Few people can pass up a doughnut, and if you’ve ever had one of the sweet treats right out of a fryer, frosted or sugared and all hot and sweet, then you’re hooked for life! How I remember coming home from school on a cold, wintry day and smelling fresh doughnuts as soon as I walked through the door.
If it was a slow day for my mom, she often would make yeast doughnuts to surprise us. Sometimes she would just be heating the grease in a big, black iron skillet, getting ready to drop them in so they’d be fresh and hot when my brother and I returned home. The lard would be sizzling hot on top of the old wood stove, and all the doughnuts would be cut out and lying on a table covered with a floured oilcloth, rising in the warmth of the kitchen heated by a wood-burning stove.
My mom always kept brown grocery bags, and she’d flatten some, cover them with paper napkins or paper towels and set each doughnut out of the skillet onto the paper so the grease could drain. She’d fill a smaller brown bag with some granulated sugar and after draining the doughnuts, while they were still hot, she’d put them in the “sugar bag.” It was my job to shake the bag and coat all the doughnuts and doughnut holes.
We were allowed to eat all the doughnut holes we wanted, but the doughnuts were saved to be served after supper for dessert. Plus, plenty would be saved for breakfast the next morning.
MOM’S RAISED DOUGHNUTS
1/4 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm milk (scalded then cooled)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup soft shortening
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups flour
In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk, sugar, salt, egg, shortening and half of flour. Mix with a spoon until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to handle easily; mix with hands.
Turn onto lightly floured board; knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes). Round up in a greased bowl, bring greased side up. Cover with damp cloth. Let rise in warm place until double, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down and let rise again until almost double, about 30 minutes.
Roll out dough abut 1/3-inch thick. Cut with floured 3-inch doughnut cutter. Let rise on board until very light, 30 to 45 minutes. Leave uncovered so crust will form on dough. Drop into deep hot fat (375 degrees). Drain on absorbent paper. Makes 1 1/2 to 2 dozen doughnuts.
For sugared doughnuts, place in a bag with granulated sugar and shake. To make glaze, add 1/3 cup boiling water gradually to 1 cup powdered sugar. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and mix thoroughly. Dip warm doughnuts into the warm glaze.
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