Nantucket Donuts

Nantucket donuts are an old-fashioned New England cake donut (the rolled, cut, and cinnamon-sugar-shaken kind, not the yeast-raised glazed ones from the chain shops). The batter is straightforward: shortening creamed with sugar, eggs, milk, and a generous spice mix of cinnamon and nutmeg folded into the flour.

The key difference between cake donuts and yeast donuts is texture. Cake donuts use baking powder rather than yeast for lift, so they bake up dense and tender like a thick muffin rather than light and airy. They are the right kind for tumbling in cinnamon sugar; yeast donuts are typically too delicate for that rough treatment.

Oil temperature is critical. 365°F (185°C) is the right window. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks; too cool and the donut soaks up oil and becomes greasy. A candy thermometer is the easiest way to nail it.

Shaking the warm donuts in a paper bag with cinnamon and sugar (rather than rolling individually) coats every surface evenly, including the inside of the hole. This is the move that separates a real donut shop donut from a sad homemade attempt.

Kitchen Tips

• Chill the dough for 30 minutes before rolling; cold dough is easier to cut and holds its shape in the hot oil.
• Use a donut cutter for clean edges and a centered hole; a glass and a shot glass work in a pinch.
• Fry the centers (the little holes) too; they cook in half the time and make great snacks.
• Coat the donuts while still warm; cold donuts will not hold the cinnamon sugar.

Variations

• Skip the cinnamon sugar and dip in a powdered sugar glaze for a classic glazed donut.
• Add ½ teaspoon of ground cardamom along with the cinnamon for a more aromatic spice mix.
• Pipe a small amount of jelly or lemon curd into each donut for a filled version (cut without the center hole).