Baking can be a very enjoyable activity. I find particular pleasure in cooking up new inventions or creating variations on previous experiments. Almost a year ago, I took it upon myself to concoct a rival for Tim Hortons doughnuts. Needless to say, the experiment was a failure in that I didn't succeed at my overly ambitious endeavour! However, I was not discouraged by this as, in the eyes (or perhaps better said, mouths) of my brothers, it was far from a fiasco. Therefore, it was with renewed enthusiasm that I recently undertook to perfect my recipe. And to a certain degree, I was successful! These doughnuts were far lighter than the last batch, though they are still lacking something of Tim Hortons' excellence. My brothers simply tell me that I will have to make the attempt again someday, and of course, they would be delighted to voluteer their tasting services!
For those readers who have never tried making doughnuts, here's an overview of how it is done:
1. Mix up the dough and let it rise. Doughnut dough is much like a fairly standard bread dough only a bit sweeter. The first time I did it, I used both yeast and baking powder. The second time, I used only yeast and altered a couple other ingredients (ie. using water instead of milk).
2. While the dough is rising, heat some oil to 375 degrees Farenheit. Have fun trying to keep it steadily at that temperature! If it is too hot, the doughnuts risk burning (or the oil could catch fire - we have done this before, though not while making doughnuts). If the oil isn't hot enough, the doughnuts will tend to fall after coming out.
3. Roll out the dough to about 2 cm think (a little less than an inch).
4. Using either a doughnut cutter or two sizes of round cookie cutter, cut out the doughnuts.
5. A few at a time, carefully slide the doughnuts/doughnut holes into the hot oil, flipping them when one side is done. (Be careful - the oil is very hot and fingers don't benefit from it as I unintentionally discovered!) It only takes a couple minutes for them to cook. Generally, a golden brown colour indicates that they are ready to come out and be placed on paper towels to dry and cool. Evidently, if the dough is chocolate, the doneness discerning is more challenging.
6. All that is left now is to eat them, unless, of course, you want to have them frosted as my brothers tend to prefer.
Here are just a few pictures...
As I've pondered doughnut making, I've wondered if there were some spiritual analogy to it. (Other than that we should be "holy.") The oil in which the doughnuts are cooked is very hot, but if it were not for that heat, these tasty treats would not turn out the way they do. A lower temperature might seem "gentler," but that would cause the doughnuts to come out soggy and flat - hardly edible. Similarly in our lives, God sometimes sends hot situations, not to burn us, but to render us fit for His use. These situation might be ones we would naturally try to avoid, but God intends them for our good. He knows exactly what it takes to eradicate flaws and produce Christlikeness. May we learn to embrace what He sends!