Recipe: Italian Donuts

Italian Donuts
Connie Borzi's Original Recipe
rec.food.cooking/Fran (2000)

Presto flour is easily found in Brooklyn and northern New Jersey, but it's difficult to find elsewhere. Basically, you need self-rising flour. You'll be mixing the ingredients together to form a dough and then dropping small "balls" of dough into boiling oil. The balls will sink at first, but will then rise and float when fully cooked. This type of dessert is popular in the Italian culture, so finding the flour might be a matter of asking around your local Italian market for the correct flour - even if it's not called "Presto".

1 pound Ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 cups Presto flour or self-rising flour
milk
powdered sugar
deep-frying oil (your choice)

Heat oil in a deep pot (use enough deep frying).

Whip eggs and cheese with an electric mixer.

Add flour a little at a time; add a drop of milk if the mixture gets too dry. Continue until the flour is fully consumed.

Continue mixing until the consistency is thick & creamy - a small dough ball should stick to a spoon and retain its general shape even when the spoon is upside down.

Use a tablespoon to scoop out a small ball of dough. Drop the dough ball into the hot oil - you'll need to push it off with your finger. The ball will soon rise and turn over automatically while cooking. Cook the donuts until they're a golden brown and the inside is not too doughy - this takes some experiment, and if the oil is too hot, the donuts will get dark before fully cooking.

Drain the donuts on a rack or paper towels; let them cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.