ensaimada, I finally found one recipe that I liked – I was able to adapt it from the recipe posted by Panlasang Pinoy.  I’ve tried making it with cheese filling and it was delicious.  I’m now thinking of possible alternatives like ube halaya  (sweetened purple yam), ham, and even the oh-so-popular chocolate or chocolate hazelnut filling.  I’ll update this blog as soon as I’ve tried out the other variants but for now here’s the recipe for the plain and cheese-filled versions.  In case you use a breadmaker for kneading dough (just like I do), I’ve also incorporated a procedure for this particular topic.  Enjoy!  (Update – procedures when using Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer are added).

Ingredients:

5 cups sifted all-purpose flour

3/4 cup melted butter (1/2 cup for pre-dough preparation and 1/4 cup for the prepared dough)

3/4 cup white sugar (1/2 cup for the yeast mix and 1/4 cup for the flour mix)

1 tsp salt

3 large eggs, slightly beaten

2 tsp dry yeast

1 cup warm water (or fresh milk if you want to get that creamy texture and taste)

vegetable shortening – for greasing bowls and baking pans

1 cup grated cheese – if you are making the cheese-filled version

Procedure for manual/hand kneading:

1. In a small bowl, combine warm water and 1/2 cup sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves and gradually sprinkle in the yeast. Slightly stir just until the yeast is dissolved.  This is your yeast mixture. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar and salt.  Mix until well-combined.  Make a well in the center.
3. Pour in the eggs, 1/2 cup butter, and activated yeast mixture in the bowl with the dry ingredients.
4. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon until well combined and a dough is formed.
5. Knead the dough until you obtain a fine texture.
6. Shape the dough into a ball and place into a well-greased bowl.  Punch two holes on the top using your index and middle fingers.  Cover with a clean cloth and set aside in a draft-free environment (preferably inside your oven).  Allow to rise for 2 hours or when the dough has doubled in size (the pre-punched holes on top would be almost non-existent).
7. Lightly punch dough to release the air then transfer onto your working surface.
8. Shape into a cylinder and divide into 4 parts (to make it easier for you to manage the entire dough).
9. Use a dough slicer to cut dough into approximately 75 gram portions (if you don’t own a kitchen scale then you can simply eyeball it to your desired size).
10. Flatten each piece and spread melted butter onto the middle part.  If you are making the cheese-filled version, sprinkle the grated cheese onto the portion with the melted butter.
11. Roll the dough (making sure you seal the edges by pinching it) until you form a cylindrical shape that is approximately 12 inches long.
12. Form the spiral shape onto the baking sheet/pan. Tuck the end of the spiral underneath the formed shape so you won’t end up with a non-spiral shaped bread.
13. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise for 30 minutes.  Preheat your oven to 350° for 10 minutes.
14. Bake the bread for 15 minutes or until the bread turns golden brown in color.
15. Remove from the oven and brush the top immediately with melted butter then dip it in sugar.

Procedure when using a breadmaker:

1. In the breadmaker pan, combine warm water and 1/2 cup sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves and gradually sprinkle in the yeast. Slightly stir just until the yeast is dissolved.  This is your yeast mixture. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar and salt.  Mix until well-combined.
3. Add to the yeast mixture the following in order – eggs, butter (the entire 3/4 cup) and the dry ingredients.
4. Set your breadmaker to knead/dough setting.  Remove dough from the breadmaker pan when kneading is done.  The dough will be slightly sticky but believe me this is what you want.
5. Directly transfer the dough into a well-greased bowl.  Cover with a clean cloth and set aside in a draft-free environment (preferably inside your oven).  Allow to rise for 2 hours or when the dough has doubled in size.
6. Lightly punch dough to release the air then transfer onto your working surface.  Don’t be tempted to add too much flour to your work surface.  Very lightly (emphasis on very) sprinkle flour onto your work surface if you hate working with sticky dough.  To avoid the dough from sticking onto your hands, dip your palms onto the flour instead.
7. Divide into 4 parts (to make it easier for you to manage the entire dough).
8. Use a dough slicer to cut dough into approximately 75 gram portions (if you don’t own a kitchen scale then you can simply eyeball it to your desired size).
9. If you are making the cheese-filled version, lightly flatten each piece with your fingers then sprinkle the grated cheese onto the middle portion.  – you can skip this step if you are making the original version.
10. Roll the dough (making sure you seal the edges by pinching it) until you form a cylindrical shape that is approximately 12 inches long.  – simply form the cut portion into a cylindrical shape for the original version.
11. Form the spiral shape onto the baking sheet/pan. Tuck the end of the spiral underneath the formed shape so you won’t end up with a non-spiral shaped bread.
12. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise for 30 minutes.  Preheat your oven to 350° for 10 minutes.
13. Bake the bread for 15 minutes or until the bread turns golden brown in color.
14. Remove from the oven and brush the top immediately with melted butter then dip it in sugar.

Procedure when using a Kitchen Aid or any heavy duty stand mixer:

1. In the mixing bowl, combine warm water and 1/2 cup sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves and gradually sprinkle in the yeast. Slightly stir just until the yeast is dissolved.  This is your yeast mixture. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
2. In another mixing bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar and salt.  Mix until well-combined.
3. Add to the yeast mixture the following in order – eggs, butter (the entire 3/4 cup) and the dry ingredients.
4. Using a dough hook, set your mixer to speed 1 for 10 minutes then speed 2 for 15 minutes.  The dough will be slightly sticky but believe me this is what you want.
5. Directly transfer the dough into a well-greased bowl.  Cover with a clean cloth and set aside in a draft-free environment (preferably inside your oven).  Allow to rise for 2 hours or when the dough has doubled in size.
6. Lightly punch dough to release the air then transfer onto your working surface.  Don’t be tempted to add too much flour to your work surface.  Very lightly (emphasis on very) sprinkle flour onto your work surface if you hate working with sticky dough.  To avoid the dough from sticking onto your hands, dip your palms onto the flour instead.
7. Divide into 4 parts (to make it easier for you to manage the entire dough).
8. Use a dough slicer to cut dough into approximately 75 gram portions (if you don’t own a kitchen scale then you can simply eyeball it to your desired size).
9. If you are making the cheese-filled version, lightly flatten each piece with your fingers then sprinkle the grated cheese onto the middle portion.  – you can skip this step if you are making the original version.
10. Roll the dough (making sure you seal the edges by pinching it) until you form a cylindrical shape that is approximately 12 inches long.  – simply form the cut portion into a cylindrical shape for the original version.
11. Form the spiral shape onto the baking sheet/pan. Tuck the end of the spiral underneath the formed shape so you won’t end up with a non-spiral shaped bread.
12. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise for 30 minutes.  Preheat your oven to 350° for 10 minutes.
13. Bake the bread for 15 minutes or until the bread turns golden brown in color.
14. Spread top with melted butter, sprinkle with grated cheese or simply dip it in granulated sugar.

Note: Unconsumed bread can be placed in ziplock bags and stored in the freezer.  You can simply reheat them in the microwave or an oven toaster when you feel like eating one again.

Baking and decorating baked goodies can be fun and tiring at the same time; however, having orders that are one-of-a-kind totally makes my day.  I’ve always been asked to make tutorials and I guess 2013 is the best year to start.

Plants vs. Zombies is still a popular cake, and even cake pop design, that I recently had the chance to make Plants vs. Zombies themed cake, cupcakes, and cake pops.  I didn’t have enough time to take photos of the entire process for each and every character that I made but here’s my take on how I did the pea shooter cake pop.  Have fun!

You’ll need:

Cake – I find that any pound cake works best

Dark chocolate compound

Green colored chocolate

Cocoa butter substitute (CBS)

Cake pop sticks (paper sticks or paper straws, available online)

Disposable plastic gloves

Green fondant

Procedure:

1. Crumble the cake while melting the dark chocolate compound.

2. Add just enough melted dark chocolate to the crumbled cake until it is slightly moist.

3. Form the mixture into a ball.

4. Slightly press the middle of the ball until you achieve a shape that resembles the head of the Pea Shooter

5. Dip the end of a cake pop stick into the melted chocolate and insert halfway through the shaped cake pop.

6. Refrigerate overnight to make sure that the melted chocolate and cake crumbs has fully formed and solidified.

7. Melt green chocolate and add just enough CBS for easy dipping.  Be careful that you don’t overdo it when adding the CBS.  Remember that you want the cake pop coating to remain and not melt away even when exposed to a minimum amount of hot weather.

8. Take out the prepared cake pops and dip them one at a time.  Slightly tap the cake pop stick onto the side of the dipping bowl to make sure that the excess coating is removed.

9. Allow the coating to completely dry.

10. Shape a piece of green fondant into a small leaf, dip one end in the melted green chocolate and attach to the back of the Pea Shooter’s head.

11. Add the finer details like the black color at the mouth and the eyes using melted dark chocolate compound or black gel food color (you do need to hand paint if you do decide to use gel food color).  Allow to dry completely.

12. Place in plastic wrap and tie with wire or ribbons.  You now have your very own version of Pea Shooter from Plants vs. Zombies.

The holidays are fast approaching which means that the gift giving season is about to begin.  The stores would definitely be full of gift ideas with a wide range of prices but if you are looking for a more personal gift for family and friends then making your own gift would be the best.  If you love to dabble in the kitchen (like I do) then why not try giving Bottled Red Velvet and Blueberry Cheesecake?  Red velvet cake and blueberry cheesecake are terrific on their own, so can you just imagine how wonderful if you combine the two? You can even omit the blueberry and just layer on red velvet or any cheesecake topping that you want.

Materials needed:

Glass container or jars

Red Velvet cake

Ingredients for Blueberry Cheesecake

sticker tags or labels

disposable spoon

ribbons or twine

round cookie cutter (same diameter or slightly smaller than the container)

Procedure:

 Prepare your containers and red velvet cake.

 Use your cookie cutter and cut out a portion of the red velvet cake.

Place the cut piece of red velvet into the container.  Set aside.

Prepare the cheesecake base and pour into the prepared containers.

Allow cheesecake to slightly set at room temperature.

Add blueberry topping once the cheesecake base has slightly set.

You can even pureé the blueberry topping to make it smoother.

Cover the container and allow to set under refrigerated conditions overnight.

Place a piece of cloth or wrapper on top of the container and secure with a ribbon or twine.

Add the label or sticker and attach disposable spoon secured with a ribbon or twine.

Your edible gift is now ready.

Red velvet has always been popular since its debut in the food industry.  Clients would often ask me if I offer red velvet as one of the flavors for my baked goodies, which eventually led me to looking for the best recipe that would satisfy red velvet enthusiasts.  I’ve tried and tested more than a dozen red velvet recipes and they’ve always left me unsatisfied….unsatisfied until I came across this October 2012 issue of FOOD Magazine Philippines.  I just made a few changes to make it more moist and yummy.  Enjoy!!!!

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups fresh milk

100 grams chopped dark chocolate

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 large whole eggs

2 tablespoons liquid red food color or 1-1/2 tablespoons gel red food color

2 cups sifted cake flour

1/3 cup sifted powdered cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon iodized salt

2/3 cup melted butter

1-1/2 cups white sugar

Procedure:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.  Grease 2 round 8-inch cake pans or line cupcake/muffin tins with cupcake liners.
• In a double boiler, heat milk until simmering then add chopped chocolate and vanilla extract.  Set aside until cool.
• In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
• Add melted butter, eggs, food color, and chocolate-milk mixture to the dry ingredient mixture.
• Mix at low mixer speed until well combined (approximately 2 minutes).
• Pour into prepared pans or cupcake trays.  Bake cakes for 40 minutes and cupcakes for 20 minutes, or until tester inserted in center comes out clean.
• Allow to cool and frost with your desired frosting such as IMBC or MMF.
• Ready to serve.

I love pancakes but I also wanted to make something that didn’t come out of the box, which was why I was so happy that this recipe from The Idea Room was easy to make.  I tweaked it a little bit to my liking. I was hesitant to let my son taste it since he doesn’t love pancakes that much but after one bite (with chocolate syrup), he was hooked.  I guess letting him help out during the mixing process also helped awaken his enthusiasm in eating what he made.  Happy pancake making everyone.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

6 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 whole eggs, slightly beaten

1-1/2 cup milk (soy or fresh, whichever you prefer)

3 tablespoons canola oil or melted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Procedure:

• Combine flour, baking powder and sugar in a mixing bowl and make a well in the center.  Set aside.
• Combine eggs, milk, and oil or butter in another bowl and mix well.
• Slowly pour in the liquid ingredients in the mixing bowl containing the dry ingredients.
• Mix just until well combined.
• Heat griddle or pan on medium-low heat, and add just enough oil to prevent the pancakes from sticking.
• Pour batter onto the griddle depending on how big of a pancake you want.
• Turn the pancake over once bubbles begin to break out.
• Cook for 1-2 minutes then transfer onto a serving platter.
• Serve with your choice of syrup and butter.

The word “Ganache” may sound daunting but I assure you that there is nothing daunting about making your very own chocolate ganache.

Ingredients:

500 g chopped dark chocolate compound

250 ml cream

Procedure:

Pour cream onto a double boiler and heat thoroughly.

Add chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate is thoroughly melted.

Set aside to cool.

Your chocolate ganache is now ready to use.  You can either pipe it using a pastry bag and your chosen piping tip design or simply spread it onto your cake or cupcake.

Note: You can use white, semi-sweet, or bittersweet chocolate depending on your preference.  For a more stable ganache for piping increase the amount from 500 to 600 grams of chopped chocolate.

Ice cream is a great dessert treat and it really is great if you can make it at home since you can choose the ingredients that goes into it.   My constant search for a rich and creamy ice cream led me to formulating this recipe.  The richness and creaminess makes it worth the effort.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (250 ml) cream

1 cup (250 ml) sweetened condensed milk (or 1/2 cup condensed milk and 1/2 cup cream)

2 large egg yolks

12 tablespoons powdered unsweetened chocolate (adjust depending on how semi-sweet, dark or bittersweet you want the ice cream to be)

PROCEDURE:

1. In a saucepan, mix all the ingredients with a wire whisk.

2. Heat over low flame and cook for 20 minutes (stirring continuously) or until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.  Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

3. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

4. Pour refrigerated mixture into the cold chamber of an ice cream maker.

5. Follow ice cream maker manufacturer’s instructions.

6. Transfer to a container and freeze until ready to serve.

Notes:

You can opt to add chocolate bits, mini marshmallows, nuts, or whatever your heart desires during the churning process.

I’m not fond of doughnuts but my son loves them so much.  I would buy them for him but my only concern is that commercially prepared doughnuts are usually too sweet or loaded with preservatives, which made me look for a doughnut recipe that I could easily prepare right in my own kitchen.  As I searched the internet for a good recipe, I often came across fried doughnuts, which would involve deep frying in loads of oil —> not that healthy too. You can’t imagine how excited I was when I came across a recipe for Baked Doughnuts.  Needless to say I immediately tried the recipe and it was a success. The doughnut came out soft even after it cooled down.  My son requested a chocolate glazed doughnut hence I melted some dark chocolate and dipped the baked doughnut in them. Y-U-M-M-Y was the only word I heard from my son.  This recipe has been tweaked from the original recipe posted by Brown Eyed Baker.

Ingredients:

1 egg

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup warm milk

1 tablespoon active dry yeast (I used instant yeast)

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used almond extract)

4-1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cut into 1 inch cubes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Procedure:

Place egg and sugar in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer.

Beat using the paddle attachment at medium speed for 1 minute.

Add in milk, yeast, salt, and vanilla/almond extract.

Beat for 30 seconds.

Add in 2 cups of flour and beat at low speed.

Change the paddle attachment with dough hook and beat on medium speed.

Add the butter one at a time until the dough is smooth.

Add the rest of the flour and knead on low speed until all of the flour is well incorporated.

Continue kneading with the dough hook on low speed for 7 minutes.

Remove dough from the mixing bowl and shape into a ball.

Lightly coat the mixing bowl with vegetable oil and return the ball-shaped dough.

Cover with moist towel and set aside for 1 hour or until double in size.

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Punch down dough and roll on lightly floured surface to approximately 1/2 inch thickness.

Cut doughnut shapes using the traditional round doughnut cutter (I used star shaped cookie cutters).

Place the doughnuts onto a wax paper, parchment paper or silicon lined cookie sheet.

Cover with moist towel or cling wrap. Place on top of the preheating oven for approximately 25 minutes or double in size.

Bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown in color.

Doughnut Glaze:

I cheated a little with my doughnut glaze since my son isn’t that fond of the usual glaze, so I melted dark chocolate and dipped the doughnuts one by one.