When I was a child, my mother, Geraldine Hamblin Bangerter, always made hundreds of spudnuts for Halloween" trick or treaters" in Granger, (Utah) and then in Alpine, where our family moved in 1970. See the full story below for the history of these spudnuts. I have made spudnuts with my mother, sisters, daughters, nieces, friends, neighbors, and now continue to do so with my grandchildren. This recipe was originally called "Geri's Fast Rising Potato Donuts". I have modified her recipe, changing the amount and type of yeast. I prefer working with instant yeast (SAF) and less of it, which produces a more dense spudnut with a less yeasty taste. They don't rise quite as fast, aren't as fragile with handling, and produce a prettier spudnut. My version also contains less salt, and I prefer using a high gluten baking flour.
Everyone in the Bangerter family makes spudnuts at Halloween, but now in homes spreading far and wide across the United States. Thanks Grandma, for your legacy and fun tradition!
Yield: 75-85 donuts
2 cups potatoes, peeled, cooked til very soft, and mashed. You can use instant, but it won't be the same!
In a large bowl, mix together til thoroughly combined:
12 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons salt
4 Tablespoons instant yeast (SAF)
In a blender, blend together:
1 can evaporated milk
4 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups cooked til soft and mashed potatoes
Add: 4 cups HOT water to the above mixture after blending.
Pour everything into the large bowl of dry ingredients. With large, sturdy wooden spoon, begin stirring until thoroughly combined and very smooth. The dough is wet, yes, but needs to be mixed with enough flour so that your wooden spoon will snap off the dough with very little dough stuck to it. Add a little more flour if necessary, and sometimes it seems like you are adding a lot more.
Place covered dough in secluded and warm place and let rise approximately 1/2 hour, until doubled.
Place risen dough onto a well floured surface. Pat down and sprinkle with a little more flour, flipping the dough around a little to make it easier to handle. Flatten the dough to make it even all around. Don't stretch it! Pat it, spank it, lift it, but don't stretch. If sufficiently floured and non-sticky, you can begin rolling with a rolling pin, moving from the middle out to all directions. Do this gently with minimal stretching. Roll to about 1/3 inch thickness, evenly all around. "Shrink" the dough, grandma would instruct, by lifting the edges and flipping it a little. Cut with donut cutter and place on another lightly floured surface to let rise another 1/2 hour.
Fry in deep fat fryer or electric frying pan at 350 degrees. Need at least 2 inches of oil. Test a donut hole beforehand. The oil needs to cook the donut rapidly, but not too fast. Turn donuts over with fork when light brown and repeat on other side. Gather all donuts up quickly with handle of skinny wooden spoon and let oil drip off. Place hot drained donuts immediately into glaze or chocolate frosting.
DONUT GLAZE:
1 envelope knox gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
3/4 cup very hot water
2 pounds powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
In medium mixing bowl, soften gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water; then add the 3/4 cup hot water. Stir well and add powdered sugar and cream of tartar. Mix with electric beaters or wire whip. Add vanilla. If lumps remain, let sit a few minutes and mix again. Remember to keep bowl with glaze scraped down on the sides frequently with rubber spatula, stir and whip again. if glaze seems to thicken up a little, add a tablespoon of hot water and whip with wire whisk until right again. Place donuts on rack for draining.
CHOCOLATE DONUTS:
Pour some of the glaze into another medium bowl. Add unsweetened chocolate powder( 1/2 cup-1 cup according to preference) Thicken slightly with more powdered sugar as needed and beat well with electric mixer. Place hot donuts down into glaze, (just the smooth side). Let sit briefly and use a careful hand motion to lift off. Leave face up on rack for cooling.
MAPLE DONUTS:
As for chocolate: Add more powdered sugar and maple flavoring. Beat well.
Storytime:
In my mother's young life, her parents and brother, Dale, had moved out to the wild cowboy town of Rawlins, Wyoming to set up a "Spudnut Shop". There were other such spudnut shops in other Wyoming towns, but as of yet, none in the town of Rawlins. My mother had earned a bachelor's degree and was working as a Registered Nurse in Salt Lake City. She decided that she could dove-tail her nursing career at a local hospital in Rawlins while helping Dale in the spudnut enterprise. At the same time, she signed on to be the town's school nurse. In 1946, Rawlins was a mecca for gamblers, rustlers, gunslingers and crooks. My mother sometimes worked in the emergency room at the hospital and became acquainted with the victims of the lawless; sometimes meeting the outlaws themselves. While growing up, I listened to mama's tales of "Big Nose George", "Butcher-Knife Lil", "Band-Land Mary" and others. In the background of the stories was the Spudnut Shop. The business lasted for six years, until mama decided to return to Utah to pursue a Masters Degree in Nursing. The Masters Degree never materialized, however, because she met a handsome widower, William Grant Bangerter, married him within 2 months of their meeting on October 13, 1953 and became the instant mother of three. Seven more children followed! 65 grandchildren, 130 great-grandchildren and counting!