Distinctive Inns of New England celebrate donut day with advice and recipes

DINE inns offer advice on celebrating National Donut DayThe first Friday in June has been set aside for one fabulous foodie holiday. This year, June 3, 2016 marks National Donut Day, a food holiday venerated by epicureans throughout the country.  Good thing it’s on a Friday. Make this a good reason for a three-day weekend at any of the 12 Distinctive Inns of New England (DINE) and celebrate appropriately.  Your romantic New England escape may just be highlighted with the best donuts you’ve ever tasted.

We asked DINE innkeepers where to find the best donuts in New England.  Jill Meyer of the Captain’s House Inn in Chatham, MA shared the best place to get fresh hand cut donuts on Cape Cod is The Hole in One, with locations in Orleans and Eastham.  They make them fresh daily, and visitors love them!  Leslie Mulcahy of the Rabbit Hill Inn told us, “Guests go crazy over Rabbit Hill Inn’s Pastry Chef Phyllis’s homemade glazed raised donuts (her family recipe). And of course, her donut muffins are a huge hit too. They taste just like a freshly baked donut.”

A number of donut and coffee shops are getting in on the donut daze by offering free donuts on June 3rd.  Click here for a list of 13 different places around the country offering free donuts and other offers.

If you want to celebrate National Donut Day at home, some of the DINE innkeepers have been kind enough to share their recipes.  Try one of these fabulous treats at home then post a comment with a picture on the DINE Facebook page telling us which one you tried and liked the best!

Baked Cinnamon Donuts served at Captain’s House Inn (an Ina Garten recipe)

Ingredients

Homemade donuts from Captain's House InnBaking spray with flour, such as Baker’s Joy
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for the topping:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 doughnut pans well.

Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined.

Spoon the batter into the baking pans, filling each one a little more than three-quarters full. Bake for 17 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then tap the doughnuts out onto a sheet pan.

For the topping, melt the 8 tablespoons of butter in an 8-inch sauté pan. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Dip each doughnut first in the butter and then in the cinnamon sugar, either on one side or both sides.

Donut Holes served at Deerfield Inn

Ingredients

For frying:
about 5 cups (35 ounces) vegetable oil (peanut oil is a good choice for frying, but let guests know in case of allergies)

Ingredients for doughnut batter:
1 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1/4 cup melted clarified butter
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour. (We use a combo of King Arthur white and whole wheat)
¼  tsp fresh ground nutmeg smaller photo of Deerfield Inn's donut holes

¼  tsp ground cinnamon
2 to 3 Tbsp granulated sugar, to taste
1 ½ Tbsp baking powder
½  tsp salt

Instructions:

Pour at least 1” oil into 2½” deep 10″ skillet. Oil must be hot hot hot at 350°F

Prepare the batter: Whisk together the dry ingredients.In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and egg. Pour the milk/egg into the bowl with the dry ingredients, stirring briefly; then add the melted butter, stirring to make a thick, soft batter.

When the oil has come up to temperature, use a scooping spoon to drop balls of batter the size of a squash ball into the hot oil.

Fry the doughnut holes for 2 minutes on the first side, or till they’re deep brown. After 2 minutes, turn the holes over with a pair of long tongs, and fry for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer the doughnut holes to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain and cool.

Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with powdered sugar and serve with Grade A dark amber MA maple syrup. Yield: about 24 2” large doughnut holes.

Queen of the donuts, Pastry Chef, Phyllis at Rabbit Hill Inn has a number of donut recipes to share.  Click here for her Homemade Raised Donut Recipe.  Scroll down to the end of this blog to see the video of how to make those. The famous Rabbit Hill Inn Donut Muffin recipe was recently shared by Leslie and Phyllis on the inn’s blog.  Make these and send your family off with a donut in a muffin cup!

Donut Muffins from Rabbit Hill Inn

Donut Muffin Recipe from Rabbit Hill Inn

Dry Ingredients mixed in bowl:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp nutmeg

Wet ingredients in separate bowl:
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups sour creamDonut Muffins at Rabbit Hill Inn
2 tsp vanilla

Topping mix in separate bowl:
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter in separate bowl

Method:

Whisk dry ingredients together in bowl.

Whisk wet ingredients together in separate bowl.

Gently fold wet & dry mixtures together with spatula until just combined.

Spray muffin tins with cooking spray.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Scoop out batter and fill each muffin to top.

Bake 15-20 minutes (test for doneness).

While muffins are baking, stir together the topping ingredients. Set aside.

When muffins are cool enough to handle, take each muffin and dip tops into melted butter.

Dip and swirl into cinnamon/sugar mixture. Coat tops generously. Let sit for a few minutes.

Now they’re ready to enjoy!

Note: This Donut Muffin recipe yields 24 muffins. Warning: These donut muffins are addictive and will disappear quickly. So plan on making double batches, they freeze well.

Donut Muffins Video from Rabbit Hill Inn.

Click on the photo to see how Phyllis makes her delicious homemade donuts.

Learn more about the 12 Distinctive Inns of New England by clicking below on links that will take you directly to each of their websites where the adventure begins.  Better yet, visit them in person and if you’re lucky, you may just enjoy a warm homemade donut!

In Maine:  Captain Jefferds Inn in Kennebunkport & Camden Maine Stay Inn in Camden

In New Hampshire:  Manor on Golden Pond in Holderness & Chesterfield Inn in West Chesterfield

In Massachusetts:  Harbor Light Inn in Marblehead, Gateways Inn & Restaurant in Lenox, Deerfield Inn in Historic Deerfield and Captain’s House Inn in Chatham on Cape Cod.

In Rhode Island: Cliffside Inn in Newport

In Connecticut: Inn at Harbor Hill Marina in Niantic.

In Vermont:  Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford & Grafton Inn in Grafton