Schooner Doughnuts

Wow didn‚Äôt that wind whistle yesterday. Sawyer and I made our Saturday Camden run to the dump, the library (yes, we paid our fine for that overdue book), and rowed out to the schooner just to check the lines for chafe and see that the cover was intact. Right there at the head of Camden those gusty NW winds buffet the schooner right about amidships. There is no swell but that wind….take the butter right off a biscuit. I spent the afternoon hours splitting wood in the North facing wood yard. Brrrr…

So today is a day of rest (not really with the wood pile still waiting but I like the concept). I was inspired by Mary’s doughnut recipe to try my own hand at it. Mary Barney is famous up and down the coast for her baking. Used to be when she lived out on Monhegan Island she would make doughnuts for the fisher men and women on trap day, the first day of their fishing season. She worked 25 summers at the Trailing Ewe and made doughnuts everyday. That’s alot of doughnuts. I work with a fella down at our local volunteer ambulance service that lived on Monhegan for a time while Mary was there. Luke still asks for Mary’s doughnuts. I am trying the chocolate version. Mary learned this recipe from Dint Day, hence Dint’s Doughnuts.

Here is the recipe: 2 Eggs well beaten 1 cup sugared 1 1/2 cups buttermilk or sour milk 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 2 T oil nutmeg and ginger flour, about 4 1/2 cups to make a fairly stiff dough

Mix in order. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Roll out about 1/3rd inch thick. Cut and fry in deep fat, melted vegetable shortening.

For chocolate doughnuts, omit spices and put in 1/2 cup bakers cocoa and a splash of vanilla.

Have a great day. And if you happen to see Mary wish her a happy birthday!

Photo of Mary by Jim Dugan

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