Why do doughnuts have holes?
We're all familiar with the ring doughnut as an American confection. One thing I've always been curious about is why they have holes in them (or are toroidal in shape). What advantages, if any, does this shape have in the preparation process, and are there any other historical reasons for this shape?
Best Answer
Legend has it that the inventor of the ring shaped donut with a hole came up with the idea because he was dissatisfied with the raw centre of regular donuts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doughnut#History_in_the_U.S.
Having done quite a few doughnut experiments recently, it's true that having shapes where the distance from the centre to the surface is smaller increases your chances of properly cooked doughnuts. So toroids make sense, but then so would thin cylinders.
You can however, fry up donuts will no hole, that are cooked all the way through. Look at Berliners or jam-filled doughnuts.
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Quick Answer about "Why do doughnuts have holes?"
To fully cook the insides of the dough, the dough would have to stay in the oil for a longer time, which would lead to the outsides becoming burnt. Punching a hole in the middle of the dough, however, allows the insides and the outsides to cook evenly, creating a perfect doughnut.Do donuts need holes?
According to Food52, the boring theory behind why doughnuts have holes is because it was necessary. Once bakers started adding egg yolks to their doughnut recipes, the dough became super rich, which made it difficult to cook the pastries evenly. The center would be gooey and raw while the edges would be crisp.Do donut holes actually come from donuts?
Doughnut holes are small, bite-sized doughnuts that were traditionally made from the dough taken from the center of ring doughnuts.Why did bakers add holes to donuts?
Gregory suggested punching a hole in the middle of the fried cakes, so that the insides of the cakes would cook as evenly as the outsides. Experts believe that this reason makes sense, because of the way that donuts are cooked.What is a donut without a hole called?
Jelly Doughnut These classic doughnuts are typically round without a hole in the middle, and generally leavened with yeast.The REAL Reason Donuts Have Holes | Why Donuts Have Holes? | Fun Facts
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