Bread Donuts - Recipe

Bear with me a minute here because I am almost positive your nose wrinkled up at the name of my favorite breakfast.  Bread donuts don't sound that appealing but, let me tell you, they are amazing!  I found out recently that the correct name for them is girl scout donuts.   I have no clue why they are called that but I assume it is because they were something easy the girls could make for breakfast at girl scout camp (although I do not remember ever having them at camp).   

Before we get started with the ingredients and the recipe, I want you to keep in mind that I am not a chef.  I am a home cook and I don't always measure things the way that someone else may. So, I will do my best to give you the correct amounts and directions. If you are having any problems with the recipe please leave me a comment and I will get back to you ASAP.

    

With that all said; Let's get started!

The ingredient list is pretty simple:  

1. Pancake mix (1 cup of dry pancake mix is enough for 3 or 4 slices of bread)  

2. White bread cut into 4 triangles (1 slice of bread (4 triangles) is enough for the average person) 

3. Vegetable oil 

4. Confectioners sugar 

5. Heavy bottom pan for frying 

Begin by putting oil in a heavy bottomed pan.  You will need about 2 inches of oil in the pan (you don't want the bread to touch the bottom of the pan or it will stick). Turn the burner on medium low to begin heating up and then begin making your pancake batter according to the package instructions. Some mixes will call for just water or others may need eggs and water. Make sure that your prepared pancake mix is thin.  You don't want the batter to be thick but if it is too thin you will make a mess getting these into the oil. 

Next, you will cut your bread diagonally across both sides to create 4 triangles.   

Then, you will need to put some confectioners sugar in a bowl to dip the finished donut in. I usually use a cereal bowl and a cup or two of confectioners sugar (you can always add more to the bowl later). Set the sugar aside.  

Now you will need to dip each piece of bread into the pancake batter.  I use a fork and just sort of lay the bread in the batter and then I put the fork under the bread and flip it over.  A word of caution here, instead of sticking the fork into the bread, you have to sort of scoop the bread up or it will break apart.  

After I dip each bread, I lay them onto a plate to rest while I do the remaining bread.

Once you have all of the bread covered in pancake batter it is time to fry them up.   
I do not usually measure the temperature of my oil so I cannot give you an exact measurement but, you do not want it to be super hot.  I would say no more than 300. You need the bread to brown slowly so that the inside will cook, not just the outside. I check the oil by dropping a tiny bit of the pancake batter into the oil.  If the batter slowly sizzles then it is perfect.  If the pancake batter immediately turns brown then you will need to turn the oil down a bit and let it cool off for a second or two and try again.   When it is time to put the bread in the fryer remember that you do not want to stick the fork in the bread, scoop the bread up and gently lay it in the fryer.  I can usually fit 8 triangles in my pan at once (I was using a smaller pan here so I could only fit 6). 

After about a minute (you can check about 30 seconds in to see how brown they are on the bottom) you will need to turn each bread piece over. The next side should take about another minute but keep an eye on them because sometimes it doesn't take that long.

  

Once they are done you will need to remove them from the fryer (I use a metal slotted spoon for this) and put them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain the oil off.

  After the donuts have had a second or two to drain you will begin putting them into the confectioners sugar.  I use a fork and drop them into the sugar one at a time.  If you do more than one it can get a bit messy.  

Once the bread is in the sugar I press it down lightly so the sugar will stick and then I flip it over to do the other side.  Once it is completely covered I remove it from the sugar and set it on the plate.   You will repeat this process until each donut is covered.

  

After that, it is time to eat!  

I recommend that you eat these right away because they are the best when they are still hot.  My boys love to eat these but I only make them occasionally because they are very rich and not healthy at all. 

If you would like to download or print this recipe, please click this link - PDF Printable