Fastnachts (Potato Doughnuts)
Old-fashioned Pennsylvania Dutch potato-dough doughnuts, deep-fried and dusted with confectioners' sugar.
Ingredients
| 4 | small potatoes (egg size) | |
| 1 pint | 475 ml | milk |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | shortening, melted |
| ½ cup | 120 ml | warm water |
| 1 package | yeast | |
| 5 pounds | 2.3 kg | flour |
| 2 cups | 480 ml | sugar |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | salt |
| 2 | eggs | |
| — | confectioners' sugar, for dusting |
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes in 1 quart of water until soft. Drain, reserving the cooking water. Mash the potatoes, then pour the water back onto them and mix in. Cool to lukewarm, then add the milk and melted shortening and mix.
- Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
- While the potatoes cool, put about 4 pounds of the flour in a large pan. Add the sugar and salt and mix well. Add the eggs and mix by hand. Stir the yeast into the potato mixture, then add this to the flour mixture, mixing well.
- The dough will be very sticky and you may not get all the flour worked in — don't worry. Let rise in a warm place for 4 hours.
- Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead, adding flour as needed until it no longer sticks excessively to your hands. Roll out and cut out the doughnuts. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk.
- Fry in deep fat until golden, then drain. Dust with confectioners' sugar or your favourite coating.