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Fastnachts
Pennsylvania Dutch potato doughnuts for Shrove Tuesday
AmericanOn Fastnacht Day, the Tuesday before Lent, bakeries and church kitchens across south-central Pennsylvania fry thousands of these square potato doughnuts to use up the fat and sugar before the fast. Mashed potato in the yeast dough makes them light but slightly dense and moist. They are eaten plain, sugared, or split and spread with molasses. Chef's tip: cut them into squares with a knife and make a slit in the middle of each; that is the traditional Fastnacht, and there are no scraps to re-roll.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
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What you'll need
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Boil the 1 potato until very soft, about 15 minutes, then mash until smooth and measure 150 g.
18 minStep 2: Warm the ¾ cup milk with the 2 ⅛ oz butter and 2 ⅛ oz sugar until the butter melts, then cool to lukewarm and beat in the mash, ¼ oz instant dried yeast, 2 eggs and 1 tsp salt.
5 minStep 3: Mix in the 1 ¼ lb plain flour to a soft dough, knead for 5 minutes and leave covered in a warm place for 1½ hours, until doubled.
95 minStep 4: Roll out 1.5 cm thick, cut into 6 cm squares and make a 2 cm slit in the centre of each. Cover and rise for 40 minutes on floured trays.
45 minStep 5: Heat the 6 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a deep pan to 350°F. Fry 4 at a time for 1½–2 minutes a side, until deep golden; one torn open should be cooked through, not doughy. A common mistake is hot oil, which browns them before the middle cooks.
25 minStep 6: Drain on kitchen paper and toss in the 3 ½ oz caster sugar while still warm.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 27 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fastnachts take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of potato?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
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