Tracey Meharg - Donuts

The donut through time

H ave you ever eaten a donut fresh out of the fryer or straight from the oven? If you have, you know how huge the gulf is between them and those stale off-the-shelf donuts, with their faux-cream, waxy frosting and claggy, squidgy fillings.

Making your own is a commitment, but if you know how a good donut tastes, youll know that these hot, scrumptious morsels are worth the effort. Recently, the real thing the donut as it was meant to be has been finding its way into more and more high-end restaurants and bakeries, with the food industry catching on that the donut, done right, can be truly sensational.

Donuts as we know them were brought over from the Netherlands to Manhattan in the early 1800s, when this area was still known as New Amsterdam. Called olykoeks or oliebollen literally oil-cakes or oil-balls they were filled with dried fruit and spices before being fried in oil, and are still a Christmas favourite in the Netherlands.

They were revolutionised in the 1840s when a ship-captains mother, Elizabeth Gregory, cooked them for the crew she put walnuts and hazelnuts in the middle (hence doughnuts), perhaps to make them healthier, or perhaps to stop them being so greasy in the middle. Her son Hanson is credited with inventing the donut hole by cutting it out of the dough with a small tin, thereby transforming the donut into something that could be fried evenly all the way round. (Or, as another version of the story goes, he was at the ships wheel when a storm hit, and he had to quickly impale the donut he was eating on a spoke so he could use both hands to steady the ship, accidentally making culinary history!)

After donut tin-cutters were patented in 1857, donuts fast became a staple in American homes, and by World War I they were so iconic that volunteers gave them out in the trenches in France to remind the soldiers of home. Soon after that came Joseph Levitts infamous donut machine, which became a public spectacle in New York: the circle of dough dropping off into the vat of boiling oil, circulating, and then turning over, browning and emerging on a motorised ramp. It was a futuristic mystery, a sensation that had to be experienced first-hand.

But what is it about donuts that makes them so damn delicious? The secret is the temperature of the oil they are cooked in by dropping them in very hot oil, the superheated steam puffs them up with air, making them literally light and fluffy. That, along with the hole, means the donut gets super hot, super fast: never doughy or dense.

The same goes for oven-baked donuts, which are just as delicious. They get hot fast, and that classic hole in the middle ensures they cook evenly, crisping up on the outside but staying fresh and steamy on the inside.

There are other iconic donuts across the world too, of course: the Israeli Hannukah specialty sufganiyot is now known worldwide as the godfather of the jam or jelly donut. Theres also the slightly saltier, chocolate-dipped Mexican churro , which has its own mysterious origins: it may have been brought over by the Portuguese via China, or was possibly invented by Spanish shepherds as an alternative bread that could be cooked in the open air. Or from France, theres the Pets de Nonne , or nuns fart, which is a crispy-tender dough often thickly dusted in powdered sugar. Theres also more than a few Eastern takes on the donut, including the Indian jalebi , a celebration sweet which is a kind of pretzel-shaped donut, deep-fried and dipped in sugar syrup.

Now almost every country has their own homespun version, be they cream or custard-filled, topped with sweets for the kids or made with healthy options that combine the donuts perfect anatomy with whole foods and natural sugars.

Somewhere along the way, though, as it journeyed across the world, did the donut lose its zap? It made its way into hearts worldwide as a fast, delicious, tongue-burning treat, but has over the years become claggier, staler, neglected, made to sit on shelves for too long. But it doesnt have to be like that: it should be eaten fresh, and can be delectable fried or baked. It isnt doomed to die a death by preservatives and icing!

Donuts came from the home at Christmas-time, when it was coldest, and became so well-loved because theyre heart-warming, decadent and comforting. Now theyre re-entering gourmet menus, along with the introduction of the unlikely but undeniably fabulous croissant-donut. You dont need a deep-fryer to get these right, and they dont have to be greasy or doughy: they can be airy, fluffy and heavenly. So roll up your sleeves, and get them while theyre hot!

yeast donuts

These donuts have a lovely soft and chewy texture, making it hard to stop at just one. For the best results, be sure to enjoy these the same day you make them.

MAKES PREPARATION 25 minutes (plus 2 hours 25 minutes resting)

YEAST DONUTS

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) lukewarm milk

3 teaspoons dried yeast

450 g (1 lb/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting

55 g (2 oz/ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

A good pinch of fine sea salt

1 egg, at room temperature, lightly whisked

30 g (1 oz) unsalted butter, melted, at room temperature

WHISK the milk and yeast together in a small, heatproof jug. Add 1 teaspoon of the flour and 1 teaspoon of the sugar, then whisk until well combined. Allow to stand at room temperature in a warm spot for 1015 minutes, or until frothy.

PLACE the remaining flour, remaining sugar and the salt in the bowl of a standmixer. Attach the dough hook and mix together on a medium speed until well combined.

WITH the motor running, slowly add the egg, melted butter and the yeast mixture. Mix for 8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic (the dough should feel slightly sticky).

USING very lightly floured hands, scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a piece of baking paper, then a tea towel (dish towel). Set aside to rest in a warm, draught-free spot and leave for 11 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size. (See .)

LINE two large baking trays with baking paper. Generously flour a work surface and gently tip the dough out onto it. Using a floured rolling pin, gently roll the dough out to a 1 cm ( inch) thickness. Using a floured 8 cm (3 inch) round cookie cutter, cut out 10 rounds from the dough, making sure you cut them as close together as possible. Use a floured 3 cm (1 inch) round cookie cutter to cut out holes from the centre of each larger circle. Carefully transfer the donuts and their holes to the prepared trays, spreading them out in a single layer. Cover with tea towels then allow to rest for 40 minutes at room temperature, or until the donuts have doubled in size.