Time to Make the Donuts

 

Do you remember Fred? The dedicated — and perpetually tired — baker who dragged himself out of bed every morning to “Make the Donuts”? That Dunkin’ ad ran for 15 or 16 years, and somehow the line stuck. Everyone still knows it.

Well… for me, I’ve probably avoided making the donuts for at least that long.

I tried baked donuts once. I even bought the special pans. They looked like donuts, but they didn’t taste like donuts. They were fine, but I never made them again.

Dunkin’ (now just Dunkin) makes decent donuts, but they aren’t the ones I remember from childhood. Colonial Donuts comes close — dangerously close — and that’s how this whole adventure started. I got hooked on their crunchy, cakey Old Fashioned donut. Now I’m craving them, but I’m carless, and I’m not about to spend an hour on Dial‑a‑Ride for a single donut. And I’m definitely not spending $20 on Uber or $10 on DoorDash.

So there was only one thing left to do: I’d have to make them myself.

Luckily, they freeze well. I can make a whole batch, keep a few out, and tuck the rest away for later.

I dug out my battered, slightly dented donut cutter. I have a new one, but the little center piece refuses to stay put, so the old one wins. I laid out all my basics. I haven’t made donuts in so long that I honestly can’t remember ever making them completely on my own. So I was being extra careful.

I don’t have my mom’s recipe, but I found one that’s close — close enough that the first bite tasted like home.

Sour Milk Donuts

Equipment

• Donut cutter
• Dutch oven (mine is cast iron, of course)
• Slotted spoon
• Candy thermometer
• Paper towels (or grocery bags — traditional in Mom’s kitchen)

Ingredients

For the donuts

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 3 ½ cups all‑purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¾ cup sour milk or buttermilk
• Vegetable oil or Crisco for frying

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Blend in the beaten eggs.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour milk.
4. Place dough in a medium bowl, cover, and chill for at least 2 hours.
5. Roll dough out on a floured surface to about ⅓ inch thick. Cut with a donut cutter, saving the centers.
6. Heat 24–48 oz of oil or Crisco to 350° using a candy thermometer. Fry donuts 2–3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
7. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper bags or paper towels.
8. Repeat until all dough is used.

Notes

My recipe called for a glaze, but I skipped it — I wanted plain donuts.

About halfway through mixing, I remembered exactly why I hadn’t made donuts in so long. The dough is stiff, and you really have to put some muscle into it to get all the flour incorporated.

This particular dough got sticky as it warmed up. I cut all the donuts and put them on a sheet pan, but next time I’ll cut and fry in batches so I can keep the dough chilled.

But for all my bungling, I didn’t burn the kitchen down or scald myself with hot oil. Aside from a few straggly-shaped donuts, they came out pretty good — and my cast iron Dutch oven got a beautiful seasoning. So I’m calling it a win all around.

I think cider donuts might be next.