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Dessert

Doughnuts II

A yeast-free doughnut made with sour milk, flour, spices, and butter, then fried and drained.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Fannie Merritt Farmer · From a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Nutmeg and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Doughnuts II

Ingredients

Directions

Mix the dough

  1. Put flour in shallow pan; add salt, soda, cream of tartar, and spices.

  2. Work in butter with tips of fingers.

  3. Add sugar, egg well beaten, and sour milk.

  4. Stir thoroughly, and toss on board thickly dredged with flour.

  5. Knead slightly, using more flour if necessary.

Shape and fry

  1. Pat and roll out to one-fourth inch thickness.

  2. Shape, fry, and drain.

  3. Turn doughnuts as soon as they come to top of fat, and frequently afterwards.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

902Calories
28 gProtein
32 gFat
124 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Sour Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Fannie Merritt Farmer. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Nutmeg + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together11,917 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  3. Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together41,516 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  4. Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,623 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  5. Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,341 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Flour
Forms the structure of the dough so the doughnuts hold their shape in the fat.
Soda
Reacts with the sour milk's acidity to produce gas that leavens the doughnuts.
Cream of tartar
Adds acidity that works with the soda to help the doughnuts rise.
Sour milk
Supplies acidity for the soda reaction and moisture that tenderizes the dough.
Butter
Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and gives a softer texture.
Egg
Binds the dough and adds richness and structure.

The step that matters

Turn doughnuts as soon as they come to top of fat, and frequently afterwards.. Turning them regularly lets both sides cook evenly and brown at the same rate. Leaving one side in contact with the hot fat too long can scorch it while the inside stays underdone.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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