Expert: Robert Connolly - 10/21/2008

Question
I used a yeast donut recipe to deep fry donuts. They did raise but were dense. We have a pastries shop in Cincinnati that makes a donut that is very lite and fluffy inside with lots of airy holes. It is almost like a pastry that is shaped like a donut. I was wondering how to make this type of donut.

Answer
russ, it is impossible to speculate how they make thier donuts just by your description,i would need to see them myself and that is not an option,donuts ate fairly easy to make if you have the right ingredients and they are mixed and handeled properly,dense donuts can happen for many reasons,not enough yeast,bad yeast,undermixing,not enough bench time,all these things can contribute to a bad end result. remember this,commercial shops use a proof box to help the dough raise by creating an enviornment of heat and moisture,this greatly improves quality.send me the recepie you are using and maybe i can see what is happening to your donuts and help make them better. thanks. bob connolly,mills bakery,275 valley blvd,wood-ridge,n.j. 07075