This special and delicious treat is celebrated once a year and for 2024, June 7 is it. I don’t know about you, but I could easily eat a box of donuts in one sitting. Most definitely my favorite treat at any time of the day, I have enjoyed donuts since I was very little and I cannot remember a moment when a donut made me sad. I will never forget the time when my grandpa went to his favorite bakery in Harvard, IL and told the baker he needed a sprinkle donut for his granddaughter, they speculated that I was probably young, seven or eight years old and he laughed while correcting them, “No, she’s actually 25!” I always enjoy this story and it brings back many memories of this sweet treat. I recently asked myself, where did donuts come from? What is the history behind such a delightful, fried piece of dough? Let’s jump back in time to the year 1917.
World War I was certainly no delight to this country, families were left torn apart, and the economy took an incredible hit that left an everlasting impact on our history. Forever marked by treacherous moments, the soldiers who stood on the front lines often received a delicious snack to make their days a little brighter. In 1917, a group of women appropriately known as the “Donut Lassies” were sent to France to establish bases near the front lines. The Donut Lassies would stand inside makeshift huts and wait for the soldiers to arrive. Once they were at the huts, soldiers would stock up on essential goods and also grab a donut. These donuts followed a tried-and-true recipe and were all handmade by the Lassies. Through enjoying such delicious treats, the soldiers were able to experience some happiness and hope during the dark times of the war.
So, the question is, how did the donut become so widely appreciated and adored in the United States? The Donut Lassies are credited with popularizing the donut in the United States after the troops (commonly known as “doughboys”) came back from fighting in Europe. Fast forward into 1938, Chicago celebrated the first ever National Donut Day to commemorate the Salvation Army Donut Lassies. Still to this day, the Salvation Army provides a wide range of social services for families and continues to serve on the front lines.
Front Lines Recipe
Yield: 60 donuts
- 2 large eggs
- 5 cups flour
- 2 cup sugar
- 5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 tablespoon salt
- 1 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tub lard (this can be substituted with butter or vegetable oil)
DIRECTIONS
- Combine all ingredients (except for oil) to make dough.
- Thoroughly knead dough, roll smooth, and cut into rings that are less than 1/4 inch thick. (When finding items to cut out donut circles, be creative! Salvation Army Donut Lassies used whatever they could find, from baking powder cans to coffee percolator tubes.)
- Drop the rings into the oil, making sure the oil is hot enough to brown the donuts gradually. Turn the donuts slowly several times.
- When browned, remove donuts and allow excess oil to drip off.
- Dust with powdered sugar. Let cool and enjoy!
Resource: https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/national-donut-day/
