The potato doughnut, sometimes called a Spudnut, is a doughnut, typically sweet, made with either mashed potatoes or potato starch instead of flour, the most common ingredient used for doughnut dough. Potato doughnuts tend to be lighter than all-flour doughnuts, and are prepared in a similar way as other doughnuts[1][2]. A chain of Spudnut Shops was established across the United States in the 1950s before declining to a few dozen more recently. Fried ube dough is also eaten in East Asia, including the world’s most expensive doughnut, the Golden Cristal Ube, which cost $100 each [3]. Much like flour doughnuts, potato doughnuts are often eaten with coffee.
 A sampler of potato doughnuts from Spudnuts Coffee Shop in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States | |
| Alternative names | Spudnut |
|---|---|
| Type | Doughnut |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Main ingredients | Potato |
History
The origin of the potato doughnuts is unknown. Syndicated recipes appeared in American newspapers as early as the 1870s.[4][5] A recipe was published in a 1915 printing of the Five Roses Cook Book in Canada[6][7] and also in 1938 in the Glenna Snow Cook Book.[8] In the late 1930s, Vernon Rudolph began selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts, using a recipe containing potatoes[9][10]. A chain of Spudnut Shops was established and spread to more than 500 locations in the United States before being thinned out to around 50 in the mid-2000s.[11][12] The originating company eventually declared bankruptcy, but independent stores remain.[13]
Characteristics
Potato doughnuts share many of the same ingredients as normal doughnuts, but have all or most of the flour replaced with either mashed potatoes[14] or potato starch.[15]
Potato doughnuts tend to be a light, fluffy variety of doughnut[16] and are usually topped with the same variety of frosting or toppings as other doughnuts.[16] A potato doughnut may be deep-fried in lard to make a variety of Fasnacht.[17]
Preparation
Potato doughnuts are prepared by mixing instant mix or already prepared mashed potatoes in a bowl with eggs and other ingredients, ranging from baking powder to a small amount of flour. The dough is then shaped and refrigerated before being cooked.[14][16]
See also
Notes
- ^ "American Classics: Potato Doughnuts". sweets.seriouseats.com. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
- ^ Krishna, Priya. "Forget Cake vs. Yeast, Potato Doughnuts Are the Greatest". Bon Appetit. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
- ^ Connelly, Louise (2017-10-11). "The most expensive doughnut in the world is covered in 24-karat gold". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
- ^ The Osage County Chronicle, Burlingame Kansas, October 1st 1877
- ^ The Jewell County Monitor, Mankato Kansas, October 11th 1877
- ^ Lake of the Woods Milling Company, issuing body (1915). Five Roses Cook Book : Being a Manual of Good Recipes carefully chosen from the contributions of over two thousand successful users of Five Roses Flour throughout Canada : also, Useful Notes on the various classes of good things to eat, all of which have been carefully checked and re-checked by competent authority. McGill University Library. Montreal : Lake of the Woods Milling Co.
- ^ 1915 Potato Doughnut Spudnuts Recipe. Glen & Friends Cooking. 2020.
- ^ Akron Beacon Journal (2002).
- ^ Taylor, David A. "The History of the Doughnut". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
- ^ "Hot Doughnuts Now: The Krispy Kreme Story". The Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
- ^ Nichols (2006).
- ^ Laurel D'Agenais. "Donut Paradise: The Ultimate Deep-Fried Treat". Travel Channel. Retrieved 2011-01-28.
- ^ Smith (2007)
- ^ a b Jardine (1966), 15A.
- ^ Szabo (2004).
- ^ a b c St. Petersburg Times (1959), 14-D.
- ^ Riely (2003), 107.
References
- Jardine, Winnifred. "Witch Food? It's Doughnuts". Deseret News. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- "Potato Mix Doughnuts". St. Petersburg Times. Times Publishing Company. 12 September 1959. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- Riley, Elizabeth (2003). The Chef's Companion: A Culinary Dictionary. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 0-471-39842-X. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- Nichols, Roger Spudnut survivor; Store in Richland keeps sweet legacy alive September 17, 2006 The Dalles Chronicle.
- Smith, Craig (20 April 2007). "Doughnut Options: Kinda Limited". Virginia Law Weekly. 59 (25). Charlottesville, Virginia: University of Virginia School of Law. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- Snow, Jane (1 May 2002). "Differences in Salt". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- Szabo, Julie (1 February 2004). "Ode to the doughnut simply irresistible". Country Living. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
External links
Media related to Potato doughnuts at Wikimedia Commons