Memorial Day and Donuts

 

Today is Memorial Day, the day we honor those who gave their lives in service of the military. I decided to try a WWI rationing recipe and in the mood for something sweet and fried, picked the original Salvation Army donut. 

 The Salvation Army donut was handed out to the U.S. soldiers fighting in France by the hundreds. Volunteers started frying the donuts in soldier's helmets, and earned themselves the nickname 'donut lassies'. Foodstuff was in short supply, so they had to come up with a recipe that was quick, easy and made from readily available ingredients. 

 With the help of my journeyman baker husband, we gathered together the ingredients. As these were made on the front lines during the war, they are leavened (raised) with baking powder instead of yeast like the donuts you get at your local bakery.

 We used our trusty stand mixer to start the process and then moved to hand mixing. 

 The dough was super wet, and at this point I took over, floured and rolled it into submission, then cut it into the usual donut shape. 

 A dip in some hot oil, and we have donuts! They were cinnamon and nutmeg flavored and rolled in sugar when they came out of the oil. 

 At the taste test we found them to be a bit tougher and chewier than a regular yeasted donut. I was definitely missing biting into that glazed fluff of a good yeasted donut. Seeing how there's not a lot of time or space to wait on yeast to do its thing out on the battlefield during a war, I would have to say that these donuts were probably a godsend to the hungry and weary soldiers.