National Donut Day!

National Donut Day is the first Friday in June.

National Donut Day started in 1938 as a fund raiser for the Chicago Salvation Army. Their goal was to help the needy. Many American donut shops offer free donuts on Donut Day. The Salvation Army continues to use donuts as a fund raiser.

Here’s a recipe for donuts (or doughnuts as Betty Crocker says….) from my mother’s 1950′s cookbook. I remember them being delicious!

Favorite Doughnuts

Beat well: 4 egg yolks (or 2 whole eggs)

Beat in:  1 cup sugar; 2 tbsp. soft shortening

Stir in:   3/4 cup thick buttermilk or sour milk
Sift together and stir in:  3 1/2 cups sifted GOLD MEDAL Flour; 2 tsp. baking powder; 1 tsp. soda; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/4 tsp. nutmeg; 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Chill dough 2 hours. Heat fat while rolling and cutting doughnuts.

1. Turn part of dough onto floured cloth-covered board. Keep the rest chilled. Turn dough to lightly cover with flour.

2.  Roll out gently 1/3″ thick. Cut with floured sharp doughnut cutter. Take board close to kettle to transfer doughnuts easily.

3.  Lift doughnuts on wide spatula, slide quickly into hot fat. Fry as many at a time as can be turned easily.

4.  Turn doughnuts as they rise to surface and show a little color. Fry about 3 min. to completely brown on both sides.

5.  Life from fat with long fork. Do not prick doughnuts. Drain over kettle, place on absorbent paper in warm place.

Note: Keep fat to use again: Clarify fat with raw potato in it (4 slices to 1 qt). When fat bubbles, strain into jar or can through 2 or 3 thicknesses of cheesecloth, over wire strainer. (The potato absorbs flavors and collects sediment, the remainder settling to the bottom. ) Keep in refrigerator in light-proof, tight, covered container.

Serve plain, sugared or glazed.

Note: The amount and kind of spice may be varied to suit individual taste. 2 tsp vanilla may be used in place of spices.

Temperature of fat: 370 to 380 degrees

Amount: 2 dozen 3″ doughnuts

To Sugar Doughnuts: Just before serving, shake doughnuts one at a time in a paper bag with a little confectioners’ or granulated sugar.

To Coat with Nuts and Sugar: Dip warm doughnuts into warm glaze (see below), then into mixture of 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 tsp of cinnamon.

To Glaze Doughnuts: Add 1/3 cup boiling water gradually to 1 cup confectioners’ sugar. Mix well. Dip warm doughnuts into the warm glaze.

Or…..go to Shipleys))))

The good thing about the Old World Christmas Donuts…….no calories)))