Timbits...Canadian donuts?

So what are "TimBits"? Well, waaaay up there in Canada, they have a coffee shop called Tim Hortons. It's basically a Canadian Starbucks, but a little higher quality. They serve all sorts of little treats, but the main attraction is their fluffy little fried balls of dough dipped in sweet baths of icing or rolled in sugar. They are pretty much donut holes, but why not seize the opportunity and give them a name that advertises for Tim Hortons, and sticks in your brain like the icing on your chin? So TimBits they became, and they were a hit from the very beginning. Why? Because everyone loves a good donut, and donut holes are even more irresistible! Many people in different countries have their own version of these TimBits. Germany, Ethiopia, America (of course), Poland, Israel, the list goes on and on.

Now that you have had a brief history, on to the recipe!

I got this recipe from Emma's Goodies YouTube channel so I'll pop that link right here and get on with the dough- I mean show. 😁 https://youtu.be/vzKuobmi3iI (go subscribe, she is always making yummy things!)

Ingredients:

- 140g Self Rising Flour ( 1 cup )

- 190g Any Plain Yogurt ( 6.5 ounces + 1/2 tbsp ) (13 Tbsp + 1/2, so into cups that's:

3/4 cup + 1 and 1/2 Tbsp.)

NOTE: Emma is using the metric system, but if you don't have a way to measure by weight, I did the math for you so you can do it in Tablespoons/cups. 👆

Also it took a little more yogurt than called for, for me.

Another note: I suggest using vanilla yogurt, not plain or greek. Using plain tends to make the donuts a bit too tangy for my taste, but if you like tangy donuts, then have at it.

One more note: I like to add a little palm-full of sugar, and a splash of vanilla to my dough to enhance the flavor, but that is totally optional. 😉

Note from Emma:

SUBSTITUTES:

**Yogurt can be substituted for milk BUT add only 112 grams of Milk ( 1/2 cup )

(my note: DON'T USE MILK LIKE I DID. It makes the donuts chewy and dense, while the yogurt makes them light and fluffy. Pretend that the milk in my pictures is yogurt and we will be fine.😂)

**Self rising flour can be made TWO ways:

- 140 grams of plain flour + 1 1/2 tsp baking powder ( 1 cup + 1 1/2 tsp baking powder)

- 140 grams of plain flour + 1/2 tsp baking soda ( 1 cup + 1/2 tsp baking soda)

(In this instance, I had to add the baking power to my flour because at the time we did not have self rising flour.)

Glaze for Donuts :

- 250 gr Powdered Sugar ( 2 cups)

- 75 gr Butter ( 2/3 Stick )

- 3-4 tbsp Milk depending how thin you like your glaze

- 1 tsp Vanilla

- Cocoa Powder or Melted Chocolate (to taste)

It's really simple but here is a walk-through with pictures anyway. 😉

Alright! Time to start! I suggest getting all your ingredients out first, so that you don't have to run around the kitchen grabbing this and that while you work.

Add your flour to a medium sized bowl. If you are using baking powder, then add that too and give it a lil' mix. Next, add the wet ingredients, which again, was milk for me in this batch, but SHOULD be yogurt. 😁😉

Give that a long stir, until the texture is kinda wet and sticky, but all one glob in the middle of the bowl.

Next, scoop up the dough with a spoon and place it into a ziplock bag. Cut a medium sized slit in one of the bottom corners of the bag, but be careful not to let the batter ooze out!

Meanwhile, heat up enough oil ( I used peanut, but any frying oil will do) to keep the donuts holes from touching the bottom of the pan to about 350 degrees. I used a thermometer to make sure I stayed in that range. Oil that is too hot will cause the outside of the batter to cook very quickly, while the inside stays raw. Oil that is not hot enough will make the donut greasy and take a very long time to cook.

Now, taking clean kitchen scissors, squeeze out a small amount of dough over the oil, and snip it off into the oil. Be careful not to let the hot oil pop you! It's very helpful to have a utensil called a "spider" when making these, to stir and scoop the donuts out of the oil, But if you don't have one, a slotted spoon with a long handle will work.

You'll need to lay some paper towels down on a plate for the donuts to sit on after they are cooked, so any grease on them gets soaked up.

Cook the little donut blobs until they are golden brown and crispy on the outside, them scoop them out and set them on the paper towels.

If you have a helper, ask them to get the glaze going while you mix and fry the dough, but if not, I suggest making the glaze beforehand and letting it sit while you work.

After the donut holes shed all their excess oil and cool off a tiny bit, plop them into the glaze and roll them around until they are coated. I like to make the glaze in a wide enough bowl so that I can place a small cooling rack over half. Then when you finish giving the puffs their sugary bath, you can place them on the rack and save as much icing as you can, to re-use. Let the donuts sit until the coating has a hazey appearance and is dry to the touch. Ok, eat one or two (or 10) and drip icing all over the place, then let the rest set up while you clean the evidence off of the counter and your face. 😁😁

If you don't want to make glaze, then you can roll them in plain sugar, or cinnamon sugar if you'd like.

And then you are done! Time to enjoy your tasty little TimBits!

I hope you enjoyed this week's post. I'll try to get the next one out a little sooner! 😉

See 'ya later!