June 5, 2016 - 10:07pm
Anyone know their cake donuts?
Hi, I'm trying to start a bakery by starting slow in my home and then going into a brick and mortar one day.
1. Do you folks know the story behind cake donuts? Are they literally just normal cake recipes that are fried up?I know a lot of people use premade mixes but I'd really like to avoid that if at all possible. Do you have any recipes that you've used personally with great results?
2. Also, I'm seeing all sorts of great info on Youtube about how the big companies do it
How would you replicate this process in a home setup? Is it even possible? I bought this cheapo manual dropper from amazon but it ended up being one big mess. I don't have a lot of money to spend so I can't get the Belshaw equipment yet.
Thanks
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turns up more recipes than you probably care to try. No, they don't follow the typical cake recipe (cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs, etc.).
Things to consider:
- Yeasted or cake style, doughnuts are labor intensive, although having a machine like the one in your video can help a lot.
- You have intense competition from established companies like Krispy Kreme, Dawn, Dunkin, and other chains who have huge volumes and well-established supply chains working in their favor.
- Doughnuts are in the make-it-and-eat-it-right-now food group. I'm not sure how you'll compete selling product that is a few hours away from freshly made.
- If you've worked around a deep fat fryer, you know that the odor permeates everything. Is that odor something you want in your house 24/7?
- Talk to your insurance agent. Having a high-temperature, highly flammable substance in your home probably isn't covered by your home-owner's insurance.
- Assuming that the insurance coverage can be worked out, will your local health department permit this type of business to be operated from a private residence? Can you make the necessary changes (vent hoods, fire suppression systems, etc.)?
- Is your home in an HOA? If so, what restrictions are there for home-based businesses? If not, how will your neighbors respond the sounds and odors emanating from your home?
None of the above are insurmountable but they are the first questions to ask, not an afterthought. If any of them turn into a show stopper, you'll need to consider a different business.
Best of luck,
Paul
Making donuts is trickier than you might think, you need to be able to control the temperature fairly accurately and repeatable. The other thing is that the quantity of batter to cooking oil can't be too large otherwise the oil temperature will be lowered too much when the donuts are added. The problem with low oil temperature is that you will have a lot of fat absorption if you try to compensate by starting with the oil too hot the donuts will explode because the crust forms too quick. All this before you have even a recipe, cake donuts can be hand cut but it will take a while to figure out right moisture level. When you hand cut the batter has to be firmer which means that the temperature of the oil is lower because with less moisture the heat has a harder time to travel to the interior of the donut. If you are really serious about learning see if you can get a weekend job at a donut shop, you will also learn what night work is all about.
Gerhard