Dawna Up Doughnuts

E loved the doughnuts.  She was my glaze-r, my taster and my model.  What a gal!

The annual Clawson Labor Day Festivus is complete.  It is over and done with and a grand time was had by all.   53 Clawson's total.  All in my house.  My running girls think I'm a little crazy, and I think my Mother-in-Law thought the same this year, but we did have a grand time.  James was proud of me too.  I did not lock myself in my bedroom this year.   In years past I will admit to locking my bedroom door and laying on my bed reading some book while I let the house go to pot.  It keeps me sane sometimes.  Sunday night is the treat night for our Festivus.  In years past we've had pie nights, and scones, but this year I wanted to try doughnuts.

Never done this before.  Always wanted to, but I've always been a little intimidated by the recipe.  There are more than a few woman in Paradise/Avon who make the most scrum-diddly-umptious doughnuts on the planet.  Every once in a while I become a recipient of these fried beauties.  My neighbor Dawna makes them a lot.  I got this recipe from her.  The "Dawna Up" part of the doughnuts comes from another friend.

One day this friend of mine was complaining about doing some farm chore.  Her husband keeps steers, and piggies, and horses.............., but Erin is not a country girl.  I don't blame her.  I'm not either in that sense of the word.  I like my barn.  I like having lots of horses in it, but not the kind you have to feed.  The kind in my cars engine.  I usually don't get bucked off these kind.  So again, Erin was complaining.  Her husband looked at her and said, "Oh Erin!  Why don't you Dawna Up."  You know how cowboys "Cowboy up" well in Paradise all women are held to Dawna's standard, and we have to Dawna Up!

Dawna was born 200 years too late.  She does everything.  Canning, bees, cows, hay, a yearly horse ride from her home to her parents home in Wyoming without the help of a road.  Just across the hills---a straight line from point A to point B.  She's amazing!  And all of her kids are amazing, and her husband builds the prettiest barns!  (He built mine.)  So Dawna is the standard that we all want to be like some day.  And don't get me wrong.  She's not the kind of gal you'd despise secretly because she's so perfect.  You'd love her guts-----she's that kind of gal.  So here's her doughnut recipe.  It's lovely, and it makes a ton.  You'll need a crowd or you'll just eat them all.  I can't wait to have another party so I can make them again.

Dawna Up Doughnuts

1 c. boiling water

3/4 c. shortening melted in water

2 t. salt

1 c. sugar

1 c. lukewarm water

5 eggs

2 t. lemon juice

1 t. lemon zest

2 c. mashed potatoes or 2 c. potato flakes with 1/2 c. extra water

Beat until mixed well.  

Add:

2 c. warm water

7 c. flour 

3 T heaping instant yeast (I use SAF Instant)

5-6 c. flour (enough for soft dough) 

1/2 c. instant dry milk mixed in with the flour

Mix as bread dough.  Let rise until double and punch down.  Do this twice.  Roll out on floured surface 1/2-1 inch thick.  Cut with doughnut cutter, or improvise with lids and cups.  Set doughnuts in flour to coat bottom so they don't stick while they rise.  Set on cookie sheet and let them rise.  Rise until almost double.  Fry in hot oil at least 2 inches deep.  Fry until golden and then flip.  Drain on paper towel.  Roll in sugar or coat with glaze.  I loved the sugared doughnuts, but the glazed were the fave.  

Glaze

3 c. powdered sugar

1/2 t. vanilla

1/4 c. hot water  

Mix together and dip tops of doughnuts and then let them drip on a wired rack.  Enjoy!