When my mom was growing up in suburban Philadelphia in the fifties, there was one woman on her block who made homemade doughnuts to give out for Halloween each year. Her house would invariably be the first stop for all the neighborhood kids, because when they were gone, they were gone.
I always felt such envy that by the time I got old enough for trick or treating, homemade treats were a thing of the past. However, because of my mom's stories, I can't help but think of doughnuts as a item perfect for around the holidays. Just to up the level of old-timey nostalgia, after the jump is the recipe for doughnuts from the Little House on the Prairie cookbook.Doughnuts
For 2 dozen doughnuts you will need:
Lard, 2 pounds
Egg, 1
Baking soda, 1 teaspoon
Salt, 1/2 teaspoon
Sour cream, 1 cup
White Flour, 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose
Powdered sugar, a shaker full
Kettle, 2 quart; bowl, 2-quart; rolling pin; candy thermometer
Melt lard in kettle over low heat. Beat egg, baking soda and salt into the sour cream in the bowl. Beat in 1 cup of the flour until well mixed. Continue to work in flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until you have a dough that can be rolled. Roll the dough in a strip about 4 by 16 1/4 inches. With floured knife cut into 4-inch strips about 5/8 inch wide.
Heat the lard to 375 degrees. Twist a strip like a corkscrew (it will strech as you do); bring ends together and pinch them. Drop twisted dough in hot fat. In 2 minutes the dough should be brown on both sides, crips and cooked through. If browning takes less time, the fat is too hot; if it takes more than 3 minutes, the fat is not hot enough.
Remove cooked doughnut to brown paper to drain and coat it with powdered sugar. Continue twisting and cooking the remaining dough strips. Serve the doughnuts immediately.
The note just before the recipe says this:
Pure lard, unlike water, which boils away at 212 degrees, can become very hot. It is wise to take precautions against burning yourself and the food. Don't work alone, but do concentrate. Wear an apron; have hotpads handy; keep space next to the kettle clear in case it must be moved from the burner. use a candy thermometer to monitor fat temperature, and don't let it go over 400 degrees. use dry utensils; water and hot fat are an explosive mixture. If you must turn away from the fat kettle, to answer the doorbell or such, remove the kettle from the heat first.
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