I am not a big doughnut eater. In fact, for years I thought I didn't even really like doughnuts. Then I visited some friends in Seattle and tried a circle of fried dough from Top Pot. I was a convert. It was fresh and soft with a lightly crispy exterior. It was sweet without being cloying. It made the cup of coffee I drank with it taste even better. I finally understood why a person might decide to eat a doughnut for breakfast. So I was pretty excited that Mark and Michael Kiebeck of Top Pot teamed up with food writer Jess Thomson to share their doughnut mastery with the rest of us with Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts: Secrets and Recipes for the Home Baker.
Three Types of Doughnuts and So Much More
Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts covers three basic types of doughnuts: cake, raised, and old-fashioned. For each type, the book offers up several variations of flavors, such as Spiced Chai Cake Doughnuts, Bavarian Cream Bismarks, Apple Fritters, Pumpkin Old-Fashioned Doughnuts. Along with dozens of doughnut possibilities there are over a dozen glazes and icings to enhance your doughnut creations. The basics are bolstered with additional recipes for baked doughnuts and gluten-free doughnuts, not to mention a doughnut cake and a totally insanely fabulous doughnut bread pudding (!).
Great Directions for Perfect Doughnuts
The recipes in Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts are easy to follow, with plenty of hints for helping the doughnut neophyte cook up perfect doughnuts (check out this Sour Cream Old-Fashioned Doughnuts Recipe as an example). The doughs are easy to work with, so rolling out and cutting the doughnuts is a breeze. And for people who aren't experienced or comfortable with frying, there are helpful tips to put them at ease.
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
