AI-generated image
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
- 1 potatoabout 200 g, peeled
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 ⅛ oz butter
- 2 ⅛ oz sugar
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¼ lb plain flour
- 6 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor frying
- 3 ½ oz caster sugarfor coating
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
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 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).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Reform torta
Belgrade pastry shops have sold reform torta since the early twentieth century, and it is still the cake Serbian families bring out for birthdays, weddings and the slava. Three thin layers of walnut meringue, crisp at the edge and chewy inside, are stacked with a dense chocolate butter cream made with egg yolks cooked over steam until thick. It is very rich, so cut thin slices and serve with strong coffee. The usual slip is beating the butter into a chocolate mixture that is still warm, which melts it and splits the cream; let it cool to room temperature first. Chef's tip: assemble the cake the day before; overnight in the fridge the meringue softens a little and the cake slices cleanly with a hot knife.
Ma'amoul
Ma'amoul are delicate shortbread-like pastries made for Eid and Easter across the Middle East. A soft, rose-scented butter dough is wrapped around a filling of dates, walnuts, almonds and pistachios cooked with cinnamon, marked with a fork, baked pale and dusted with icing sugar. Makes 35; they keep well in a tin.
Barbeque sauce
A quick, tangy barbecue sauce of tomato ketchup, onion, butter, vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and lemon, sweetened with sugar and warmed with black pepper and chilli flakes. Keep it warm and serve it with barbecued paneer, vegetable skewers, burgers and corn.