Aren’t donuts the perfect indulgent breakfast food? Donuts are America’s go-to, favorite doughy breakfast treat and have been around forever. My favorite kind of donut is a cake donut because they are usually less sugary.

Donuts have been around so long that archaeologists keep unearthing bits of early versions of donuts in prehistoric Native American ruins. It was in the mid-19th century that the donut we know and love today was created.


As the story goes, Elizabeth Gregory, the mother of a New England ship captain made a deep-fried dough using nutmeg and cinnamon. She used to make this fried dough for her son, Hanson and his crew when they went on long voyages because it could be stored for a long time.


Captain Hanson Gregory however, takes credit for putting the hole in the donut. The rumor is that one day while he was steering the ship through a storm and needed both hands, he skewered his mom's fried dough on a spoke of the ships wheel.  Captain Gregory tried to deny these rumors and said that he created the hole by using the top of a round pepper tin to cut a hole in the fried dough.


It wasn’t until WWI that donuts became popular amongst Americans. Homesick young soldiers who were deployed overseas were given millions of donuts by young women who volunteered to help support. These young men were referred to as “doughboys.”


The donut was again seen in WWII, but by this time was a household name and widely made across the country. Red Cross women who helped during the war were fondly known as the “Doughnut Dollies.” These women would go around and supply soldiers with donuts and inspired Vernon Rudolph to grow his chain of his already established donut store Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, when he returned from duty.


Today the donut is finely ingrained into American culture and can be found at almost every coffee shop across the country. What is your favorite kind of donut? Where is your go-to donut shop?

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Donuts

Donut Ingredients

  • 2 Cups cake flour, sifted
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 tbsp. butter, melted butter

Glaze Ingredients

  • 1 cup confectioner's sugar
  • 2 tbsp. milk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions for donuts

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Spray a donut pan, like this one, Wilton Perfect Results Non-Stick Donut Pan, 20-Cavity Donut Baking Pan with vegetable cooking spray.
  3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.
  4. Add buttermilk, eggs and butter.
  5. Beat until just combined.
  6. Fill each pan cavity about 2/3 full.
  7. Bake 7-9 minutes or until the tops of the donuts spring back when touched.
  8. Let them cool for 3-4 mins. Dip donuts in chocolate or vanilla glaze. Enjoy!

Directions for glaze

  1. In a small bowl, stir together sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until sugar is dissolved. Use immediately to glaze donuts.

Donut source