Glazed Donuts – In Search of the “Real Krispy Kreme Recipe”

 

When I see a recipe on a blog or facebook, I always read the comments.  Crazy but hardly, or let’s say almost never do I see a comment from someone who has actually tried the recipe.  I see stuff like I’m gonna try this, it looks yummy, etc about 25% .  Negative comments about the recipe 50%, and negative about trying it the other 25%.  Ya know, like why the heck should I work that hard when I can just go buy it.  Ya know, I get ticked and yell at my computer.  Don’t people post recipes because they want to share with those who will try them? Geez!

 

So I think about the comments and the only question semi worthy of a response is why make it.  Several reasons come to mind.  Some people live where they can’t just go a block and buy the real deal.  Sometimes, the real deal disappears.  Take Kenny Rogers Chicken for instance. Plus, some of us just like the satisfaction of doing things.  I can think of more, but I’ve ranted enough.

 

Why am I telling you this?  It happens every time I search for a so called “copy cat recipe.”  Ok, to be fair, I have seen a few (very few) constructive comments.  Like today while looking at a “real Krispy Kreme recipe” a lady asked about cream of tarter and commented that it was an ingredient that makes a donut “melt in your mouth.”  I’ll take a look at that.

 

Copycat searches are a lesson in patience.  In my search for the Krispy Kreme, I have tried several that are touted as being “finally, the real recipe.”  Very few come even close.  One guy put the “secret ingredient” of baked potatoes in his recipe.  Really, ya think Krispy Kreme bakes a bunch of taters and has somebody back there peeling them and not one employee dimes them off to us copy cat searchers?  C’mon!  If potato was the secret, don't you think they'd just use potato flour?

 

My brother,,who was in the restaurant business most of his life, tells me “the best recipes are usually the simplest.”  I find that to be true.

 

To date, I haven’t duplicated Krispy Kremes, but today I found one that’s pretty good and I’ll share it.

 

It comes from the Yummy Recipes FaceBook page and was apparently submitted by pseudonym “.leannebakes.”  at www.leannebakes.com.  Yummy Recipes has been on FaceBook less than two months and already has close to 5000 Likes.  So thanks Yummy Recipes and .leannebakes for the recipe.

 

Here it is as given on leannebakes.com.  I use this one because it’s just a tad different from her post on Yummy and I think it’s the better of the two.  Then afterwards I’ll give you my comments and modifications.

 Glazed Doughnut Recipe

 

3 tbsp. milk

3 tbsp. boiling water

2 tsp dried active yeast

8 oz plain flour (about 2 cups)

1 1/2 oz sugar (about 3 tbsp.)

1 egg beaten

1 oz butter

1/2 tsp salt

Enough oil to cover the bottom a few inches of a wok, or a deep fryer.

Directions:

In a large measuring jug, combine the milk and boiling water.  Add a teaspoon of the sugar and the yeast.  Stir it gently, then leave it in a warm place for the yeast to activate.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, the rest of the sugar, and salt.  Cut in the butter using your fingers or a pastry blender, until it resembles crumbs.

Add the beaten egg and yeast mixture to the flour mix, and blend into a smooth dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured counter and knead for about 10 minutes- it should feel springy and little bubbles should form under the surface. Place it back in the bowl, cover with a cloth or plastic wrap, and let rise for about an hour until double in size.

Once risen, place the dough onto the counter and stretch into a long rectangle (about 14 in by 4 inches).  Cut strips about an inch wide, and shape them into circles (much like you would a bagel).

Cover the doughnuts with a cloth while you heat he oil to 375F.

Place the doughnuts into the oil and fry until golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes.

Be sure to fry only a few at a time so they don't overcrowd and stick together.

Drain on a paper towel or wire rack over a cloth, before glazing them.  Be sure to glaze them warm, or else they won't get that delicious coverage!

 

Glaze:

 

1/3 cup butter

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

4 tablespoons hot water (more added a tspn at a time as needed)

a dash of nutmeg

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until smooth.

Take the warm donuts and dip them one at a time into the glaze.  Place on a wire rack with parchment underneath.

 

You're done!

 

So, I made these babies and Krispy Kreme (or Tim Horton’s for you North of the border), maybe not.  But, I still give this recipe a big Thumbs Up because they are delicious!

 

On her website and on Yummy, leannebakes explains that she’s Canadian (explaining my Tim Horton comment) and uses a scale for measurements.  That mixed me up just a little and caused me to use a half stick of butter when I think I should have used a quarter stick.  My donuts browned a little too quick and this may be why.  Go to her website to see some nice looking pictures of what I think they should look like.

 

One commenter said that the boiling water would kill the yeast and she’s right, but if you mix it with the cold milk, it comes out warm and the yeast will still activate.

 

I measured the flour with my scale and it does come out to a little less than two cups.

 

One of the reasons I like this recipe better than the one on Yummy is that this one says ½ tspn of salt where the other says “dash”.  My dash was close to a whole tspn.

 

I used my Kitchenaid and mixed the dough for 5 minutes on 2.  Then I kneaded it for 5 minutes.  It came out to bigger than a baseball but smaller than a softball.  Now for some reason, my yeast dough doesn’t rise well.  Maybe it’s California, but I have never got the rise that I would like to see.  Maybe it's because I used the first recipe that says 1 tspn yeast and this one says 2.  Hmmm!  Happened again this time, didn't rise enough, so I let it rise about an hour, then kneaded it 5 more minutes.  Rolled it out about ¾ inch thick and cut my donuts with a coffee mug.  I skipped cutting the holes. Take the leftover, knead it some more and repeat.  I got 10 donuts out of it.  Then I let them rise another hour.  They did ok and rose to about an inch, but should have gone another half or more.  Any suggestions on how to get it to rise better, let me know.

 

The glaze recipe yielded enough to do a couple dozen so it could be cut in half (unless you can get my dough to double.)  I personally think the vanilla was a bit strong and I would cut it down to ¾ to 1 tspn.  Then I would skip the nutmeg altogether.  It wasn’t on the Yummy post.

 

I used Crisco soybean oil because all I had was that and canola on hand.  Canola has a lower burn temp at around 350, so soybean got the nod.  Probably most anything labeled vegetable oil will work.  I cooked/fried them 3 at a time and the first three at 375 browned way too quick and were just a little gooey in the center.  I dropped the temp to 325 and cooked longer.  They still got just as brown but were done all the way through.  Now, if you look at glazed donuts, you’ll see a white line around the middle on the sides.  That’s because if the dough rises right, they’ll float higher in the oil.  Mine floated but a touch lower which caused them to double cook on that center line making a dark line.  I hope that makes sense to you.  If you make a lot of donuts, you’ll see it, especially when you compare yeast raised to cake donuts.

 

So there ya go.  This is the best I’ve found so far.  It’ll stay until I find that illusive “Real Krispy Kreme.”

 

Enjoy! 

 

 

Chief's Potato Salad

 

My Dad, Chief made great potato salad.  I watched him make it several times and even asked him “how much of that do you put in.?”  He always answered “just til it’s enough.”  So, that’s how I made it all my life until a couple months ago when someone asked me for the recipe.  So last weekend, I made it for a neighborhood get together and  I measured and wrote it down.

 

Chief’s Recipe

Potatoes, eggs, sweet pickles, stuffed green olives, salt and pepper, celery seed, Miracle Whip, mustard

 

Uncle Ron’s – Chief’s Potato Salad

 

10 small potatoes

½ cup each sweet pickle relish, stuffed green olives, white onion, celery (all chopped)

2 tablespoons prepared mustard

1 cup Miracle Whip

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon each celery seed, salt, pepper

3 hard boiled eggs chopped

1 hard boiled egg sliced for garnish on top

Paprika- sprinkled on top

 

I used ten small potatoes because I had bought a 5 pound bag of them.  4-5 regular sized spuds will do.  The bigger they are, you may have to use a little more Miracle Whip.

 

I used to chop sweet pickles instead of the relish but the relish is easier and it has some other colorful stuff in it.

 

I peel then boil the potatoes in salted water for 40 minutes, soft but not too mushy.  Then I drain them and refridgerate until cool a couple hours. 

The way I hardboil the eggs, is by putting eggs in cold water in pan and bring to a boil.  Then I shut off the heat, cover and let sit for 20 minutes.  Rain the water and put in refridgerator with potatoes.

 

After they’ve cooled, I peel the eggs, then chopped the potatoes and 3 eggs.  I leave the fourth egg in the fridge.

 

Mix everything together in a large bowl and refridgerate.  You can eat it right away if you want.  I like mine to sit in the fridge overnight to all those flavors can ‘marry’. 

Before serving, peel that last egg and slice.  Place on top of the salad for garnish and sprinkle with Paprika.

 

Now, my wife says she likes it better with black olives and we’ve made it that way.  I prefer the green, but once we made it with both.  It wasn’t bad.

 

My friends,  Kevin and Kristy Farnsworth from Salt Lake (who I haven’t seen in 36 years, although I would love too), don’t use olives.  They use ½ teaspn dry mustard instead of the prepared, and add a ½ cup sour cream.  This was good enough that I asked for their recipe.

 

Whichever way you make it, I hope it turns out great! 

Enjoy!

 

Frozen Fruit Salad, Green Rice, and Burgundy Wine and Honey Sauce

 

 

Stephenson’s Apple Farm

 

Unless you are from Missouri, you probably don’t know that Missouri is a big apple growing state.  While growing up, we were told there were more apple trees in Missouri than in Washington state.  In the fall, my parents always made sure we made a trip to Stephenson’s apple farm between Independence and Lee’s Summit where we would drink apple cider right out of the barrel and eat apples right out of the bushel baskets.  One time I had a loose baby tooth when I bit into that apple.  I musta swallowed it because it disappeared.  Funny, the Tooth Fairy still left a dime under my pillow that night.

 

Stephenson’s also had a great restaurant.  Of course, being a fruit farm, they specialized in apple butter, jellies, and relishes. The restaurant was so popular that in the 70’s they decided to expand and opened a couple more restaurants.

 

Skip to today.  35 years and couple recessions, Stephenson’s is now gone.  Luckily, someone gave my wife a Stephenson’s “Old Family Secret Recipe’s” booklet.  We haven’t made but a few of their recipes but the one’s we’ve tried are just like we remember.  Here’s three with our comments and a few tweeks.  I hope you enjoy them.

 

Frozen Fruit Salad

 

This one is like a frozen ambrosia and is always a hit with guests.  

Makes 6-8 servings.

 

3 oz pkg softened cream cheese

1/3 cup of mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 egg whites

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup whipping cream

5-6 large marshmallows, cut up

¼ cup drained mandarin orange slices

1 lb can fruit cocktail, drained

2 tablespoons chooped maraschino cherries

1 tablespoon chopped walnuts

 

Blend cream cheese, mayo, and lemon juice.  Beat egg whites until foamy, beat in sugar (a tablespoon at a time), until stiff peaks form.  Beat whipping cream until stiff.  Fold the whip cream into the egg whites.  Fold into cheese mixture.  Fold in the rest of the ingredients.  Pour into an 8 inch square pan.  Freeze. 

 

Notes:

We are Miracle Whip people but we use real mayo for this recipe.

We’ve made this with small marshmallows instead of the cut up big ones and it turned out great.

When beating the egg whites and whipping cream, be patient, it’ll get there. It’ll be stiff peaks like a meringue (since it’s exactly that).

We use a glass dish and cover with plastic wrap.

My wife likes this stuff frozen which is how it was served at the restaurant, but I like mine mostly thawed.  Careful carrying the dish from the kitchen to the table, this stuff will slide off.

 

Green Rice – “Specialty of the House”

 

This side dish is fantastic.  Don’t let the number of ingredients scare you off.  I’m absolutely sure you’re gonna love it.  Everyone I know, that has tried it, does.

Makes 10 servings

 

3 cups cooked rice

1 cup chopped parsley

½ cup grated cheddar cheese

1/3 cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped green pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

14 ½ oz can evaporated milk

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon salt

½ teaspoon each seasoned salt and pepper

¼ teaspoon Accent

Juice and grated rind of one lemon

 

Mix rice, parsley, cheese, onion, green pepper, and garlic in a greased 2 quart casserole.  Blend rest of ingredients.  Mix into rice.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes, or until like a soft custard.

 

My notes:

For the rice, we’ve cooked it with “real” rice and with instant (Minute Rice and Uncle Ben’s).  It comes out the same.  You make the decision for yourself.  Maybe brown rice.

We always use fresh parsley and have discovered “herb scissors” that make it simple.  Just trim off the leaves and throw the stems away.  No more tedious pulling off leaves and chopping.  You can use parsley flakes but be sure to soak them first until soft.

Over the years, a 14 ½ oz can of evaporated milk has disappeared from store shelves.  It’s now 12 oz.  My wife just adds it at 12 but I make up the difference with regular milk.  We’ve seen no difference either way.

We use Lawry’s seasoned salt and regular black pepper.

I hear a lot of people not wanting to use Accent because it’s MSG.  Some claim it causes headaches.  If that’s you, don’t use it.  Personally, I like it as a flavor enhancer.

I use a lemon zester to remove the rind.  Then I just cut the lemon in half and squeeze.  I’ve seen a nifty bar tool for grating at Williams Sonoma.  YouTube has some nifty videos of both.

 

Burgundy Wine and Honey Sauce

 

We use this sauce on ham steak, it’s delicious.

Makes about 2 cups

 

1 cup dark corn syrup

½ cup honey

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

10 whole cloves

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¾ cup burgundy wine

 

Heat syrup and honey to boiling.  Add rind, cloves, and cinnamon.  Remove from heat and cool.  Stir in wine. Strain.  Use for basting baked ham and as a sauce to serve with it.

 

My Notes:

I love cooking with wine.  I usually just use what’s ever available in the fridge.  For some reason the sweet flavor of a cheap burgundy works best in this recipe.  The problem is that it’s tough to find a small bottle of burgundy, at least around my town.  They’ve got gallon and half gallon in bottle or a box.  Then you’ve got some extra for the fridge, ha.  Or, maybe a nice glass with dinner.

This sauce is pretty thin so if you’d like some thicker, use less wine.  I find that if I make the sauce a day ahead, it is just a touch thicker.

We’ve also added some chopped apple and or raisins.  Both work well.

 

So, there ya go!  Stephenson’s little recipe guide has some other terrific stuff.  Maybe I’ll post some more later, but if you can find a copy of the book on ebay or at a garage sale, pick it up.  You’ll be happy you did.

Enjoy!

What's The Difference?

Different, But the Same!

 

Ever notice how two people can make the exact same recipe and it turns out different?  I do.

 

I notice it most when I get a family recipe that I just loved as a kid.  Then I make it and it’s just not the same.  Did my tastes for things change over the years?  Maybe!  Or maybe it’s something in that dreaded “season to taste” or “dash of” line that you see in many, many recipes.  Maybe a manufacturer changed an ingredient.  Ya know, like using corn syrup instead of sugar.  There could be many, many reasons. 

 

I stumbled on one a while back.   One of my wife’s and my favorites is goulash.  It’s easy to prepare and always good.  We make it at least once a month.  She usually makes it. 

 

So awhile back, I tell her, “I’ll cook dinner, what d’ya want?”  Goulash.  It’s the recipe from my post "Scrambling Hamburger" . 

 

It turned out good, but we both noticed that something was different.  We decided to investigate. 

 

I pulled out the recipe and we started going through it.  The recipe calls for a medium onion.  Maybe that was it.  Did I use brown when she uses white or red.  Maybe my onion was a bigger medium than hers.  How about the medium green pepper.  Hmmm, maybe we should change the recipe to being more exact.  Maybe ¼ or ½ cup of each and specify brown, white, or red.  But, my wife says that wasn’t it.  She uses whatever’s available but she likes the idea of exact measurement because sometimes if the onion or pepper seem to be a little big, she’ll not put it all in. 

 

We moved on down the recipe.  Maybe it was a different brand chili powder.  If you read my post on "Chili Dogs", you know that all chili powder isn’t created equal.  Nope, we both used McCormick’s. 

 

Continuing on, we both had used the same amount Tabasco and the same brand (S&W) Mexican style tomatoes.  The only thing we could figure was that it had to be the hamburger.  Maybe I used a leaner mix than she did.  Sure, that must have been it, because we decided, it seemed a little dryer. 

 

Then yesterday, we once again decided on making some goulash.  We did it together.  That was when we found the missing ingredient. 

 

Amazingly the answer is GREASE!  She doesn’t brown the hamburger  using my scrambling hamburger method.  We discovered that when you use my method the hamburger grease is mostly discarded with the water.  That’s good right?  But, hey we want that flavor.  She drains the hamburger after browning but that good fatty flavor stays there which we decided what was missing. 

 

What other recipes did this affect?

 

We decided chili was probably better with the grease, but we both liked tacos and burritos to have less.  Less with a Bolognese spaghetti sauce. 

 

It all comes down to what I’ve been saying for years.  Ya gotta experiment and figure out what you like. 

 

So, for me, lessons learned:  Be more specific on how much of each ingredient.  Be more specific on methods. 

 

I hope this post gave you some food for thought or visa versa.  Hahahaha!

 

Enjoy!

Blue Cheese Dip - Great for Every Occasion

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Blue Cheese Dip

 

2 packages of cream cheese (softened)

1 package blue cheese

4 tbsp chopped black olives

4 tbsp chopped onion

Milk

 

Use just enough milk for a smooth consistency

Beat with mixer

 

Serve with corn chips.

Fritos or Bugles are best.

photo courtesy of my niece, Melanie Schultz

click on picture to enlarge

 

 As a kid, I never was much of a blue cheese fan.  As a aging boomer, I have become a big fan.  The above dip recipe is one that my mother made for every family occasion.  It was there on every holiday and even for neighborhood taco parties.

 With football season getting ready to kick off, I figured I oughta add this to the blog.

Every time someone new tries it, they ask for the recipe and Mom always gave it to them.

Here's a little story of how my Mother got the recipe.  In our little town of Liberty, Missouri there was a guy named John Pixlee.  Mr. Pixlee threw the paper for the Kansas City Times and Star.  All the time I was growing up, I don't remember having another paper man.  He had a white van and he would sit in the back rolling papers and threw them out of the van while someone else drove it.  Anyway, Mr Pixlee's wife was Eula (Harlow) Pixlee.  Mrs. Pixlee brought the Blue Cheese Dip to a party. It was immediately devoured. So, she left and came back with another big bowl and the recipe. My Dad says there's a note about it in one of my Mother's recipe books.  The Pixlee's owned a bar in Liberty in the 40's.  Both Mr and Mrs Pixlee were born in November 1900 just a couple weeks apart. She died August 1989 and he followed just a month later.  There's gotta be a good love story there.

I hope you'll love her dip.

Enjoy it and as always, feel free to share the recipe.

South Seas Chicken

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I always overbuy fruit and veggies.  That happens when there’s only two people in the house.  This week it was bananas.  I bought a half dozen and we only ate a couple.  There’s always banana bread but ya really got to time that just right.  Those bananas gotta ripen pretty good,  and we’re pretty lazy when it’s in the triple digits outside.

Barbi, my Mrs., has a recipe called South Seas Chicken.  It’s perfect for this situation, plus it takes a lemon which we always have plenty of.  Neither of us really know where this recipe came from but she says she thinks she got it off a cream of coconut can.  Who woulda thought you could use cream of coconut for something besides Pina Coladas.

As always, click on the pic to see a larger view.

It’s really good recipe and we use thighs but we have used breasts and it turns out great.  We just prefer legs and thighs, unless we’re havin’ company. Ha!

South Seas Chicken

2 bananas

6 pieces chicken

Salt and pepper

1 cup cream of coconut

2 tblspns lemon juice

2 ½ cups cornflake crumbs

¾ cup melted butter or margarine

Rinse and pat dry the chicken pieces

Salt and pepper both sides of chicken

In a bowl mix the cream of coconut and lemon juice

Peel and cut the bananas in half (lengthwise or crosswise)

Dip the chicken and the bananas in the coconut then in the cornflakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Brush bottom of baking dish with butter

Place chicken in dish

Drizzle with half the butter

Bake for 45 minutes

Add bananas

Drizzle with remaining butter

Bake another 15 minutes

If you’re having company, I would cut the bananas in thirds so there’s a banana for each piece of chicken.  Or, you can just add another banana.

Here’s something to think about.  Drizzling the butter gives a rich buttery flavor, but some say it makes it a little too greasy. Maybe drizzle over half and see how you like it best.  We always have leftovers, and the extra moisture is good for the reheat, but you can always add a little when you need it.

Now, I don’t know about where you live, but where I live, cream of coconut comes in a 15 oz can. So you got about a cup left over.  My suggestion.  Serve with Pina Coladas!

Enjoy!

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4th of July- Chili Dogs

Chili Dogs

Want to learn how to cook?  Experiment.

That’s what I do.  At first you have some bad batches of stuff but you learn quickly.

Remember my chili recipe?  If not, click here:

Uncle Ron's Chili

Today is the 4^th of July and nothin’ goes better with Independence Day than some real American food.

Chili Dogs

If you make Chief’s recipe and leave out the beans, you have a fantastic chili dog sauce. 

With Barbi’s recipe, just leave out the beans and can of water.

You can add the beans too, if you wish, but leave out the water and strain one can of the beans to make it into a thick chili dog sauce.

If you really feel “experimental,” throw in some jalepenos, or for milder, some chopped bell pepper.

Maybe, leave the onion out in case your having a party.  There’s lot’s of folks that for some reason that I can’t figure, don’t like onion.  I personally, don’t know how you can cook without it.

Here’s a coney island twist, leave out the tomato soup and add a bottle of chili sauce instead.

Chili Powder

All chili powder is not created equal.  The chili I made today was a little hot.  Spicy, chili powder hot.  It was because I used hot New Mexico chili powder.  I had bought this stuff in an effort to save some moola.  You know, the spices that are about half the price and come in a bag instead of a bottle.  I'm not saying these spices are bad, I'm just saying experiment and figure out which ones you like and which ones you don't.

In the Sept/Oct 2000 issue, "Cook's Illustrated" published a taste test article on chili powder.  I'm including it here.

 Now, I would like to discuss a few helpful hints I have learned when it comes to chili dogs.

People ask me "Uncle Ron, should I grill or boil?  Should I toast the bun?"  My answer, whatever/ whichever you like.  I prefer boiled without toasting.

After you make a pot of chili or hot dog chili sauce, I suggest you dig out those old ice cube trays and freeze the leftovers.This is something I learned from a Marine dependent wife named Bobbi.  Bobbi and her mother made a great chili dog sauce but refused to give up the recipe. I suppose they were saving it for after Bobbi's husband, Dennis retired from the Marine Corps.  He could start a new career in front of federal buildings or county court houses.  Anyway, the ice cube sized chili is perfectly sized for a single hot dog serving.

Remember going tot he ball game or fair and buying a "red hot" or "coney" and how good it tasted.  Why did it taste better than you make at home.  It didn't.  You were just in a situation where that hot dog really hit the spot.  Here's a suggestion.  When you serve your dog, wrap it in either wax paper or foil.  It compresses the dog so when you unwrap it, little of your toppings (including the sauce) fall off the dog.  Another idea is to roll it up in a used bread or bun wrapper, then unroll it before placing it in the plate.  Believe me, this really does work.

Finally, let's talk ketchup.  I think Heinz is the best commercial brand.  Once again experiment.  Some people will put ketchup on anything.  I saw Marines in the chow hall put it on eggs.  And yes, some people even put ketchup on their hot dog.  Go figure!

 I hope this was helpful.

Enjoy!