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In 1920, Adolph Levitt invented an automated doughnut machine. He set it up in the front window of his bake shop, where it cranked out doughnuts for his customers' consumption and entertainment. Today; mechanized doughnut production is the norm. But here is the good news: Classic cake doughnuts (and most others, for that matter) are easy and fun to make at home. You don't need industrial equipment or access to one of Adolph's dough- nut machines. An electric mixer or wooden spoon and bowl will do for beating the batter together. As for the frying, a saucepan of oil and a thermometer will suffice. Try this simple, but scrumptious, recipe. Your coffee break will never be the same.
Makes 24 doughnuts
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon dark rum, preferably Jamaican
Vegetable oil, preferably canola, for frying*
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated.
Beat half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, then add the milk and rum. Finally, beat in the remainder of the flour mixture, forming a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough out in a layer 1/2 inch thick. If it is too sticky to roll, sprinkle flour on the dough and the rolling pin. With a floured 2 1/4-inch dough nut cutter or round cookie cutter (if using the latter, you will also need to cut a center hole with a 3/4-inch round cutter), cut out the doughnuts and transfer them to a lightly floured plate or cookie sheet. Lightly cover the doughnuts with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 more minutes.
Meanwhile, in a deep fryer, heavy saucepan or deep skillet, heat at least 1 1/2 inches of oil to 365F. With a spatula, carefully slide 3 doughnuts into the oil. When their undersides are golden brown, turn them with a slotted spoon or spatula. When the second sides brown, lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels.
Dust liberally with confectioners' sugar
Cinnamon Sugar
You can also coat your doughnuts with cinnamon sugar:
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated sugar
In a paper bag, mix the sugar and
cinnamon together. Add the doughnuts, 3 or 4 at a time, and shake, shake, shake.
*Canola oil is my first choice for frying. It has an extremely high smoke point, so doughnuts will not pick up any “dirty” oil flavor. Peanut and corn oils are also good choices. Don’t use olive oil. It is great on salads but absolutely unsuitable for deep-frying.
