Chocolate Sourdough Donuts

One of the Farmer’s WIfe’s fa-vor-ite things to do is go on trips. And when she does, of course the very first thing that is done is to go out for a meal or five. And that meal is tasted. Slowly. If it is of average or even above average that is all that will happen Food is eaten. Company enjoyed and the trip goes on. But once in a great while, the meal is paused. The bite taken again. And yes, out comes the notebook. The bite is described in full as well as a quick sketch of it’s composition as well as any notes on how it is to be reproduced (think of a nature journal, but for replace the word nature with food). And if it is a particularly good bite, not a day can pass before said notebook is addressed in the way of a re-cre-ation. Such is the case with the Austin trip taken and enjoyed over this last weekend (where Mikaela currently calls home) where a donut shop was suggested. The shops name? The Salty. (who ever heard of such a name for a bakery?) (And who wants a donut, anyway?) Well, apparently the Farmer’s Wife does, because. Yes. That’s the notebook. It must’ve been a good bite..

There donuts were had, only one worth mentioning. It was a chocolate yeast affair dipped in a chocolate glaze and the bottom was then re-dipped in a chocolate cookie crumb. The lightness of the donut, the bitterness of the glaze, followed by the crunch of the crumb was a delight. And this is how it can be done (and done a smidge better, if I am honest). One cup of sourdough starter is placed. Oh. You don’t have sourdough starter? Well, just this once you can take a quarter teaspoon yeast and add to it one half cup flour and a(nother) half cup of water. This is stirred well and set aside at room temperature for a minimum of six hours–better yet, overnight. There now you have something you can use in way of a substitute. Next time, get yourself some starter (you may stop by the Farm and get some. We always have plenty to spare). Okay. Now, back to where we were. One cup of sourdough starter is placed into a bowl along with a cup of warm non-chlorinated water and two teaspoons of yeast. This is left by itself to sit a bit until all is a bit frothy. Once it is, two and a half cups of flour are added, along with one third cup of cocoa powder. Now. About that. Use the good stuff. Now is not the time to be cheap. One half cup of sugar is stirred in as well for good measure. This is all kneaded together until smooth. Then it is allowed to rest for a minute or fifteen. Once it has rested and rested well, two tablespoons of softened butter are kneaded in as well as a teaspoon in the way of salt. This is all kneaded together until all is shiny and well–about ten minutes. It is set aside in a towel covered bowl for a couple hours before being tucked into the fridge for the night. In the morning, it is rolled out on a cocoa powder dusted counter until it is about an inch thick. It is cut with a handy-dandy donut cutter and the newly-formed donuts are placed on a parchmented lined baking sheet where they are covered with a dishtowel and set to rest for an hour or two (until doubled) and then baked in a preheated three hundred and seventy five degree oven until done–about fifteen to twenty minutes. Once done and done well, they are removed from the oven and set on a cooling rack to, well, cool. Now, don’t go anywhere, because this is when the fun starts. A glaze is made in the way of taking two tablespoons cocoa powder and mixing them in a saucepan with a half cup of sugar of the granulated variety. To that is added one tablespoon corn syrup, two tablespoons butter, a quarter cup half and half and a dash of salt. This is stirred and cooked, cooked and stirred until all is bubbly and nice–for about three minutes. At which time the heat is turned off and two ounces of good, chopped chocolate is stirred in until all is smooth and frosting-like. This is either poured or spread over said donuts and left as they are, unless you’d like to be a purist and make them just as they were at ‘The Salty”, in which case you’d dip them sunny-side down in crushed Oreo’s before that frosting has had a chance to set. Makes eighteen delectable donuts. Enjoy.