Hello everyone and welcome back to Wicked Quail and Pork Homestead- the blog. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook! We are a small family farm operating on a 3rd generation property. Prior to us purchasing the property from my grandfather, it was a beef farm. However, with 4 other beef farms nearby, and my strong opinion on chasing cattle and fixing fences.. we have changed it around a bit.
We have been raising swine for 8 years, we mentor anyone looking to get into the pork and piggo industry. Recently we switched to registered Idaho Pasture Pigs. We also have poultry, turkeys, ducks, quail. I think we may start leaning more towards the birds on the business end of things.
I am happy to say we have our meat rabbits back, that's one of my favorites due to sustainability and cost. We also recently brought in dairy sheep! Yum!
We are a small family with 2 kiddos, that love all things outdoors. We hope you enjoy all we have to offer, and we'd like to say.. Welcome, friend!
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Headed into the cold season here on the farm, I am getting ready to bake, bake, bake. Who doesn't love to fill their winter kitchen with smells of pies, cookies, and breads?
You know another thing I have been working on this winter is freezer meals. I picked up a second shift job for a local seed company that lasts until April and not being home to cook dinner for my family really hits me in the feels. Once a month I have been throwing together freezer meals like shepherd's pie, pasta bakes, strombolis, and soups. I do struggle to think of things to make, so if you have any good freezer meal suggestions please drop them in the comments!
Winter in the kitchen reminds me of holidays with my big family, baking and cooking with my grandmother, and ohh the Christmas chocolates. Those are one of my favorite memories. My grandmother loves making Christmas chocolates filled all sorts of things. Coconut creme, peanut butter, mint creme, and more. We always assisted with this growing up and now it's something I do with my kids every December. I should do it more often because really, chocolates are so easy to make and it takes some of the odd ingredients out of them that you find at the store.
Let's get back to the baking topic for today, though. What are your favorites? I enjoy chocolate chip cookies, rice crispies, and apple crips. My family has some favorites of their own though. One being fried donuts.
Sometimes, you just need a good donut. We enjoy having them on a Saturday morning before we head out into the cold to feed livestock.
I'm going to give you a fried donut recipe that works great with apple cider as the liquid for those seasonal October donuts, however, I will also give you substitutes for when apple cider may be scarce at the grocery store. These truly are the BEST fried donuts that I've made to date.
I top these donuts with cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, or regular sugar. I also sometimes fill a handful of them with jelly for the kids to enjoy. I am not great at this yet though, have any tips for filling donuts?
If you have any unusual and fun donut toppings, leave them in the comments!
The BEST Fried Donuts
Ingredients-
3/4 cup of warm apple cider
2 and 1/4 teaspoon of active dry yeast
1/4 cup of sugar
1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 stick of butter- melted
1/4 teaspoon of salt
4.5-5.5 cups of all-purpose flour
Oil for frying
Instructions-
Put the warm apple cider and yeast into your mixing bowl and let the yeast proof for a minute or two.
Add in all other ingredients- only add 4.5 cups of the flour at first! As you mix, evaluate if you need more flour and add gradually. You want the dough to look slightly sticky but stay mostly in a ball.
Take the dough out and knead for 5 minutes, you may need some flour on the surface of your counter. Place dough into an oiled bowl and cover, let the dough rise for roughly an hour and fifteen minutes. It should just about double in size.
Roll the dough into a ball and cut it in half to make it easier to work with. You are going to want to roll the dough out about 1/2 inch thick.
Start heating about 4 inches of oil on the stove, you are aiming for a temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oil heats, cut your dough into shapes and sizes of your choosing. I use a canning jar ring and make large donut "holes" similar to the ones you find at a Chinese Restaurant.
Drop your donuts into the oil a few at a time, cook for 2 minutes on the first side, flip, and cook for 1 more minute on the other side.
Place your donuts on a cooling rack with something to catch the oil that falls from them. Be sure to sugarcoat your donuts while they are still warm so that the sugar sticks well!
I store these in a big Tupperware container if I need to. They don't usually last long in this house between the kids and the husband.
If you want to substitute the apple cider, use 3/4 cup warm water instead!
I will say this... they don't store well long term. They get a bit dense and oddly textured about 24 hours after frying, so I would recommend making these for the morning that you need them.
I hope you like these donuts as much as we did! Leave your thoughts and tips in the comments!
Have a lovely fall, stay warm, and happy homesteading!
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