There are certain unhealthy things you have to pull out of the closet once a year and make just for the sake of the day – or season – and most Canada days I make Nanaimo bars and butter tarts – so frequently, in fact, that I begin to crave both around the end of June. Ditto mini doughnuts – having grown up in Calgary, the first week of summer always smells like the midway. I’ve always been one to forego candy apples and cotton candy in lieu of fried dough in its many forms – this year I decided to combine the two holidays and make a batch of *Canadian Semiaquatic Rodent Posterior Doughnuts*, which have been around since the seventies, and if you’re in eastern Canada are as Canadian as any doughnut. (Mini or not.)





Yes, there is a trademarked name for yeast-risen fried dough made by an Ottawa company since 1978 – they come slathered in Nutella sometimes, or just doused in cinnamon-sugar, which is my preferred accessory for fried doughs. You could do whatever you like with it though – the oval shape makes it easy to top with other delicious things, and the scored top helps spreadable toppings grip. I imagine it would make an ideal mattress for ice cream and hot fudge sauce… perhaps the next batch.

This is a fairly classic yeasted doughnut dough, fried in oil and doused in sugar – you could really use most any yeasted doughnut dough – but these are based on a version in the Great Canadian Cookbook.

Canadian Semiaquatic Rodent Posterior Doughnuts

2 Tbsp sugar 2 1/2 tsp (1 pkg) active dry yeast 3/4 cup warm water or milk 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 Tbsp butter, softened or melted 1 large egg 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp salt canola oil, for cooking cinnamon sugar, for rolling

1 In a large bowl stir a big pinch of the sugar and the yeast into the water or milk and leave for 5 minutes, until it starts to foam. 2 Add the flour, butter, egg, vanilla and salt and knead until you have a soft dough. Continue to knead (or use the dough hook on your stand mixer) for 7-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. 3 Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a tea towel and let rise for an hour or two, until doubled in size. (If you want to make it ahead of time, refrigerate the dough for up to 12 hours to slow the rise.) When you’re ready to fry them, divide into 10 pieces and roll each into an oval. If you like, score a criss-cross pattern with a sharp knife. Cover and let rise another 1/2 hour. 4 Heat an inch or two of canola oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat until it’s hot, but not smoking (350F is ideal if you have a thermometer - otherwise test with a scrap of bread to see if it bubbles) - cook the *Canadian Semiaquatic Rodent Posterior Doughnuts* without crowding the pan for a minute or two per side, until golden. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, then douse in cinnamon sugar (put it in a baking dish or pie plate) while still warm. 5 Makes about 10 Canadian Semiaquatic Rodent Posterior Doughnuts.

Categorybread, snacks