Doughnut

Doughnuts, like Ferris wheels and baseball, are a uniquely American invention. Washington Irving, chronicler of the ghostly “Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” described the new pastry in his 1809 novel History of New York: “an enormous dish of balls of sweetened dough, fried in hog’s fat, and called dough-nuts, or oly koeks: a delicious kind of cake, at present known scarce to this city, except in genuine Dutch families.” This was, of course, pre-hole doughnut. That innovation came later, and under murky circumstances. Was it the Pennsylvania Dutch who added the hole for easier dunking? Or the scrappy teenager Hanson Crockett Gregory, who realized that cutting out the middle made for a more fry-able dough? Either way, by the mid-19th century, the doughnut was sporting the iconic hole that would make it instantly recognizable as an American pastry.

Though a ubiquitous national treasure, doughnuts have become a treat that one buys rather than makes. No more. With our tutorials, tips, and test kitchen-approved recipes, we take all the intimidation out and add back in the joy of eating a still-warm homemade doughnut.

FRENCH CRULLERS WITH CITRUS GLAZE

Makes 9 to 10 crullers

Crullers are one of the many delicious offshoots of pâte à choux, the versatile French pastry dough that you cook twice, once on the stove and once in the oven. In this form, choux pastry is piped with a star tip into ridged rounds, which then get fried and dipped in a bright Citrus Glaze.

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (141 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup (240 grams) water
6 tablespoons (84 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and softened
1 tablespoon (12 grams) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
½ teaspoon (2 grams) vanilla extract
3 large eggs (150 grams),