Hippie Trip Doughnuts

It's that time of the month again. No, not THAT time. It's Daring Bakers Challenge time! The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.



Now this was not a very detailed challenge, in fact it was purposefully vague. Just...make doughnuts.



But I didn't want to make just any doughnuts. A few months ago I made these cake doughnuts, and while they were good, I wanted to make some really! Good doughnuts. Extraordinary doughnuts.



But lets be honest. When you want to 'transcend' yourself creatively, sometimes its easier with the use of a mind-altering substance. Artists are famous for this (not that I'm an artist. I am, you say? Oh, you. I don't know...).



Of course, I don't dabble much in mind-altering substances. In fact, I've made a commitment not to. I think they are a bad idea in general.



So what can a creative person do to get out of the conundrum of having a stuck, fitzy brain when they want a soaring, freed mind, but without using controlled substances?



Mooch off those that do!



These cereal-y doughnuts are inspired by a local doughnut shop called Voodoo Doughnuts. They make the most incredible doughnuts - and not just flavor-wise. I have never seen anything so creative.



And honestly, this being Eugene, they make very little effort to hide that the reason so many of their ideas are so outside the box is because of a little extra-creative inspiration. Possibly in smoke form.



Certainly some of their doughnuts (and this is not an insult) look like something a disoriented teenager threw together from his parents cupboard to battle the munchies. One of them is actually sprinkled with Tang powder and has mini-marshmallows stuffed into the middle.



Mm. They fried up so nice and crisp and golden. And the dough recipe called for barely any sugar at all, so it provided a bready, almost salty contrast to the super sweet glaze frosting and cereal.



Happy Halloween.

For Daring Bakers recipes, click here.