Better than Krispy Kreme: Making Homemade Doughnuts

Flour: My favorite doughnuts are made from fresh ground whole wheat flour. They're very tender and have a great flavor that way. Obviously, most people use white flour to make their doughnuts, which works fine too. I haven't experimented with any other flours, but if I do I'll let you know.

Sweetener: I've only used plain white sugar, but I'm sure honey and maple syrup would work nicely. Just remember to adjust the liquid amounts if you use a liquid sweetener

Spices: Be bold! If you like spicy doughnuts add a couple extra teaspoons of cinnamon. Throw in some ground clove and some nutmeg. Substitute allspice for the cinnamon. Add some vanilla even if the recipe doesn't call for it.

Oil: Personally, I prefer doughnuts fried in lard. (Yes, whole wheat doughnuts fried in lard--yummy and healthy:-]) If the fat in lard bothers you, I'd recommend frying in a light oil like safflower.

Doughnut cutter: Having a doughnut cutter will save you a lot of hassle, but it is entirely possible to out your doughnuts using a floured glass rim. Then just cut out the middle with a smaller glass or bottle. Or roll your dough into balls to make all doughnut holes.

Rolling pin: This is pretty standard equipment if you do any baking, but if you don't have one you can always pat the dough out with your hands. If you have the silicone mat it keeps the dough from sticking to the table, which helps the doughnuts keep their shape when you pick them up.

Spatula: This is a must for transferring the doughnuts into the grease. A thin metal spatula is best so you can slide it under the doughnut without smooshing the shape.

Deep fryer: There are lots of options here. I use a roaster oven with a temperature control, so I can just set the oil temperature and forget about it. The low-tech version is a pot of oil on the stove with a candy thermometer in it. The high-tech version would a specialized deep fryer. It all depends on how much money you want to spend and how often you're going to use your doughnut making equipment.

This should give you some basic information on doughnut making. Come back later as I keep adding to the lens. Enjoy!