Published in the Chicago Tribune, Newport News Daily Press, South Florida Sun Sentinel in November 2009

Think about classic American foods and the doughnut invariably springs to mind. With its moist, yielding interior, delicate, sugary crust and ease of portability it’s no wonder that this sweet ring of deep-fried dough has been the star of breakfast and snack time for centuries.

Historians quibble over who introduced this treat. Some point to an anecdote by Washington Irving concerning Dutch settlers in New York. Irving stated that these colonists always had fried, sweetened dough balls, called “dough nuts or oly koeks,” on hand.
The Dutch, scholars insist, brought the doughnut to our land. Yet others claim that it hailed from Germany or Central Europe.

No matter where it got its start, the doughnut – also spelled “donut” – remains one of the easiest and tastiest snacks to create. Mix together flour, eggs, milk and a leavening agent such as yeast or baking powder. After the ingredients are combined, roll and cut the resultant dough into orbs or rings.

From here drop the doughnuts in batches of two or three into oil heated to 370 degrees Fahrenheit. Using tongs, turn the doughnuts so that they fry evenly on both sides. When they become golden in color, they’re finished. It’s that simple!

One thing to remember is to drain the doughnuts on paper towels after frying. Likewise, pat
them dry before icing to remove any excess fat still clinging to the surface. Consume them warm or within an hour or two after cooking.

Beyond flavor, the way that doughnuts differ is in whether they are raised or cake. A raised doughnut receives its leavening from yeast and rises at least once before being fried. Once it hits the hot oil, the dough steams and puffs up, producing its customary airy consistency.
This type of doughnut appears not only in the usual ring form but also as twists, squares, jelly-filled rounds and crème-filled oblongs. It is often dusted with granulated sugar or glazed with chocolate, peanut butter or butterscotch.

Unlike a raised doughnut, cake contains baking powder instead of yeast. This change in leavening yields the dough’s denser, cake-like texture. Hence the name “’cake” doughnut.”
Cake dough, which is usually flavored with spices or chocolate, is chilled before being fried. Chilling stops the dough from absorbing too much fat and becoming an unappetizing, grease-laden blob.

‘To hole or not to hole’ is the question faced by any doughnut fan. In the early days there wasn’t this conundrum. The first doughnuts were just that – “nuts” or balls of dough, sans hole.

By the mid 19th century ring doughnuts or doughnuts with holes had entered the culinary scene. Stories abound on how this innovation came to be. The most popular attributes the doughnut hole to a Maine sea caption, Hanson Crockett Gregory.

Tired of the soggy centers in his mother’s homemade doughnuts, Gregory reputedly poked out the centers so that they would cook evenly. With this alteration Gregory believed that he could store the finished doughnuts on the spokes of his ship’s wheel. This odd placement made them easier to access and eat while at sea.

No matter how they came to be, ring doughnuts became all the rage by the 1870s. Special double cutters were sold to create the perfect center opening. When those weren’t available, bakers used two biscuit or cookie cutters – one 3-inches in diameter and the other 1-inch in diameter – to cut out the excess dough.

The extras were then fried, coated and eaten separately. They were named, quite simply, doughnut holes.

Since then, other shapes and types of doughnuts have joined the deep-fried family. From Spain comes the sweet dough spiral known as the churro. Piped through a tube with a star-shaped nozzle, the ridged churro is fried until crunchy and then sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar.
Often paired with a thick, hot chocolate, it appears on tapas menus and street carts throughout Latin America. Needless to say, it’s a popular breakfast and mid-day sweet.

In France and regions such as Quebec and New Orleans where French cuisine reigns, the rectangular beignet supplants the traditional doughnut. Blanketed with powdered sugar, this pillow of dough is offered hot, around the clock, and with plenty of napkins.

Beignet dough must be prepared in advance and chilled overnight. Covered, it will keep for about a week in the refrigerator.

Whether indulging in a traditional jelly-filled or glazed chocolate or an exotic beignet or churro, a doughnut is the any time treat that’s sure to please.

Chocolate Sour Cream Doughnut
Makes 1 dozen doughnuts

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup sour cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
vegetable oil, for frying
powdered sugar, for dusting

In a medium sized bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa and cinnamon.

In a large bowl beat the eggs until frothy. Slowly add the sugar and beat until well combined. Add the sour cream and vanilla and blend together.

Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until incorporated. Shape the dough into a circle, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. The dough will become more workable when chilled.

In a deep fryer or deep saucepan heat the oil to 370 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the dough on a clean, floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll it out to ½-inch thick. Using either a floured doughnut cutter or two biscuit cutters, cut out 12 doughnuts. Keep the centers so that they can be fried, too.

Lower the doughnuts, two at a time, into the hot oil. Fry about 1 minute on each side or until browned. Remove and drain on papers towels. Repeat for the remaining doughnuts and then the doughnut holes. Dust the doughnuts with powdered sugar and serve.

Churros
Makes 12 to 15 churros

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup water
¼ cup canola oil
1 egg, beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
oil, for deep frying

Sift together the flour, salt and brown sugar.

Place the water and canola oil in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the stove. Add the flour mixture to the boiling liquid and beat with a wooden spoon until a stiff paste forms. Cool slightly then add the egg and vanilla extract, beating until well combined.

Stir together the sugar and cinnamon and then spread the mixture onto a large plate and set aside. In a deep fryer or large saucepan heat the oil to 340 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. On another plate layer several paper towels.

Spoon the dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip. When the oil reaches the proper temperature, squeeze 3 to 4 inches of dough into the oil. Cook the churro for about 1 minute or until golden. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, turn it over and allow it to cook on the other side until golden. Remove and drain the churro on the layer of paper towels. Dip the churro into the cinnamon sugar and place on a platter. Repeat the same process until all the dough is gone. Serve immediately.

Beignets
From Rima and Richard Collin’s The New Orleans Cookbook (Knopf, 2004)
Makes roughly 5 dozen beignets

*Note that the dough must be prepared in advance and refrigerated overnight. If you don’t wish to make the beignets right away, the dough will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator.

1 1/2 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup undiluted canned evaporated milk
7 cups flour
1/4 vegetable shortening
oil for deep frying
confectioner’s sugar

Put the warm water in a large bowl, add the dry yeast and stir until thoroughly dissolved. Add the sugar, salt, eggs and evaporated milk. Slowly stir in 4 cups of flour. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and well combined. Beat in the shortening then add the remaining flour, about 1/3 cup at a time. Stir until it becomes too stiff to do so and then work the dough with your fingers. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

On a clean, floured surface roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/8-inch. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into rectangles measuring 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Preheat the oil in a deep fryer to 360 degrees Fahreheit.

Fry 3 or 4 beignets at a time until they are puffed and golden brown on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, turn them over once or twice so that they are evenly browned. Drain each batch on a wire cooling rack. Place them on a platter covered with paper towels and put the platter in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining beignets.

Liberally cover the beignets with powdered sugar and serve hot. Yum!

© 2009, Kathy Hunt. Distributed by Tribune Media Services Inc.