I posted about my visit this time last year to the Conewango Valley of New York. It's a beautiful, sprawling Amish settlement that is pretty conservative. One of the nicest people I met on that journey was Barbara Miller who runs a bakery on Route 62 outside of Cherry Creek. The Miller bakery is known locally for its spare-tire-sized maple-dipped doughnuts, coffeecakes, whoopie pies and other confections. Like many of the Amish businesses in the area, the bakery doesn’t have a name.
“Oh, we’re just called the `bakery on Route 62’,” Barbara Miller says, matter-of-factly when asked her businesses name was.
Take a look at these amazing maple dipped doughnuts at Barbara's bakery. (thanks, Rachel, for the photo).
The spring and summer seasons bring plenty of tourists into the area, many stopping by the bakery for one of Barbara’s doughnuts. But a second busy season occurs at the bakery in the weeks prior to Thanksgiving when her pies are the prize. In the Conewango Valley we collected recipes for several different maple confections, all of which will be in the book Amish Cooks Across America (scheduled for spring 2013 release). The doughnut recipe that Barbara uses is your pretty standard doughnut recipe. Below is a recipe from Emma Raber, an Amish woman in Pennsylvania. Barbara's maple glaze recipe is below so you can make your own at home! Some of you may notice that Barbara uses maple extract in her doughnut glaze as opposed to pure maple syrup. Anyone have any guesses as to why? If not, I'll explain in the comments later:)
LIGHT AS A FEATHER DOUGHNUTS
1 1 /2 cups milk, scalded
1 /2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 /2 cup margarine
1 1 /2 cup warm water
1 /2 tablespoon sugar
2 packages of yeast
2 eggs
8 - 10 cups bread flour
Add sugar, salt, and margarine to hot milk. Cool to lukewarm. Add yeast and sugar to warm water. Let rise for 5 minutes. Pour both liquids together plus eggs and add flour, After last flour has been added knead for 10 minutes. Let rise 1 hour and knead again. Let rise 1 hour and punch down and roll to 1 /2 inch and cut. Put on floured pan, let rise and deep fat fry at 350. Glaze while still warm
Maple Syrup Glaze:
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- ¼ teaspoon maple extract
- ½ cup milk
In a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, maple extract and milk; stir well. Add additional milk, if needed, to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over donuts.
Heather
Its a good thing I saw this photo AFTER I had my breakfast of hot oatmeal with cinnamon and apples. They look YUMMY! Will have to try this recipe this weekend with the 8 year old teenaged granddaughter.
Marge
I could go for one of those doughnuts right! They look so good.
Marge
Magdalena
The extract is concentrated. Maple syrup is mostly water. The same quantity of syrup would not have much flavour. Also, it was very wicked of you to post these because I exclaimed to my husband, "Ooh, Kevin posted a maple dip doughnut recipe!" And now, I will have to make them.
Merissa @ Little House Living
I'm guessing the extract has a stronger flavor than the same amount of the actual syrup. Also the actual syrup wouldn't dry as well and they'd be sticky:)
Kevin
Ah, good guesses everyone...but the answer - at least according to the Amish baker - is much more pragmatic than what you all are angling at....:) Try again!
Lynda S
Might the extract lower the sugar content since you could use much less?
Lynda S
or cheaper 🙂
Heather D.
Maple flavoring is a lot cheaper and easier to obtain all year long than the real stuff.
Kevin
Ah, bingo!!!! Heather got it...Barbara said pure maple syrup would just make the doughnuts too costly for the average customer to buy and would be too costly for her to make, so she uses the extract. Good job, Heather!
Fran
YUM!!! I made maple glazed donuts once..but they were cake donuts. I could probably eat a ton of the ones pictured!! Love donuts...love maple. What a great combo! I'm going to print this recipe! =)
Kevin
Fran, let us know how they turn out!
Mona G.
Boy those look good enough to eat 🙂 wish I had one right now....I bet Lovina could make these and they would melt in your mouth....did you ever have one that she made ? Think you could get her to make them for your next contest ? I love maple anything.....I can almost taste them now....we have a store here in my city where the Amish bring their bakery items to sell....think I will go there tomorrow and see if they have any of these 🙂
Betsy Thompson
And here I thought using maple extract was not as good as using real maple syrup. If it's good enough for Amish cooks, it's good enough for me--and a lot less expensive too! I've never made my own donuts, but since I love anything maple-flavored, this will be my first attempt!
Betsy
Ruth Sacks
Didn't you like any of the Amish bakeries in Lancaster Pennsylvania, or did not try them. Sadies in Churchill is really good, hard to find because it is in her home, also bird in hand bake shop, but I am planning to make these for fosnacht day's.
Kevin
Ruth, my experiences with Lancaster Co. bakeries is limited but Sadies sounds awesome!
Yvette
Hi there Kevin! Your daughter is simply precious and so cute. Would like to see more of your whole fa mily together. Prayers to all of you on your baby's arrival. I have a question about Wilma Hershbergers cucumber relisl h. How many jars does it use to can it?
tom the backroads traveller
...a trip to Conewango is not complete without one of Barbara's donuts and at 80 cents, what a deal.
Kevin
Agree, with that Tom. Hope you are enjoying Maui, SIGH, one of my favorite, favorite places on the planet!