Potato doughnut

Potato doughnut

A sampler of potato doughnuts from Spudnuts Coffee Shop in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Origin
Alternative name(s)	Spudnut
Place of origin	United States
Details
Type	Doughnut
Main ingredient(s)	Potato

The potato doughnut, sometimes called a Spudnut, is a doughnut, typically sweet, made with either mashed potatoes or potato starch instead of flour, the most common ingredient used for doughnut dough. Potato doughnuts were introduced in the mid-1900s, and a recipe was published in 1938. Potato doughnuts tend to be lighter than flour doughnuts, and are prepared in a similar method to other doughnuts. A chain of Spudnut Shops was established across the United States in the 1950s before declining to a few dozen more recently. Fried ube dough is also eaten in East Asia. Much like flour doughnuts, potato doughnuts are often accompanied with coffee.

History

Potato doughnuts first arose in the mid-1900s. A recipe was first published in 1938 in the Glenna Snow Cook Book. A chain of Spudnut Shops was established and spread to more than 500 locations in the United States before being thinned out to around 50 in the mid-2000s. The originating company eventually declared bankruptcy, but independent stores remain.

Characteristics

Potato doughnuts share many of the same ingredients as normal doughnuts, but have all or most of the flour replaced with either mashed potatoes or potato starch.

Potato doughnuts tend to be a light, fluffy variety of doughnut and are usually topped with the same variety of frosting or toppings as other doughnuts. A potato doughnut may be deep-fried in pork fat to make a variety of Fasnacht.

Preparation

Potato doughnuts are prepared by mixing instant mix or already prepared mashed potatoes in a bowl with eggs and other ingredients, ranging from baking powder to a small amount of flour. The dough is then shaped and refrigerated before being cooked.

See also

• List of doughnut varieties
• List of potato dishes
• Fried dough foods

References

• Nichols, Roger Spudnut survivor; Store in Richland keeps sweet legacy alive September 17, 2006 The Dalles Chronicle.