Doughnuts

What I remember are the doughnut holes rolled in powdered sugar and being sent to Paulson’s grocery store to buy lard (“put it on the account, Mr. Paulson”) to fry them in. Since Mom’s recipe makes no mention of how to fry the doughnuts, I consulted “Joy of Cooking;” if you have a copy, it’s well worth reading. To summarize: deep frying is dangerous! You need a heavy, deep, flat-bottomed kettle at least 3 to 4 qt. size. Melt 3 pounds of lard over medium heat until the temperature reaches 375 degrees on a frying thermometer, or drop a cube of bread into the lard and time it for 1 minute. If it turns brown, the lard is hot enough. Do not let the lard get so hot it smokes. And finally, be careful when putting doughnuts into the hot lard—it will bubble up and you don’t want it to spill over onto the burner. Then there’s the issue of what to do with the lard after you’re finished frying the doughnuts. Maybe you should just read this recipe for nostalgia, if you’re an older LeRoux ponder Connolly’s and the French doughnuts on Thursdays, sigh, and then go buy a dozen at your favorite bakery.

Make sour milk:

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 tsp. vinegar

Let this sit (it will curdle) while you beat eggs and sugar together. Just before adding dry ingredients, put 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda into the sour milk to make it foamy (Be sure milk is in a container big enough to increase its size once the baking soda is added)

While making the dough, heat lard for frying in a large kettle.

Beat in large bowl of mixer:

3 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1//2 T. lard, melted (substitute butter if this grosses you out)

Gradually add 1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Enough flour to make a soft dough—about 3 cups

Add alternating with the foaming sour milk

Flour your hands and gather dough up into a ball, (Joy of Cooking says to chill dough at this point so it’s not so sticky. Mom didn’t do this) place on a floured pastry cloth or large sheet of waxed paper. Take about half the dough and pat into a round, about 1/2 inch thick. Dip a doughnut cutter into flour and press firmly into the dough. Dip a pancake turner into the hot lard and then slide it under the cut doughnuts (the hole should stay behind) and gently slip them into the hot lard. Add doughnuts, one at a time at slight intervals, fry a few at a time or they won’t cook properly. Doughnuts will rise to the top. Turn them over carefully to cook on the other side; this should take no more than about 3 minutes for each doughnut. When cooked, remove with a fork or tongs, place on paper towels to drain (Mom used flattened paper bags); after they’re cool, dip into powdered sugar (Mom put powdered sugar in a bag and would let us shake the doughnuts.) Fry the doughnut holes separately; they don’t take as long.