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's the difference between a Spudnut and a donut? ›
Driver describes the difference between Spudnuts and donuts: "A Spudnut has potato flour in it; donuts just have regular flour. The potato flour makes them lighter."
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 are spudnuts made of? ›
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 healthiest donut you can eat? ›
The classic sugared donut is also the most nutritious donut on the menu. It has 240 calories, 11g fat, 4.5g saturated fat, 33g carbohydrates, 4g protein, 13g sugars, and 270mg sodium.
What is the most unhealthy donut in the world? ›
The Honey Dew Coconut Jelly Stick is the most calorie and sugar-heavy donut on our list with 590 calories and 40 grams of sugar per stick. Not only that, but it has a whopping 680 milligrams of sodium, which is almost a third of the recommended daily limit.
What did Cowboys call donuts? ›
Bear Sign – A cowboy term for donuts made while they were on the range. A cook who could and would make them was highly regarded. Beat the Devil around the Stump – To evade responsibility or a difficult task.
What do you call a donut without a hole in the middle? ›
Jelly Doughnut
These classic doughnuts are typically round without a hole in the middle, and generally leavened with yeast.
Why did Spudnuts change their name? ›
Originally a Spudnuts doughnut shop, a franchise that went out of business in the late '70s, Tadoughs was renamed by its current owners, Rick Butler and his daughter Jacqueline Butler. “We changed names from Spudnuts because we're going to franchise it,” said Rick Butler.
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.
You can refrigerate the doughnuts, but leaving them at room temperature for one to two days is safe as long as they don't have a creme filling. Most of the time, you can stash the container in your cupboard. You want to remove the doughnuts from direct sunlight to prevent them from drying or growing mold.
How do you make donuts soft again? ›
According to Southern Living, the fastest way to make a stale doughnut more edible is to pop it into the microwave– that appliance no dorm room or office can do without — for 15 seconds until it softens up some. It won't be as perfect as a fresh doughnut, but it will still be delicious.
Are Cracker Barrel mashed potatoes real? ›
But despite the fact that they're technically a side item, Cracker Barrel refuses to sacrifice the quality of a Southern staple and confirms that its mashed potatoes are made with fresh, not instant, potatoes.
Is Krispy Kreme pork? ›
The only animal by-products used in our doughnuts are eggs (whites and yolks) and dairy products (including milk, butter, yogurt, whey, nonfat milk and nonfat whey). To get further information about our products, call us at 1-800-4KRISPY.
Is Krispy Kreme made out of potatoes? ›
The recipe is a Southern secret
There's been plenty of speculation about the ingredients, but according to historians, the historic recipe likely consisted of cream of fluffed egg whites, mashed potatoes, sugar, shortening, skim milk and flour.
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.
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 rowsOne donut has a quarter of all of the saturated fat you should have in a day. DUH, donuts are bad for you. But do you know just how bad? An original Krispy Kreme donut has 11 grams of fat—5 of those being saturated—while a Dunkin' original donut has 6 gram of saturated fat (30 percent of your fat intake).
Alice Osborne