Oly Koek and Doughty Doughnut recipes | Sleepy Hollow | InLiterature (2024)

FAQs

How do you hollow out a donut? ›

Using a chopstick, poke a hole in the doughnut. Gently shimmy the chopstick inside of the doughnut a little ways, gently rotating from the initial opening but not widening it too much. This will open up a little more space inside of your doughnut for the filling.

The story of donuts dates back to ancient civilizations, with variations of deep-fried dough appearing across cultures. The Dutch are often credited with bringing their version, known as “olykoeks” or “oily cakes” to the shores of America in the 17th century.

It is typically deep-fried, and may be deep fried at a lower temperature compared to other doughnut styles, having a crunchier texture compared to other cake doughnut styles. Frying at a lower temperature contributes to its rough, cracked texture.

The problem was with “cake donuts” (raised with baking powder or soda) that are very dense. Another type of donut, the “raised donut” is made with yeast dough, similar to the dough used to make white bread. This type is mostly air, and so there is no problem getting the center cooked. They're hole-less.

To fully cook the insides of the dough, the dough would have to stay in the oil for a longer time, which would lead to the outsides becoming burnt. Punching a hole in the middle of the dough, however, allows the insides and the outsides to cook evenly, creating a perfect donut.

But the doughnut proper (if that's the right word) supposedly came to Manhattan (then still New Amsterdam) under the unappetizing Dutch name of olykoeks--"oily cakes."

Jelly Doughnut

These classic doughnuts are typically round without a hole in the middle, and generally leavened with yeast. The center is stuffed with jelly, jam, or preserves (and sometimes chocolate!), giving you a burst of flavor with each bite.

"Dough nut"

One of the earliest known literary usages of the term dates to an 1808 short story describing a spread of "fire-cakes and dough-nuts". Washington Irving described "dough-nuts", in his 1809 History of New York, as "balls of sweetened dough, fried in hog's fat, and called dough-nuts, or olykoeks."

In truth, though, many donuts with holes don't actually have any dough cut out of them to make their shape. Instead, special machines spray dough into a fryer in a circular pattern. The donut holes you buy at the bakery or grocery store are usually made out of dough simply cut into small squares!

Everyone knows that dunking is the best way to eat a doughnut. All you need is a glass of milk. Then, take the doughnut and dunk it in the milk or coffee until it's fully submerged. It should stay there for about 10 seconds.

What is used to fill a donut? ›

These yeast doughnuts are deep-fried to perfection, and then filling is piped inside for a delightful treat. For a bit of a shortcut, use instant vanilla pudding. Feel free to fill them with homemade vanilla pudding or homemade pastry cream. Rich chocolate pudding or thick jam would be excellent fillings, as well.