When I read the challenge for this months Your Mother Should Know by Steph from Dispensing Happiness I knew that it was going to be more of a challenge for me than for most people. The challenge was to make something from the year before your mother was born…and my mom was born in 1918! SO…..

But I did it. And it was one of my favorite things to make..Donuts. AND I learned a lot about history that I hadn’t known. That is the fun of a challenge, isn’t it?

I am copying this from The Salvation Army website.
In August, 1917, fighting raged near Montiers, France, as soldiers huddled in camp – hungry, weary and drenched by 36 consecutive days of rain. In a tent near the front lines, Salvation Army lassies made donuts by filling a refuge pail with oil. made dough with left over flour and other ingredients on hand, and used a wine bottle as a rolling pin. With a baking powder tin for a cutter end a camphor-ice suck tube for making the holes, donuts were fried – seven at a time – in soldier’s steel helmets on an 18-inch stove. (Later, a seven-pound shell fitted with a one-pound shell was used to cut out the donut holes.)

Rain fell continuously, the water-soaked tent finally Collapsed. However, the 100 donuts made that first day were an immediate success Soon, as many as 500 soldiers stood in muck outside the resurrected tent waiting for the sweet taste of donuts and, before long, 9,000 donuts were being made around the clock. The tent became the first 24-hour donut shop.

Word spread and – although the basic recipe for making the donuts greatly varied from unit to unit – before long, Salvation Army lassies were making donuts wherever the war was being fought Donuts were taken to the front lines, and it was reported that some pilots even dropped notes asking for donuts for their troops.

Famous Salvation Army Doughboy Doughnut
7-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup lard
8 eggs
3 large cans evaporated milk
3 large cans water
18 cups flour
18 teaspoons baking powder
7-1/2 teaspoons salt
8 teaspoons nutmeg
Cream sugar and lard together, beat eggs, add evaporated milk and water. Add liquid to creamed mixture. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in large sieve and sift into other mixture. Add enough flour to make e stiff dough. Roll and cut. Five pounds of lard are required to fry the doughnuts. Yield: approximately 250 doughnuts-

For a smaller version here’s mine:

2 c sugar

1//3 c lard

4 eggs

9 c flour

1 1/2 cans evaporated milk

1 1/2 cans of water

3 tablespoons baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Use the same mixing instructions as above.

Fry in deep, 375 degree oil until golden, turning once. Ice with confectioners glaze if desired or shake in a bag with sugar in it.

Images:(c)2008 MaryeAudet

Banner:Used by permission, Dispensing Happiness 

Content-MaryeAudet for Baking Delights 

Post from: Baking Delights

First of all, I know calas are not baked. They are fried. However not enough of you have tasted traditional New Orleans Rice Calas because if you had they would be plastered all over blogs everywhere, and they are not. I do try to concentrate on baked things mostly but sometimes we all need to widen our horizons. The texture of these fritters as you bite into them is heavenly, a quick intense burst of flavor and then the calas just melt away like cotton candy. It is amazing.

After I dropped Marc off at work this morning (sorry, babe, I didn’t have time to make them before), and picked up oil for my van I started thinking about some left over brown basmati rice I had in the fridge. And the thought of how to use that, coupled with trying to get the right oil made me think of these. I know, it’s a scary journey into the workings of my mind.

Calas are vintage New Orleans street food. The creole street vendors used to walk through the streets shouting “Calas, bels calas tout chauds!”( which is creole french, so if you are Canadian or French it probably looks a little weird.) Loosely translated it means, “Calas, beautiful Calas very hot!”. The maids of the wealthy people then used to step out the kitchen doors and buy them to put on the table for breakfast.

Sadly, this creole treat seems to be disappearing in the hustle and bustle of the modern world. I hope you will try it and imagine yourself in New Orleans at the turn of the century. Or, just eat it and think about how you are SO glad I posted this recipe. Either one will work.

I like brown basmati rice in this because the rice has a slight pecan flavor that just adds to the complexity of the flavors for me. If you like citrus grate a little citrus peel in the batter. Traditionally they were served rolled in powdered sugar but I like table sugar on them. Try it both ways and see what you like best.

Creole Calas

2 cups cooked, cold rice

3 eggs beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 c sugar

pinch of salt

1/3 c of flour ( you want to use just enough to get a good batter, not too much or the calas will be heavy. This takes a little practice. )

3 tsp baking powder

sugar or confectioners sugar for rolling and sprinkling.

Heat the deep fryer to 360F.

Combine the rice, eggs, vanilla, and nutmeg and mix well. Stir in dry ingredients. Drop by (measuring) tablespoonful into the preheated oil. Turn them as they become golden on the bottom…don’t let them brown too much.

When they are golden on both sides remove from the fryer and allow to drain over the hot oil a few minutes. Dump basket on paper grocery bags (the BEST for absorbing oil) and wait for the oil to reheat. Make a new batch, and continue until the batter is gone. Roll in preferred sugar coating.

Calas need to be eaten immediately and don’t store well. It is hard to say how many it makes. It varies.

Post from: Baking Delights

  This morning I decided to treat everyone to doughnuts. I used my normal recipe with some adjustments and these were really good. The kids said they tasted like that candy, Circus Peanuts, but I don’t think so.    Do you spell it donut or doughnut? Both are correct but I am seeing the first spelling more and more! Donut,doughnut…as long as they taste great who cares?

  The only trick to making really good doughnuts is a clean oil, temp 375F, and a dough that is so soft it is nearly, but not quite, impossible to work. Oh! And cut straight through the dough, twisting deflates it some even though it is not yeast risen.

 Banana Cake Doughnuts

      about 3 dozen plus doughnut holes (or donut holes if you are making donuts)

4 eggs beaten

2/3 c sugar

1/3 c buttermilk

1/3 c butter-melted

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp banana flavor (Frontier does a good one)

3 1/2 c flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg (FRESHLY GRATED!!!)

Combine eggs and sugar, beat until smooth and light. Add  buttermilk, cooled butter, vanilla, and banana flavor.  Sift dry ingredients. Add egg mixture and beat until smooth. Chill ( don’t chill the dough…it does make it MUCH easier to work. I just never have time)

  Roll out about 1/3 inch thick. cut with floured cutter. Let stand about 10 minutes.

   While waiting make icing:

1 c confectioners

1/4 c butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp banana

mix thoroughly and ad a little buttermilk to thin if needed or add more confectioners to thicken.

Drop doughnuts in 375 oil. Fry only a couple at a time. I have a large fryer and I do 4-5 at a time.  Turn when one side is golden.  Fry until done. Drain and place on absorbant surface (this is how I recycle my brown paper bags..) Glaze while still warm.

Post from: Baking Delights

You can’t imagine how good these are with a steaming mug of coffee. I like them in the autumn because they seem like such an autumn-y food but sometimes I just get a craving for them in June..
If you don’t have an electric deep fryer do think about getting one..It makes it so much more convienient to do things like this on spur of the moment.

1/2 c dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg beaten
1/2 c molasses
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3 tsp ginger (yes THREE)
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 -3 c flour

combine all ingredients except flour and stir well. Add just enough flour to make a soft dough, it should leave the sides of the bowl and be JUST firm enough to shape.
Roll out lightly on a floured counter (well floured, this is sticky dough) and cut with a doughnut cutter. Fry in deep hot fat, 360, turning once. Drain on paper towel or brown paper bags. Yu will probably do best with frying them 3-4 at a time, depending on the size of your fryer. The doughnuts will be dark brown because of the molasses.
Repeat with all of the dough, and then fry the doughnut holes.
About 18-24 depending on size of cutter

Lemon Glaze:
1 c confectioners sugar
1 TBS cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground lemon peel or sprinkle glazed doughnuts with grated fresh peel.
mix together until smooth. Glaze doughnuts while warm.

Post from: Baking Delights

  Anyway….during the hottest part of summer baking is not high on the to do list. Bread and other necessities, like cookies for example, are created either very late at night or early in the morning  in mass quantities. My family has a sweet tooth of mammoth proportions inherited from my husband and homemade doughnuts are a breakfast favorite all year but more likely to be on the menu in the summer.  With a deep fryer they are quick and easy to make and so much better than what you get at the store. If you have access to a really good doughnut shop then perhaps these will be rivaled by that.  Try them with your favorite filling… a lemon or lime curd is lucious, or fruit preserves and jams. You can shake them in a small lunch bag filled with sugar or sugar and cinnamon or make a confectioner sugar glaze. I am having a  cycle where I am using alot of citrus/chocolate combos and so I am thinking of a dark chocolate glaze with orange curd filling, or a white chooclate glaze with lime curd…

Old Fashioned Filled Doughnuts

 2 eggs

1 c sugar

pinch of salt

1 c milk

4 c flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp lemon juice

4 tbs melted butter

Heat oil in deep fryer to 370

Beat eggs until light, stir in sugar, milk, lemon, butter and salt.

Blend dry ingredients in another bowl and add them to the egg mixture. Mix until you have a soft dough but beware of over mixing as this will toughen the doughnuts. Chill until dough can be worked with  and turn out onto a floured counter. Roll out about 1/2″ thick and cut into rounds. Make a depression in the rounds with your thumb and put a tsp or so of filling  in the depressions of half the rounds.  Wet edges with water and press one unfilled round on the top of each filled round, pinching the edges securely closed.

Drop carefully in small batches into deep fryer, frying until golden, turning as necessary.

Drain on paper towel or brown paper grocery bags. Shake in bags of sugar or glaze while still warm .

 Depending on the cutter you use you will get about 2 dozen.

Post from: Baking Delights