The doughnut is perhaps one of the largest staple dessert snacks in the West. Its promise of tantalizing sweetness that melts in your mouth is second to none. Despite doughnuts being so commonplace and well-known today, they weren’t always seen as a widely accepted delicacy. Now, I don’t have a direct history with doughnuts; I do, however, enjoy them. It’s the thought that counts, right? Anyhow, let’s dig into the history of the doughnut.
To preface, the doughnut’s exact origins are somewhat debated and packed with arguments of sophistry. We could be here all day going down a rabbit hole of historical accounts of delicacies that sound similar to doughnuts; therefore, we will focus on the typically accepted origin of the modern doughnut.
The doughnut’s journey begins in New York, known as New Amsterdam at the time, being brought by Dutch settlers in the 1700s.¹ It was deemed “olykoek” (oil cake) and was the closest resemblance to the doughnuts we know and love. A deep-fried ball of dough; a key difference was that they were solid, unlike today’s cut-out doughnut hole.² The centre of the olykoek was often raw, or the outside was burnt to compensate.³ Not very sweet or savoury. How it later adopted the “doughnut” name is widely debated; although the “dough” bit is obvious, the “nut” part could stem from once putting nuts in the centre or more far-flung ideas.
Later on, there’s a belief that a New England ship captain, Hanson Gregory, created the classic torus-shaped doughnut in the mid-1800s. He disliked how the centre wasn’t cooked and punched a hole in the centre to fix the conundrum. So proud he was that he proclaimed it was “the first doughnut hole ever seen by mortal eyes.”⁴ Of course, this is more likely to be a myth as accounts differ on exactly how he went through with it. We can only make theories on the reality of it, though allowing for an even cook is the most plausible.
And then came the terrible first World War. Didn’t expect that shift, did you? Well, the olykoek-type doughnuts weren’t overly popular; they were a “Yankee food.” That’s when the war (luckily?) occurred and the Salvation Army, composed primarily of women, were sent to the battlefield to provide meals for soldiers. They intended to make cakes and such, though that fell through and they made doughnuts instead. As the soldiers gained a taste for them, doughnuts became a hit once the soldiers returned from the war. The women who made these doughnuts became known as “Donut Dollies.” Needless to say, doughnuts later again reaffirmed themselves in World War II as well.⁵
In 1950, the first Dunkin’ Donuts was established by Bill Rosenberg in Quincy, Massachusetts. Dunkin’ Donuts, due to its name, popularized the alternative spelling of Doughnuts.⁶ This leads us to the modern doughnut and the many varieties they now come in. It was an era of experimentation to make new flavours, greater techniques, etc.
As an extra treat, here’s potentially the earliest-known recipe for a doughnut that actually refers to it as a doughnut, courtesy of The Frugal Housewife Or, Complete Woman Cook (originally printed in 1772, reprinted several times since then).⁷ The recipe’s steps have been modernised for easier understanding:
Ingredients:
- 3 ¾ cups (450g) Flour
- 1 stick (113g) Salted Butter
- 1/2 cup + a tablespoon (113g) Sugar
- 4 ½ teaspoons (15g) dried yeast
- ½ cup (120ml) water
- ¾ cup (175ml) Milk
- 1 quart (1L) of melted Lard or other oil
Steps:
- Mix the tablespoon of sugar into the water, then sprinkle the dried yeast on top and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Work the butter into the flour with your fingertips, then add the sugar and bloomed yeast. Finally, add the milk, but only enough to make a sticky but workable dough. Knead for 15 minutes or until you have a smooth, sticky dough, then place the dough in a bowl and cover. Let it rest for 1-2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
- Knock the air out of the risen dough and divide it into 24 pieces. Form the dough into balls or “what form you please,” then set it on parchment and cover it to let rise for 20 minutes.
- Heat the lard or oil to 350°F/175°C. Add 4-5 doughnuts to the oil and fry for 1 minute, then turn to fry the other side. Fry until a deep golden brown. Let them drain then serve with powdered sugar, nutmeg, or cinnamon.
1. “The History of Donuts in America.” Dawn Foods, n.d. https://www.dawnfoods.com/insights/the-history-of-donuts-in-america [Accessed Feb. 19, 2022] 2. Taylor, Bryton. “Oly Koek and Doughty Doughnut Recipes: Sleepy Hollow.” In Literature, October 25, 2018. https://www.inliterature.net/food-in-literature/2018/10/sleepy-hollow-doughty-dough-nuts-olykoeks.html [Accessed Feb. 19, 2022] 3. The History of Doughnuts. YouTube, 2022. https://youtu.be/ux5VjS7o2gA [Accessed Feb. 19, 2022] 4. “The History of Donuts in America.” 5. Flandern, Elizabeth Van. “The Forgotten Doughnut Heroines of Wartime.” Messy Nessy Chic, September 26, 2017. https://www.messynessychic.com/2017/09/26/the-forgotten-doughnut-heroines-of-wartime/ [Accessed Feb. 19, 2022] 6. “The History of Donuts in America.” 7. The History of Doughnuts. Image: Doughnut Dollies 1918 France https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Doughnut_Dollies_1918_France.jpg [Accessed Feb. 19, 2022]
