Jelly Filled Doughnuts

I love doughnuts. Let's be honest: who doesn't love doughnuts? If you're lucky, you remember watching your grandmother make homemade doughnuts, dipping them in granulated sugar, and then setting them on a tray to cool. If you're even luckier, you remember being able to �steal� one, without getting your hand slapped, while it was still warm and fresh. Nothing can beat those old-fashioned doughnuts. Nothing, except maybe Mandy's Jelly Filled Doughnuts recipe which she has graciously shared through her food blog �Mandy's Recipe Box�.

Doughnuts, or donuts as they are commonly spelled, are a type of fried dough dessert or treat. They are popular in many countries and prepared in various forms. Usually deep-fried from a flour dough, doughnuts are either ring-shaped or without a hole (and filled with fruit preserves, cream or custard). Not unlike many foods, the history of doughnuts is disputed. One theory suggests doughnuts are a Dutch settler creation in North America during the 19th century. However, an American named Hanson Gregory claimed to have invented the ring-shaped doughnut in 1847 when he was just 16 years old. Paul Mullins, an anthropologist, claims the first mention of doughnuts came from an American recipe book from 1803 and still another more recent claim is that an acquaintance of the dowager Baroness, wife of Baron Thomas Dimsdale, transcribed her cooking instructions of the delicacy in 1800. The �dow nut� recipe was found in her book of recipes and domestic tips. Interestingly, the first known printed use of donut was in �Peck's Bad Boy and his Pa�, a book published by George Peck in 1900. Apparently the word was abbreviated to make it easier for foreigners to pronounce. Despite its disputed history, doughnuts have remained delicious rings or �without-a-hole� filled delights for well over a century... maybe even two.

The thought of making my own doughnuts, though, fills me with fear. I'm not afraid to admit that. It's the yeast. I fear the yeast. What if it doesn't raise? What happens if I try to work the dough too early? What happens if it's too humid or too cold? What happens if the yeast grows into another life form and attacks me? Luckily, Mandy suggests using Fleischmann's� RapidRise� Yeast, which doesn't have any �funky directions� or multiple raise times. I like the sound of that. Mandy actually gives a few helpful hints in her recipe for jelly filled doughnuts that would be wise to follow. All you need to do is look at the pictures on her blog to know that this gal knows what she's talking about. The one downfall to Mandy's recipe is that it only makes up to 16 doughnuts, so get out your calculator to do conversions because you're going to want more once you try one. And remember: don't do what granny used to do and slap everyone's hands away. Eat these doughnuts and share the doughnuts while they're still fresh and hot!