I have never been comfortable with making breads at all, and this month's DB challenge got me facing my fear. Our challenge this month - doughnuts! Yes, doughnuts are delicious; one of the best comfort foods ever, but I would rather buy from a shop than make it myself because I'm not confident in the arena of any yeast product.
However, there's a reason why I joined DB. It's to push my boundaries in baking, and face making pastries, desserts or bread that I wouldn't normally do. So here I am... baker!
Blog-checking lines: The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.
Since our host provided four recipes to choose from, I've decided to choose Kate Neumann's bomboloni recipe. Bomboloni is a Tuscan version of filled doughnuts, except that the filling is piped on the top of the doughnuts instead of the sides, which we normally see with filled doughnuts.
I've psyched myself for this challenge; I wasn't anxious at all when I was making the dough for the bomboloni. I was also following the recipe down to a tee. I guess even if I was mentally ready to face the doughnut challenge, I was subconsciously nervous. Hence, it showed on my doughnuts. When I bake, I normally use my instinct to see if things are going smoothly, but in this case, I was so glued in with the recipe. I didnt' trust my judgement when I saw that my yeast might not have foamed up the way it should. I just continued following the recipe.
As a result, my doughnut was a flop. I was only able to make half of what the actual yield for the recipe should produce. My doughnuts came out really dense and heavy, but the taste was still good. So I decided to still continue filling and glazing my bombolonis.
So for my bomboloni, I dusted their top with powdered sugar, then filled them with pastry cream. For the glaze, I piped alternate circles of dark chocolate and white chocolate ganache. The taste of the final bomboloni was really really good! The only down side was how heavy the actual doughnut was. I guess practice makes perfect; I would definitely be making another batch at some point. This time, I'll trust myself when I think something is not right before it becomes too late.
Bisou bisou,
Charlotte
Glad they were delicious, the filling looks good
ReplyDeleteThey look wonderful! Thanks for the background info on the bomboloni. I'm sorry about the yeast issue....at least they still tastef yummy. I too was nervous about making the doughnuts but it ended up being quite easy other than filling them. I had issues with the pastry bag and tip.
ReplyDeleteNot only did you push your baking boundaries, I think you did excellently with your very nice looking doughnuts.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, the looks of your doughnuts do not show any sign of flop! I'm glad they tasted good. As always, your final product is adorable! Thanks for your lovely comment on mine!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the rest of the comments, the doughnuts do not look at all like a failed recipe, they look delish!
ReplyDeleteYour doughnuts certainly look good, so it's too bad they were heavy. next time you will be more confident and they will be the doughnuts of your dreams!
ReplyDelete:)
I think your crumb (the interior of the doughnut) looks wonderful so light and airy. It sounds like that they worked out fairly well even with some problems. Wonderful work on this challenge. Cheers from Audax in Sydney Austalia.
ReplyDeletethanks all for your encouraging comments!:)
ReplyDeleteRegardless of how heavy they may have been, I think they look wonderful! Great job and I really hope you enjoyed the challenge.
ReplyDeleteLori
These donuts look amazing! I know what you mean about being less confident working with yeast-baked goods, but I was the same a year and a half ago. Soon, you'll be a pro! keep up the great bakes :)
ReplyDeleteDoughnuts look super!!
ReplyDelete