Doughnuts

I can’t remember the first time I ever had a doughnut, but I can certainly remember the best time. I was young—young enough that I still wore overalls and an ID bracelet—but old enough to know that doughnuts were a treat.

My dad was a baked goods connoisseur: Burgermaster had the best bear claws, Leonard’s had the best malasadas, and the Washington State Ferries had the best old-fashioned doughnuts. It was on a ferry ride to Orcas Island that I discovered the beauty of the day-old doughnut.

“Saran Wrap is the trick,” my dad said triumphantly, picking up a mummified doughnut in the galley and shaking it gently. “It keeps the doughnut moist.”

When we got to the cash register, the woman ringing us up said, “That’ll be a quarter.” My dad glanced gleefully down at me with a look on his face that implied we had basically robbed them blind.

On top of being a baked goods connoisseur, my dad was also incredibly thrifty. A doughnut that was cheaper but a day old was undoubtedly tastier than a fresh baked doughnut that cost double.

Sitting down with our doughnut, my dad allowed me the pleasure of slowly unwrapping the plastic until a perfectly moist old-fashioned doughnut was revealed to both of us. He pushed it toward me.

“You do the honors,” he said, and I did, carefully breaking it in half. One side came out bigger than the other, so I handed that half to him. Naturally, he wound up giving me the bigger side–that’s just the type of dad he was.

Many years–and many doughnuts–later, old-fashioneds are still my favorite. I even prefer them wrapped in plastic, then broken in half. (But I will take them fresh, too!) When we decided to publish Lara Ferroni’s cookbook, Doughnuts: Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home, I wondered if I’d ever leave my house again.

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Sure enough, Lara’s recipes are easy and delicious, and the doughnuts are fresh and moist–even without Saran Wrap. They aren’t cutesy like a cupcake, and they go better with coffee. What’s not to like?

I do wonder what my dad would think about this cookbook; I wonder if perhaps it would provide the inspiration he needed to actually make something in the kitchen other than a PB&J. I can only wonder as he passed away in 2007. But I do know that he will be smiling down at me next spring as I cut my wedding cake. A wedding cake made entirely of doughnuts.

Old-Fashioned Sour Cream

Makes 6 to 10 doughnuts
Active time: 15 minutes | Ready in: 40 minutes

1 1/4 cups (160 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup (75 grams) superfine sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) unsalted butter or vegetable shortening
Vegetable oil for frying

1. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir in the salt. Set aside.

2. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, sour cream, egg, and butter until smooth. Add the flour mixture a little at a time until a smooth dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the batter for 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/2 inch thick, then cut out the doughnuts using a 2 1/2-inch-diameter cutter. You can reroll any scrap dough.

4. Heat at least 2 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot until a deep-fat thermometer registers 360 degrees F.

5. With a metal spatula, carefully place the doughnuts in the oil. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until light golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Let cool just slightly before glazing.