Oh my – another fun holiday today – today is National Donut Day! I didn’t know that, did you? It turns out that National Donut Day is celebrated the first Friday in June. What? Where did this crazy and yummy holiday come from? National Donut Day was started in 1938 by the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army wanted a day to celebrate their “donut lassies.” During World War One the donut lassies provided treats and other assistance to soldiers on the front lines. Sounds like the perfect reason to celebrate with a yummy holiday!

National Donut Day means FREE donuts too! In honor of National Doughnut Day, on Friday, June 5, stop in to any Krispy Kreme US or Canadian location for a FREE doughnut of any variety–including its world famous Original Glazed doughnut. Awesome! Dunkin’ Donuts will commemorate the holiday by offering guests a free donut of their choice (while supplies last) with the purchase of any beverage. The offer is good all day on June 5^th at participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants nationwide. Yummy!

Want to take a bash at making your own donuts in honor of National Donut Day? Here is a much loved recipe to get you started.

Creamy Crispy Doughnuts

Makes 18 doughnuts

Ingredients:

2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/3 cup shortening

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 quart vegetable oil for frying

1/3 cup butter

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

4 tablespoons hot water or as needed

Directions:

1 – Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.

2 – In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, or stirring with a wooden spoon. Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about five minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, and cover. Set in a warm place to rise until double. Dough is ready if you touch it, and the indention remains.

3 – Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter. Let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double. Cover loosely with a cloth.

4 – Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in hot water one tablespoon at a time until the icing is somewhat thin, but not watery. Set aside.

5 – Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large heavy skillet to 350 degrees. Slide doughnuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack. Dip doughnuts into the glaze while still hot, and set onto wire racks to drain off excess.

Do you have a great donut recipe? Do you make something fun and yummy with donuts? Share it with us! We love to hear from you!