the cookbook

Grandma Adelaide Ryan's Cookbook- Donuts

100 year old "cookbook". Click to enlarge.

The donuts recipes

Our cousin Patty writes: "While going through my mom's things (Mary Rita), I found a treasure she had tucked away and couldn't find. At least the ladies in the family will think it is a treasure. It is an old journal, dated 1908 that Grandma Adelaide used as a cookbook. I hope to copy the pages, as they are fragile and full of splash stains from when the recipes were used. The penmanship is also difficult to decipher at times. Mom had such beautiful handwriting--so I was quite surprised that Grandma's penmanship was not. (I mostly remember seeing letters she wrote to Mom after her first stroke, and those were understandably difficult to read.) So, it looks like this might turn into a long term project for me. Most of the recipes are for sweets that wouldn't be used frequently, and very few give cooking directions.

Nonetheless, these recipes are part of our family tradition, and I thought you might be interested. I just wish I knew which ones she might have used regularly. Remember how Grandma always made doughnuts on Thurs. evening when Jack was printing the weekly paper? Those fresh doughnuts were such a treat. The recipes are in the attachments, so please forward them to your sisters. Perhaps, if anyone tries one, they could let me know how they come out. I hope you enjoy this."

Patty

Pat Jacobsen Daugherty

This first recipe was written by hand in pencil on a loose paper.

Donuts Rich

Butter size of egg

2 Cu. Sugar

3 eggs

4 ½ cu. Flour or more

1 tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. sour milk

There were no directions given. I do remember watching Grandma cut out the donut hole with the top of a ketchup bottle. I vaguely remember Mom telling me that she cut the doughnuts with a drinking glass.

The second recipe was written by hand, in ink on a page in the book. Because of this I suspect that this was the earliest recipe, and the ones above were acquired later and tucked into the book. Again no directions were given.

Doughnuts

¾ cu. Sugar

2 eggs beaten with sugar

1 cu. Milk

3 cu. Flour, sifted

2 tsp. baking powder

1 T. melted butter

Salt

Nutmeg or vanilla

Third recipe: From a newspaper cut out:

Doughnuts

3 T. lard

2 eggs

4 cu. Flour

¼ tsp. grated nutmeg

1 ¼ cu. Sugar

1/3 cu. Milk

½ tsp. salt

3 tsp. baking powder

2/3 cu. Water

Third recipe (continued)

Work lard until creamy, beat in sugar gradually. Then add yolks of eggs beaten thick and whites beaten stiff. Mix and sift dry ingredients, and add alternately with liquid to first mixture. Toss on slightly-floured board and knead lightly, pat and roll out ¼ inch thick, using half the mixture at a time. Shape with a doughnut cutter, first dipped in flour. Fry until golden brown in hot lard and drain on brown paper.