I often wish I was standing in my Grammy’s kitchen. On some days, I miss her voice. On other days, I miss the way she could make the house smell. Yeasty breads, roasted chickens, and browning pies led to a pleasant association: Grammy and good, good food. My mom and aunt have told me about one of their favorite meals from her kitchen. Almost every Sunday night, she’d fry a chicken and make her famous shoestring french fries. My mom and aunt, then little girls, would stand beside her as she pulled the fries from the fryer. They’d often eat the entire batch before sitting down to dinner.
I, however, grew up in a VERY health-conscious home, so fried foods were regulated to occasional, out-to-dinner treats. I never watched my own mother fry anything. But on Sunday morning, I woke with a strong desire to make a batch of doughnuts. And in case you didn’t know, doughnuts are fried.
Seeing that I came to this task completely unprepared, I wished, even more, that I had my Grammy standing beside me! Over the past few years, I’ve learned how to make pies, rolls, even wedding cakes…but the thought of all that bubbling oil made me nervous. Thankfully, I knew that if I completely failed, no one would know besides Ryan and me. One of the wisest lessons I’ve learned is to never bake or make something complicated for the very first time if guests are due to appear.
Over the course of an hour (and yes, this recipe takes less than an hour!) I made a few rookie mistakes. I don’t own a deep-fryer (no surprise there) so I used Ryan’s wok and a candy thermometer to determine temperature. The wok worked wonderfully…the candy thermometer not so much. When I dropped my doughnut holes into the oil, they went from light pieces of dough to dark black char-balls within seconds. Clearly, the candy thermometer wasn’t registering temperature correctly. I learned my lesson, cooled my oil, and then relied on a simple old-fashioned test. I took a small piece of dough and dropped it into the center of my oil. If it began to bubble immediately and rise to the surface, I knew I was ready to go. And the result was a beautiful batch of freshly made doughnut holes that Ryan and I enjoyed along with pancakes and scrambled eggs (Sunday mornings should be a bit decadent, I think…especially when you’re 31 weeks pregnant).
So if you’re afraid of making doughnuts, know that part of the fun will be in ruining nearly all of them…just so you can make those five, perfectly fried, rounds of dough. Don’t make them for company, until you’ve practiced a few times. And channel your grandmother, who still knows how to make something as simple as a sheet of brownies taste a little like heaven. She’ll help you succeed. I know my Grammy did.
Cinnamon Cake Doughnut Holes
2 cups flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1 quart oil, for frying
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
1/2 cup sugar
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
Heat oil in deep-fryer or wok to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (or until a small piece of food immediately sizzles and rises to the surface of the oil).
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pour melted butter over dry ingredients and mix until crumbly. Stir in milk and egg until a thick batter/dough forms.
Take 1-2 tablespoons of dough and form into a small ball (doughnut-hole size). Once all dough has been shaped, carefully drop 5-6 holes into hot oil. Do not overcrowd pan. Fry, turning once, for three minutes or until golden. Place the fried holes on a cookie sheet set above a plate and allow the oil to drain off. Dip freshly fried holes in cinnamon-sugar mixture, tossing to coat. These doughnut holes are best enjoyed warm, just minutes after they’ve been made.
