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Good Afternoon:

Although I have a lot of cookbooks, I have been unable to find one that helps in adapting a recipe from the family of Thomas Jefferson, for making doughnuts.  Although the recipe in the book "The Early American Cookbook" indicates that the recipes have been adapted for the "modern" kitchen, my doughnut enterprise today was challenging, to say the least.  After reading the instructions from start to finish (3 times), as any good should do (some only need 2!), I plunged in.  Using the exact measurements in the recipe, by the time I got to mixing the dry into the wet, and alternating the dry addition with milk (supposed to be 1 cup), the "dough" was not dough, but a very runny batter.  I ended up only using 1/2 cup of milk and had to add more flour to bulk it up for rolling as a dough.  Even then, it was still very sticky and difficult to cut out the doughnuts for frying.  The recipe called for 1 cup of "cooked squash".  As no particular type was specified, I used butternut squash.  The moisture content after cooking did not seem excessive to me.

I've tried to research the differences in flours from 1780 and now, without much luck.  I'm guessing the wheat might be completely different from what we use now, the grinding process different, perhaps more gluten, etc. All I know that is, following the recipe to the letter did not produce "dough" by any means.  Any thoughts out there from other EYB members?  Thanks!

Great question!  I just joined EYB and I'm glad to find others interested in historical recipes.  My first thought is to use whole wheat flour, and your idea about gluten, use a some bread flour as well.

Also, you will need a rendered lard for frying.  They didn't have Crisco and butter is too precious for frying.  I have had sucess asking my whole foods meat department save pork trimmings for me to render.  My farmer's market meat seller will package pork fat, rind, and leaf fat, separately upon request.  Shelf stable lard is partially hydrogeniated and has preservatives.

Did you use whole milk?  I think you might want to use whole and some cream or half and half.

As for the squash, it might have been pumpkin.

I'd love to try the recipe, but I draw the line at deep frying at home.  That's one rabbit hole I wouldn't be able to crawl out of when I was finished.  

Katy