StumbleUpon Doughnut Holes

First things first, I want to apologize for my recent absence from SSEN.  There are several reasons for this, and I know you are DYING to know them.  So, here they are:

1. I don't know what to bake!!!!  I never thought that this would happen, but I have baker's block!  I can only think about what I am going to cook for Thanksgiving break and my mom's birthday.

2. I have 5 assignments due between now and Thanksgiving break.... Legitimate enough, right?

3. My last 2 baking adventures haven't gone exceptionally well... As tasty as the Vegan Apple Almond Bread was, it fell apart and made a mess all over the kitchen.  I barely got it out of the pan and had to struggle to get a good picture.  And the Brookies looked really weird until I cut them... So, I am being a little cautious and hesitant about my next baking adventure.

4. I recently got addicted to StumbleUpon... This is what I do in my free time.  Not bake food, but bake my brain on the Internet. NOT GOOD.  I mean, I found a website about nothing more than grilled cheese!!! How am I supposed to get anything done when I can become engrossed in 50 different grilled cheese sandwiches?!?!

Don't even get me started on foodgawker...

While Stumble has decreased my SSEN productivity, it has given me lots and lots of good recipe ideas for the blogging... (Most of which contain Oreos???)

And today, I settled on doughnuts.... That's right, doughnuts.  Warm, flaky, melt-in-your mouth, cinnamon-and-sugar-crusted doughnuts...

Thanks, Internet.

Stumble Doughnut Holes
adapted from 101 Cookbooks after a long Internet search
makes 5+ dozen doughnut holes (so gather the neighborhood)

*Warning: this is a time-intensive recipe.  Make sure you have 3 or so hours on your hands before attempting these*

Doughnut holes:
2/3 cup warm milk (not hot, you will kill the yeast)
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Crust:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

Mix 1/4 cup milk and yeast in bowl and set aside for 5 minutes or so. Stir butter and sugar into remaining milk and add it to the yeast mixture.

With a fork, stir in flour, egg, nutmeg, and salt until just incorporated.  Now, you are going to want to knead the dough for several minutes.  If you have a stand mixer, I would suggest using it and a dough hook.

Here's where it gets tricky... If your dough is too sticky and wet, add more flour (a tablespoon at a time). If your dough is too dry, add more milk (a tablespoon at a time).  Your dough should be pulling away from the bowl and be "supple and smooth."

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead a few times.  Shape into a ball.  Move dough to a greased bowl and allow it to sit (covered) in a warm place for an hour to rise.

Punch down dough and roll it out to 1 1/2 inches thick.  Cut out 1-inch circles and transfer to baking sheet (I used a salt shaker top).  Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 4 - 5 minutes until golden brown.  Immediately remove, allow to cool until you can handle them (no more than 3 minutes).

In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar.  Dip tops of doughnut holes in melted butter, then in cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Serve warm.

Wow.... We just made doughnut holes!