Old-Fashioned Yeast Doughnuts

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Place the water in a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over it and stir it in. Add the milk, quarter-cup sugar, salt, egg and three tablespoons vegetable oil and mix. Beat in one cup of the flour until the mixture is smooth.

2. Step 2

   Sift another cup of flour with the nutmeg or mace and stir it into the batter mixture with a wooden spoon. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft but manageable dough. Cover and set aside to rise until doubled, about one hour.

3. Step 3

   Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a well-floured surface. Dust it liberally with flour and knead 8 or 10 times, until elastic and smooth. Cover dough with large inverted bowl and rest for 15 minutes.

4. Step 4

   Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough to one-half-inch thickness. Cut with a floured three-inch doughnut cutter and, using a spatula, carefully place the cut doughnuts on a floured cloth or surface. Reroll the scraps and cut more doughnuts. Cover the cut doughnuts with a cloth and allow to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

5. Step 5

   Meanwhile, pour at least two inches of oil into a deep pan and bring it to 375 degrees over moderate heat. When the doughnuts have risen, slide them into the oil with a spatula and fry them, two or three at a time a minute or so on each side, until golden brown. Lift them out of the oil with a slotted spoon and place them on several thicknesses of paper towel to drain. Dust them with sugar while they are still warm.