Dough Nuts aka Donuts From 1803

 

Why do modern donuts have a circle in the center while these do not? Ring shaped donuts did not hit the market until the 1840s. A problem with frying them as balls was that if you make them too big the center will be raw. Having no center would of course overcome this. Originally donuts were called dough nuts as they were balls of fried dough that resembled nuts.

This recipe hails from the 1803 U.S. publication The Frugal Housewife. It is very easy to make and would be a great starting recipe for anyone interested in historical cooking. 

In a bowl combine 3 & 1/3 cups flour with half a cup of sugar. If you like your donuts to be quite sweet you will benefit from using 3/4 cup of sugar instead.

Add 2 tablespoons of active, dry yeast. For the sake of modern kitchens we are using dry yeast however back then yeast would have been grown at home. 

To bind our dough together we will use 1.5 cups of warm milk. You may use warm water as well however I do not recommend it. I am warming my water until it is warm to the touch but not scalding nor boiling. 

Soften 1 stick of unsalted butter, or 1/4 a pound then add to your flour, sugar and yeast mix. Be sure that it is very soft so that we can mix it in easily. 

Once your milk has warmed add it in half a cup at a time. It is ok if you do not use all of your milk as we do not want our dough to be runny. Stir until you can no longer see any dry flour or chunks of butter.

Set your dough aside in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. Meanwhile do your chores or enjoy a cup of tea. I have it under a towel by the hearth. 

An hour has passed. Our dough is now ready to be rolled into balls for frying. This dough should be firm and not too sticky that you are unable to work with it. Roll into balls using your hands. Be careful to not make them too large because they will not cook in the center. 

These are ready to be fried! 

Fry in hot vegetable oil or lard. The original recipe calls for lard. Fill your pan until the donuts are half submerged in the oil. These cook very quickly. They only need 1 minute per side so watch carefully and be sure to flip them after 1 minute. They will change from being white to a golden brown. 

Leave them as they are or powder with powdered sugar. Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

3 & 1/3 cups of flour

1/4 pound stick of unsalted butter

1/2 cup of sugar if mild or 3/4 cup if quite sweet 

2 tablespoons of dry, active yeast

1.5 cups of warm milk. Use however much will make up the dough

Powdered sugar if using over the tops

Directions:

Combine your flour, sugar and yeast. Warm up 1.5 cups of milk until warm but not scalding or boiling. To your dry ingredients add your softened butter and your milk half a cup at a time until you have formed a dough. It is ok if you do not use all of the milk. Use just however much is required to build a stiff dough. We do not want the dough to be runny. Set aside in a warm place to rise for one hour. After one hour tear off small chunks from your dough and roll into balls. Be sure that these balls are not too big because then when we fry them they may be uncooked in the center. If when you cook them you notice that they are raw in the center form them smaller. Fry in a pan with either vegetable oil or lard. These cook fast. They only need 1 minute per side. Flip them after 1 minute until each side is a golden brown. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Enjoy! 

An 1808 Apple Pie

This pie hails from the U.S. cookbook The New-England Cookery by Lucy Emerson. That being said, the book was an outright compilation of recipes 'borrowed' from half a dozen or so other cookbooks of the time. Even though this was published in 1808 it may very well have been from an earlier, 18th century recipe. As far as the crust is concerned I borrowed that from another recipe book. 

You may use whatever pie crust recipe that you prefer. We used a combination of 3 cups of flour + a tablespoon of sugar + half a cup of lard + 1 egg + just over half a cup of cold water.

Combine your flour with a tablespoon of sugar. Then add in cold lard and mix until small pearls of dough form among your flour. Then in a separate bowl whisk together 1 whole egg with a little over half a cup of cold water. If your dough is too dry go ahead and add more water until it looks like the dough in the photo above. Set your dough aside in a cold place for one hour to firm up.

After putting your dough in a cold place to chill we will now turn our attention to the pie's filling. We ended up using 7 medium sized apples. Your favorite variant of apple will do. We needed to be rid of our last apples of the season before they went bad. 

Peel your apples, core them then cut them into wedges. Place them onto a frying pan as we must cook them for a little bit before placing them into a pie shell and baking.

 

To our apples we will add a generous dash of rose water, the rind from one lemon, and a teaspoon each of mace and cinnamon. 

Stir well to ensure that all of the apples are coated in our spices. 

Cook over medium heat until soft, or 10-15 minutes. Stir frequently. 

Once soft remove from your heat.

 

Pie crusts are my weakness! Can you tell? Maybe someday I will be able to make a pretty one. After your dough has chilled for at least one hour (yes, you can leave it overnight) divide into 2 pieces for the top and bottom crusts then roll out flat with a rolling pin. Prick a hole in your top crust for ventilation.

 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. The crust will darken into a golden brown. 

https://youtu.be/o3tmG6chExY

Ingredients: 

Pie Crust (you may use whatever crust recipe you wish. This is just the one that I went with and it is a family recipe):

-3 cups of flour 

- A tablespoon of sugar 

- Half a cup of cold lard

- 1 egg 

- Just over half a cup of cold water.

Pie filling: 

- 7 medium sized apples or 4-5 large apples

- Half a cup of sugar

- A teaspoon of ground cinnamon 

- A teaspoon of ground mace

- A quarter cup of rose water

- The rind of one lemon

Directions:

Pie Crust: 

Combine your flour with your sugar. Add in your cold lard and mix until small beads appear throughout the flour. In a separate bowl whisk 1 whole egg with your cold water. Pour your liquids into the flour and mix until you have formed a dough. If your dough is dry add more cold water and if it is too sticky add a small amount of flour. Once you have formed a dough set aside in a cold place for one hour such as a fridge or cellar. You may freeze the dough for later use and you may let it sit in a fridge overnight. 

Pie: 

peel, core and cut your apples into wedges. Be sure to pick out all seeds. To your apples add your sugar, rose water, cinnamon, mace and lemon peel. Mix well to ensure that this spice mixture is on all of the apple pieces. Add the apples to a saucepan and cook on medium heat until the apples are soft, or about 10-15 minutes. Be sure to stir them frequently. Once soft remove from your heat. After your pie crust dough has chilled for at least one hour divide into two halves, one for the top and the other for the bottom crust. Roll out flat using a rolling pin. Lay the bottom crust into a pie pan and cover with your apple mixture. Spread the top crust over this and pierce a hole in the center, or however you wish, for ventilation. I recommend sprinkling sugar on top of the crust before baking. Bake in a 350 degree oven for for 25-30 minutes. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before enjoying. 

1803 Breakfast Cakes

 

Cake for breakfast? Why not. In fact in the early 19th century cakes and other pastries were the norm at breakfast tables. Sometimes these cakes were in the form of puffy biscuits, as is the case with today's recipe. This is another economical dish that hails from the 1803 publication The Frugal Housewife by Susannah Carter. 

This recipe can be baked with or without pearlash. I baked them without it. The instructions are quite vague, leaving a lot of room for interpretation as to how much sugar and other flavorings to add, if any. I decided to add two tablespoons of sugar, one tablespoon of cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. If you want for these cakes to be sweet you may add 4-5 tablespoons of sugar.

to begin we will need 2 cups of all-purpose flour and half a stick of cold, unsalted butter (1/4 cup)

Using your hands or a pastry blender, cut the cold butter into your flour until it is well incorporated. Once small beads of butter form throughout the flour that is when it is ready for our next step. 

Now we may add our (optional) flavorings. I went with one tablespoon of ground cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. You may use whatever you want, however. Roasted caraway seeds and diced dry fruit may also be used. I added two tablespoons of sugar. If you want your cakes to be quite sweet go with 4-5. Mine were mild which made them an excellent dish to pair with jam or honey.  

Besides my hearth I am warning up enough milk to form a dough. I ended up using 1 full cup of milk. Because this recipe requires yeast it is a good idea to add warm milk instead of cold.

Add a tablespoon of active yeast then pour in your warm milk. Mix until you have formed a dough. For the sake of modern kitchens we are using dry active yeast here. Kitchens of my time would have required to grow their own yeasts at home. 

Because this dish involves yeast we shall allow for it to sit for an hour before we move further. If you are short on time you may get away with 40 minutes. 

While we wait may I introduce myself? My name is Justine Dorn and it is a pleasure to be your cook.

Once your dough has risen take small bits of it at a time and form into biscuits with your hands. Flour your hands so that they may not stick. You may shape them however you wish. Once you place them on a cookie sheet prick holes in them. I did so with a fork. 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. These will puff up slightly, bearing the texture resemblance to little cakes. Their color will not change. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before enjoying.

I enjoyed these with honey. You may eat them with jam or as they are. Their soft texture is delightful!

If the above YouTube video does not work follow this link: 

https://youtu.be/-pE_ZB-rVMw

Recipe: 

2 cups of flour

half a stick of unsalted butter (1/4 cup)

1 heaping tablespoon of active dry yeast

1 cup of milk (any will do. Whole milk is best)

2-5 tablespoons of sugar depending on preference

*optional flavorings. I used a pinch of nutmeg and a tablespoon of ground cinnamon. Other ideas are dried fruits such as cranberries, blueberries or roasted caraway seeds. 

Directions:

Cut your cold butter into 2 cups of flour using either your hands or a pastry blender. Once the butter has formed small pearls throughout the dough it is ready. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of active dry yeast, your sugar and optional flavorings. Pour in 1 cup of warm milk and mix until you have formed a dough. Set this dough aside in a warm place for one hour to rise. If you are short on time 40 minutes will suffice. Flour your hands and tear off small chunks of the dough. Form biscuits in whatever shape you desire and place onto a cookie sheet. Prick holes into them using a fork. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Once the bottoms of your cakes are dry, or mostly dry they are done. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before enjoying. I ate mine with honey. Jam would also pair nicely with these. Enjoy!

  

An Illinois Bread Recipe That Dates Back to the 1750s

 This is an 18th century U.S. recipe for bread from Illinois (Kaskaskia). The recipe has been kept in one family since the 1750s. It is very economical and is simple to make. It is so simple that it was no doubt still popular in the early 19th century as well. It was very normal for a lot of early to mid 18th century recipes to still be popular even up till the 1840s.

This recipe was gifted to the 1820 Benjamin Stephenson House by the family whom it originated from. It has been kept in their family since the 1750s when their French-speaking ancestors moved to Kaskaskia. There was a large French population in Kaskaskia, as well as in St Louis, during this period.

I have baked this bread half a dozen times now and it has never failed me once. It is incredibly easy to bake and I am not surprised why it has been a go-to since the 1750s! Let us begin.

In a bowl combine 3 cups of all-purpose flour with 1 heaping tablespoon of active dry yeast. Pour in 1.5 cups of warm (not scalding hot but be sure that it's warm) water and a large dollop of honey. You may use molasses instead of honey. For this recipe today I used honey. Do not use sugar as the honey or molasses will also keep the bread moist. That is it. Flour, yeast, honey, water.

mix until you have formed a dough 

Now let us put our dough in a warm place to rise for one hour. I have placed mine several feet away from my hearth. Any warm kitchen will do. If you are unsure if your house is warm enough you may cover the bowl with towels or even a jacket. 

After one hour the dough has expanded and is ready to be kneaded. To knead your dough place it on a well floured surface, coat the surface or your hands with a bit more flour then roll your dough a little bit over and over until the dough is no longer sticky. 

After kneading shape as desired and place onto a pan. You do not need to butter the pan as long as it is a non-stick pan. 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. Once the top is a golden brown it is done. If you are baking using a dutch oven as I am be sure to rotate it every 10 minutes so that one side does not burn.

35 minutes later and we have beautiful bread. Wait for 30 minutes before handling and slicing. 

If the above YouTube video does not work click this link: 

https://youtu.be/QtegUTgN4pM

Recipe: 

3 cups of all-purpose flour 

1-1.5 cups of warm water

1-2 tablespoons of honey or 1 tablespoon of molasses

1 heaping tablespoon of dry, active yeast

Directions: 

 Combine 3 cups of flour with 1 tablespoon of yeast in a bowl. Pour in 1 to 1.5 cups of warm water. Be sure that the water is not boiling hot. We only need for the water to be steaming, not boiling. Add your sweetener whether that is honey or molasses and mix until you have formed a ball of dough. Set your bowl aside in a warm room to rise for one hour. You may cover your bowl with a towel or even a jacket to keep it warm. After one hour remove your dough onto a well-floured work surface and knead with floured hands until your dough is no longer sticky. Shape as desired and place onto a cooking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until golden brown as shown in my photos.