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The original Salvation Army Doughnut was first served by Salvation Army in 1917. During WWI, Salvation Army "lassies" were sent to the front lines of Europe. These brave volunteers made home cooked foods, and provided a morale boost to the troops. Often, the doughnuts were cooked in oil inside the helmet of an American soldier. The American infantrymen were commonly called dough-boys. Salvation Army lassies were the only women outside of military personnel allowed to visit the front lines. Lt. Colonel Helen Purviance is considered the Salvation Army's "first doughnut girl". Visit the Salvation Army website HERE to read more about the "first doughnut girl".
The information provided below is from the actual Salvation Army website - read more HERE.
"I PROMISE YOU NOTHING!"
When President Wilson declared war against Germany on April 7, 1917, Americans were psychologically unprepared to participate in the "war to end wars,"
Evangeline Booth (USA National Commander 1904-1934) summoned a Salvation Army National War Council and created a National War Board to meet the needs of American soldiers. She appointed national, territorial, and provincial war secretaries so that the entire Salvation Army was placed on a war-service basis.
The Army set up service centres, hostels, adjacent to United States military camps. But Evangeline wanted to do more than serve military in the United States. "American boys are going to France," she said. "We must go with them."
She sent Lt. -Colonel William S. Barker to France to find out how The Salvation Army could best serve the American troops. Barker found that American Expeditionary Forces, upon landing in France, did not go to the front at once.
Soldiers who had expected to be participating in great battles found themselves drilling in mud from morning to night. An epidemic of homesickness spread through the troops.
Barker cabled: "SEND OVER SOME LASSIES." Evangeline determined to send only the very best. "I felt it was better to fall short in quantity than to run the risk of falling short in quality," she stated. " Quality is its own multiplication table. Quality without quantity will spread, whereas quantity without quality will shrink."
The first group of 11 officers (a married couple, 4 single women and 5 single men) sailed on August 12, 1917. Evangeline charged them: "You are going overseas to serve Christ. You must forget yourselves, be examples of His love, willing to endure hardship, to lay down your lives, if need be, for His sake. In your hands you hold the honour of The Salvation Army and the glory of Jesus Christ.... Anyone failing will be shot! She concluded, "I promise you nothing. I don't know what you will get into, it may be life, it may be death; it may be sickness, it may be loss - I promise you nothing!"
By October, 1917, ensigns Helen Purviance and Margaret Sheldon had been appointed to the First Division, at Montiers-sur-Saulx. After 36 days of steady rain, with a blanket of depression hanging over the whole area, they agreed that "we ought to be able to give them some real home cooking, "but supplies had run out and were difficult to buy locally. The only things they could purchase were flour, sugar, lard, baking powder, cinnamon, and canned milk. "What about pancakes?" "No good cold, or without syrup." "Doughnuts?"
The first doughnuts were patted out by hand. A small wood fire was coaxed in a low, pot-bellied stove. A frying pan was used and the first doughnuts were fried "seven at a time." The tempting fragrance of frying doughnuts drew the homesick soldiers to the hut, and they lined up in the rain, waiting for a taste. The word went around. "If you're hungry and broke, you can get something to eat at The Salvation Army."
The doughboys noticed that Salvationists catered to their needs rather than hobnobbing with officers. As instructed by Evangeline, none went near an officers' mess. They trudged through the sticky mud to the chow line to get in line with their "boys."
The doughnut girls saw death frequently. During major engagements, they often worked in field hospitals. Soldiers who had died during the previous twenty-four hours were buried each afternoon. Sometimes only a few people could be present.
The girls would always attend the burials, singing, praying and leaving wild flowers at the graves. Off to one side, the Germans were buried. When the simple services for American soldiers were over, the girls would say, "Now friends, let's go and say a prayer beside our enemy's graves."
The Army set up service centres, hostels, adjacent to United States military camps. But Evangeline wanted to do more than serve military in the United States. "American boys are going to France," she said. "We must go with them."
She sent Lt. -Colonel William S. Barker to France to find out how The Salvation Army could best serve the American troops. Barker found that American Expeditionary Forces, upon landing in France, did not go to the front at once.
Soldiers who had expected to be participating in great battles found themselves drilling in mud from morning to night. An epidemic of homesickness spread through the troops.
Barker cabled: "SEND OVER SOME LASSIES." Evangeline determined to send only the very best. "I felt it was better to fall short in quantity than to run the risk of falling short in quality," she stated. " Quality is its own multiplication table. Quality without quantity will spread, whereas quantity without quality will shrink."
The first group of 11 officers (a married couple, 4 single women and 5 single men) sailed on August 12, 1917. Evangeline charged them: "You are going overseas to serve Christ. You must forget yourselves, be examples of His love, willing to endure hardship, to lay down your lives, if need be, for His sake. In your hands you hold the honour of The Salvation Army and the glory of Jesus Christ.... Anyone failing will be shot! She concluded, "I promise you nothing. I don't know what you will get into, it may be life, it may be death; it may be sickness, it may be loss - I promise you nothing!"
| the 'Lassie' who fried the first doughnut in France |
The first doughnuts were patted out by hand. A small wood fire was coaxed in a low, pot-bellied stove. A frying pan was used and the first doughnuts were fried "seven at a time." The tempting fragrance of frying doughnuts drew the homesick soldiers to the hut, and they lined up in the rain, waiting for a taste. The word went around. "If you're hungry and broke, you can get something to eat at The Salvation Army."
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| refreshments in the trenches |
The doughboys noticed that Salvationists catered to their needs rather than hobnobbing with officers. As instructed by Evangeline, none went near an officers' mess. They trudged through the sticky mud to the chow line to get in line with their "boys." The doughnut girls saw death frequently. During major engagements, they often worked in field hospitals. Soldiers who had died during the previous twenty-four hours were buried each afternoon. Sometimes only a few people could be present.
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| USA Doughnut Girls - Ansauville c.1918 |
The girls would always attend the burials, singing, praying and leaving wild flowers at the graves. Off to one side, the Germans were buried. When the simple services for American soldiers were over, the girls would say, "Now friends, let's go and say a prayer beside our enemy's graves."
Official Doughnut Recipe -
The "official" recipe is as follows:
ingredients:
7 ½ cups sugar
¾ cup lard
9 eggs
3 large cans evaporated milk
3 large cans water
18 cups of flour
18 teaspoons baking powder
7 ½ teaspoons salt
9 teaspoons of nutmeg
Method:
Cream sugar and lard together, beat eggs, add evaporated milk and water. Add liquid to creamed mixture. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in large sieve and sift into other mixture. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough. Roll and cut. Five pounds of lard are required to fry the doughnuts.
Makes about 250 doughnuts
ingredients:
7 ½ cups sugar
¾ cup lard
9 eggs
3 large cans evaporated milk
3 large cans water
18 cups of flour
18 teaspoons baking powder
7 ½ teaspoons salt
9 teaspoons of nutmeg
Method:
Cream sugar and lard together, beat eggs, add evaporated milk and water. Add liquid to creamed mixture. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in large sieve and sift into other mixture. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough. Roll and cut. Five pounds of lard are required to fry the doughnuts.
Makes about 250 doughnuts
| a doughnut cutter made from a tin can |
Doughnut Cutters -
Doughnut cutters soon appeared everywhere, fashioned from all kinds of materials - an evaporated milk can and a shaving tube, baking powder can tops and coffee percolator tubes, even a seven-pound shell fitted with a one-pound shell.
The doughnut reminded the soldiers of home and could be made in any kettle over an open fire. But as Herbert Wisbey explains in Soldiers Without Swords: "It was not the delicious home cooking, but the spirit in which it was served that captivated the men".
The doughnut reminded the soldiers of home and could be made in any kettle over an open fire. But as Herbert Wisbey explains in Soldiers Without Swords: "It was not the delicious home cooking, but the spirit in which it was served that captivated the men".
Recipes -
Here is one of our favorite doughnut recipes -
Baked Doughnuts with Cinnamon-Sugar
Yield: 10 to 14 doughnuts
For the doughnuts:
1 egg
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk, heated to 115 degrees
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2½ to 3½ cups unbleached flour, divided, plus more for kneading
1 stick butter (4 ounces), cut into 1″ cubes
1 egg
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk, heated to 115 degrees
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2½ to 3½ cups unbleached flour, divided, plus more for kneading
1 stick butter (4 ounces), cut into 1″ cubes
For the cinnamon-sugar coating:
1 stick butter (4 ounces), melted
1 cup granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons cinnamon, mixed together
1 stick butter (4 ounces), melted
1 cup granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons cinnamon, mixed together
In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the egg and sugar on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add in the milk, yeast, salt, and vanilla. Turn the mixer to low, and then add in 2 cups of the flour. Attach the dough hook and then on medium speed, add the butter one piece at a time until smooth. Reduce the speed to low, and then add the rest of the flour until the dough sticks to the hook and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It should be soft and moist, but not sticky.
Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Place in a mixing bowl coated with cooking spray and cover with a damp towel. Let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
These doughnuts, however, are not cake-based but are yeasted doughnuts…and though they take a bit longer due the rising time needed, they make for the lightest, fluffiest doughnuts you’ll ever taste.
Printable Doughnut Bag Label
label size 2 3/4” x 4” Fits 3 3/4” x 5” glassine pastry bag
Click HERE to Print these adorable labels out!
Whether you will get a free doughnut or make your own, we hope you enjoy your doughnuts today!
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