Country Chatter

Gladys Harman’s doughnut recipe.

My mother got this recipe from Gladys years and years ago and our family loved it so much that when I got married, this recipe came with me.  It is a little different as it takes the spice, Mace, which we love.  You can leave it out and you will have regular doughnuts.   This recipe will yield 12 dozen doughnuts and holes. You have to fry the holes-that is the best part!

The best time and our family tradition is to make doughnuts when it snows.  There is something about the lower air pressure, high humidity and a warm cozy house that make it prefect for soft, yummy doughnuts. And what else can you do on a snowy day that is more fun!

Mix together:

• 6 pkgs or 6 T. dry yeast
• 4 cups warm water
• 1 T. sugar-taken from the cup of sugar used later in the next step of the recipe

Let set about 5 mins until it starts to get bubbly.

Add:

• 1-1/2 cup melted margarine (3 sticks)
• 3 tsp. salt
• 6 tsp. mace (mace is a spice-similar to nutmeg but different)
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 beaten eggs
• 14 cups bread flour-add gradually until it forms a soft dough. (I first beat with beaters and then finish kneading by hand)

Cover dough with coating of vegetable oil and a cloth. Let rise until double in size-approximately 1 hour. Pouch down. Roll dough on counter sprinkled with flour to about 3/4 inch thick.  Cut out doughnuts and lay on cloth sprinkled with flour.

Jill (our daughter) carrying on the family tradition, along with Obe and their friends John and Brenda Hedrick.  It snowed this week and she called me with questions about doughnuts!  I used some of her pictures but she forgot to sprinkle the cloth with flour to help keep the doughnuts from sticking.

Let rise until double and deep-fat fry until golden on each side.

Immediately lay on paper towels to absorb extra fat a few minutes and dip into glaze. Lay on wire racks  or put on a rod to drain off extra glaze.

Glaze:

You will need to make this glaze about 3 times for this recipe.

Mix together and let set 5 mins.

• 1/c cup cold water
• 1 pkg unflavored gelation

Put in top of double-boiler pan (a pan set over boiling water)

• Add a shake or two of salt and 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• Add 1 box or 1 lb. XXX sugar and beat just until mixed.

Dip warm doughnuts.

Homemade doughnuts get stale fast. Even if I want to serve them the next day I will freeze them.

My blog about Glady:  “I’ll Meet You in the Morning”.