The household cook book

The Dough. — Be careful in shortening all doughs to be fried in fat, either for doughnuts or fritters, for if too tender they will absorb the frying fat. If shortening is used, eggs must be added and the dough made more stiff, to counteract the tendency to soak fat; little or no shortening is best for most doughs cooked in fat. The fat must also be hot enough for any dough placed in it to rise instantly to the surface of the fat; this can be ascertained by trying it with a small bit of dough, before proceeding with a quantity. Remember that a frequent cause of trouble is not having the fat hot enough, and we have several times alluded to this. Have it so that it gives off a blue smoke, as explained for frying meats (which see). DOUGHNUTS, CRULLERS, ETC. In frying all kinds of doughnuts let them thoroughly brown on one side before turning them; in this way they rise thoroughly, and are much lighter than if frequently turned while frying, but fry both sides well before taking them out. Do not fry so many at once as to cause crowding. When done, take them out, let them drain, and when cool keep them in an earthen crock. Fried cakes keep moist longer when made with brown sugar than when made with any other kind. The time required to fry is 3 to 5 minutes. DOUGHNUTS. {Extra Nice). 1 cup sour cream. 1 teaspoon salt. 1 cup sour milk. 1 teaspoon soda (heaping). 1 cup sugar (heaping). Flour to roll. 3 eggs. Beat yolks and sugar together, add cream, milk, salt, beaten whites and flour containing soda. Fry in smoking hot fat. Excellent. EAISED DOUGHNUTS. 1 cup outter and lard mixed. 1 cup yeast. 2 cups sugar. 3 eggs, beaten. 1 cup warm water. Salt and spices. Rub the butter and lard into a (a qt of sifted flour, add 1 even tablespoon of salt, and spices if liked; put the water in the flour, 340 DOUGHNUTS, CRULLERS, ETC. then the beaten eggs, then the sugar; now mix all together, and add flour enough to mold into a soft dough; let it rise over night, knead down again in the morning, let it lie on the moldings board until it begins to rise again, then roll out and cut in rings or make into twists, and fry in hot fat. A cup of washed and dried Zante currants are nice in these cakes. Zante Currants are not really currants at all; they are small grapes grown in Zante, which is an island near the western coast of Greece. They are cultivated on an immense plain under the shelter of the mountains, and when gathered and dried in the sun and air they are stored in magazines until ready for shipment. Zante produces about 9,000,000 lbs. of these currants annually. Zante currants are rather indigestible. PLAIN DOUGHNUTS — Use 1 cup new milk, 1 level teaspoon of salt, 1 heaping teaspoon of baking powder sifted into 2 cups of flour; mix all together, and add a little more flour if needed, but the cakes are better to be made quite soft. Do not mold the dough but place it on the molding^board, flatten the dough down with the hands until it is about an inch thick, cut into shape and fry in hot fat. Powdered sugar can be dredged over them when served, if liked.