Food
Coffee & Donuts
When was the last time you tasted the perfection of a warm, homemade donut? If the answer takes you back to your grandmother’s kitchen, consider reliving the sweet memory by making a batch of your own.
The best donut is slightly warm, tender and fresh, shared with a friend over a cup of hot coffee. Making donuts yourself guarantees they’ll be at peak freshness when you want them. And a kitchen filled with the scent of homemade donuts and fresh coffee provides the perfect setting for a chat with old friends or a heart-to-heart with a loved one. These treats are easier to make than you think. Yeast donuts need to rise and cake donuts need to chill. But once the oil is hot and the dough is cut, the incredible first bite is just minutes away. Each batch makes enough to share. Put willing hands to work rolling and hand-cutting dough, corralling donut holes as they bob in oil, timing and turning dough as it puffs into golden pastries and dipping donuts in glaze or sugar. All that’s left is putting out hot coffee. Check out our suggestions for each delectable donut variety.
Maple Pecan Donuts
You’re looking at a donut that delivers everything its appearance promises. The comforting warmth of maple in tender yeast-raised dough, rich caramel frosting and a generous crown of pecans suit these outrageously delicious donuts as autumn or winter treats. Alongside freshly brewed Red-Eye Coffee bolstered with a shot of espresso, it’s an enticing way to jump-start the day.
Spiced Pumpkin Donuts
Putting its characteristic moistness, nutrients and rich hue to work, pumpkin gives cake donuts distinctive identity. To top them off, sugar flecked with cinnamon and nutmeg work a double shift, accenting cream cheese frosting on donut rings while bestowing sparkle on humble donut holes. Prime the palate for traditional fall flavors by serving the donuts with Spiced Coffee.
Potato Yeast Donuts
Since the early 1800s, home bakers have claimed that substituting potatoes for a portion of the wheat produces light, tender breads. These fluffy donuts supply convincing evidence. Pair the homespun, sugar-kissed favorite with Honey Latté served with cinnamon swizzle sticks.
Jelly-Filled Donuts
The close, velvety texture of yeast-raised donuts seems to defy the goal of filling the center with jelly. But once a secret entrance is made, jelly flows in easily. A touch of lemon and a modest sugar content give this recipe an edge over standard donut-shop versions. Frothy, chocolate-laced Café Mocha makes a lavish companion.
Beignets
Ideal for serving a crowd, these little pastries are made from no-knead, no-rise, make-ahead dough. French in origin, beignets (ben-yays) were brought to New Orleans by 18th century French colonists. In Louisiana, Chicory Café au Lait is the smooth accompaniment of choice.
Chocolate Cake Donuts and Vanilla Cake Donuts
Buttermilk accounts for the outstanding tenderness of these famous-flavored cake donuts, but that’s where the similarity ends. Chocolate Cake Donuts boast just the right amount of chocolate plus a rich ganache glaze, while accents of vanilla and nutmeg whisper subtly in Vanilla Cake Donuts. Gently sweetened Hazelnut Coffee complements both.
Recipes: Chocolate Cake Donuts
Recipes: Vanilla Cake Donuts
Written by | Photographed by Tobin Bennett
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