somethingshiny
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2007
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My mom found an old cookbook handwritten by my great-great-grandmother. The book in hand shows "recopied in April 1959" but the recipes originated from the 30's. There are notes on where the recipes originated and some deviations. I decided to try a few of the recipes just for fun. Today, I tried my first. Here is the story.
Grandma Nettie Eleadora Musser Book of Recipes (Recopied in April 1959, Recopied in January 2011)
January 25, 2011
Drop Donuts
3 C flour
3 t baking powder
1 t salt
¼ t nutmeg
½ t cinnamon
2 T shortening
1 C sugar
2 whole eggs
1 C milk
Sift flour and measure. Add baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Cream shortening, add sugar gradually. Continue beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time. Add flour mixture alternately stir until blended. Drop dough from spoon 365-375* 3 to 5 min or until golden brown. Turn as they rise. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Makes 2 dozen
My first attempt from the old cookbook will be Drop Donuts. I’ve recopied the recipe with corrected spelling. I decided to try something normal before attempting some of the crazy recipes.
So first off, the instructions don’t indicate to add the milk, but I’m a smart enough girl to figure that out….eventually. I assume Grandma would’ve used a frying pan with hot oil so I start mine up. I don’t often fry. Never fry is more accurate. After I see the smoke billowing from my pan I race down the hall to the smoke detector. I’m just in time for the first beep and luckily it doesn’t wake the baby. Spend next 2 minutes trying to figure out how to get the battery out while blowing on it frantically. Back to the fryer where I blow up my thermometer. I know I’m smart enough to figure out a little oil temperature so I continue.
I drop in some dough. Okay, a lot of dough. I’m thinking grown man size donuts here. Fail. Apparently it's too heavy to float in the oil, stuck to the bottom and burned to a crisp.
Round two. Reduce oil temperature and try smaller dough balls. They look delightful! I flip them and wait with a proud smile on my face. I remove the donuts to let them cool, certain I’ve made wonderful old-fashioned donuts from my great-great-grandmother’s recipe. I gloat for a moment. Before I can make any more donuts, I have to try these! They are warm and golden and as I pull one apart, the sloppy, uncooked dough falls out of the donut's center. Fail. Remind myself not to gloat.
Round three. Increase oil temperature a bit. When oil is hot I add my dough to the pan. I watch them carefully and cautiously. I flip them carefully and cautiously. I remove them carefully and cautiously noting that they may be slightly more browned than I‘d like. Slowly, I break one apart. You are effing kidding me, right?! Burnt and uncooked center? Fine.
Round four. I smile to remind myself that this is something I wanted to do. No one is forcing me. I have enough dough for one more pan full. I add more oil to the pan because obviously between my colossal fails and smoke, it is running a bit low. I drop the dough in and walk away from the stove. There is no reason to stand watching these donuts because I’ve proven time and again that it just doesn’t matter. A couple minutes later I return to the stove and flip the little bastards. Again I walk away. I begin putting my ingredients away knowing that this endeavor was an enormous waste of my time. I glance over to the stove. There are lovely golden brown donuts floating there. How did that happen? I scoop them out and set them on a plate. I burn my fingers as I pull one apart to look for the devastation within. But, wait. These donuts look edible. I dust a couple with powdered sugar and taste. Eureka! I’ve done it. These donuts are dense and remind me of a sweet bread. I expected them to be a bit bland but they are quite tasty. I dust the rest with cinnamon and sugar and try one of those. They are also delicious.
So, after an hour and a half in the kitchen, smoke, thermometer explosion, two burned fingers, and a heaping garbage can of dismembered and charred dough balls, I have seven donuts to show for it. I’m not unhappy with this experiment overall. I realize how every single meal would’ve been much more of an effort than we ever experience today. I’m glad that I have these recipes to try and look forward to the next venture with the recipe book.
Grandma Nettie Eleadora Musser Book of Recipes (Recopied in April 1959, Recopied in January 2011)
January 25, 2011
Drop Donuts
3 C flour
3 t baking powder
1 t salt
¼ t nutmeg
½ t cinnamon
2 T shortening
1 C sugar
2 whole eggs
1 C milk
Sift flour and measure. Add baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Cream shortening, add sugar gradually. Continue beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time. Add flour mixture alternately stir until blended. Drop dough from spoon 365-375* 3 to 5 min or until golden brown. Turn as they rise. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Makes 2 dozen
My first attempt from the old cookbook will be Drop Donuts. I’ve recopied the recipe with corrected spelling. I decided to try something normal before attempting some of the crazy recipes.
So first off, the instructions don’t indicate to add the milk, but I’m a smart enough girl to figure that out….eventually. I assume Grandma would’ve used a frying pan with hot oil so I start mine up. I don’t often fry. Never fry is more accurate. After I see the smoke billowing from my pan I race down the hall to the smoke detector. I’m just in time for the first beep and luckily it doesn’t wake the baby. Spend next 2 minutes trying to figure out how to get the battery out while blowing on it frantically. Back to the fryer where I blow up my thermometer. I know I’m smart enough to figure out a little oil temperature so I continue.
I drop in some dough. Okay, a lot of dough. I’m thinking grown man size donuts here. Fail. Apparently it's too heavy to float in the oil, stuck to the bottom and burned to a crisp.
Round two. Reduce oil temperature and try smaller dough balls. They look delightful! I flip them and wait with a proud smile on my face. I remove the donuts to let them cool, certain I’ve made wonderful old-fashioned donuts from my great-great-grandmother’s recipe. I gloat for a moment. Before I can make any more donuts, I have to try these! They are warm and golden and as I pull one apart, the sloppy, uncooked dough falls out of the donut's center. Fail. Remind myself not to gloat.
Round three. Increase oil temperature a bit. When oil is hot I add my dough to the pan. I watch them carefully and cautiously. I flip them carefully and cautiously. I remove them carefully and cautiously noting that they may be slightly more browned than I‘d like. Slowly, I break one apart. You are effing kidding me, right?! Burnt and uncooked center? Fine.
Round four. I smile to remind myself that this is something I wanted to do. No one is forcing me. I have enough dough for one more pan full. I add more oil to the pan because obviously between my colossal fails and smoke, it is running a bit low. I drop the dough in and walk away from the stove. There is no reason to stand watching these donuts because I’ve proven time and again that it just doesn’t matter. A couple minutes later I return to the stove and flip the little bastards. Again I walk away. I begin putting my ingredients away knowing that this endeavor was an enormous waste of my time. I glance over to the stove. There are lovely golden brown donuts floating there. How did that happen? I scoop them out and set them on a plate. I burn my fingers as I pull one apart to look for the devastation within. But, wait. These donuts look edible. I dust a couple with powdered sugar and taste. Eureka! I’ve done it. These donuts are dense and remind me of a sweet bread. I expected them to be a bit bland but they are quite tasty. I dust the rest with cinnamon and sugar and try one of those. They are also delicious.
So, after an hour and a half in the kitchen, smoke, thermometer explosion, two burned fingers, and a heaping garbage can of dismembered and charred dough balls, I have seven donuts to show for it. I’m not unhappy with this experiment overall. I realize how every single meal would’ve been much more of an effort than we ever experience today. I’m glad that I have these recipes to try and look forward to the next venture with the recipe book.
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