Photo: Claire Lower
About twice a month, my boyfriend and I order doughnuts on Saturday evening, usually around 10 p.m., almost always while watching Italian horror movies. We order a dozen, which is too many doughnuts for two people to eat in an evening. My boyfriend does not take any doughnuts with him when he goes back to his place on Sunday, leaving me with a whole bunch of doughnuts, which grow staler by the minute.
While I’m sure some of you are capable of eating a dozen doughnuts in 24 hours, I am not, but tossing doughnuts in the compost bin is not something I am capable of, even if they are stale. My solution? I halve them, then fry the halves in salted butter.
There is nothing better than a fresh doughnut, but this is a very close second. It’s a move that works best with yeasted, raised doughnuts that don’t have too much stuff on them. A plain glazed, a sugared round, a maple bar (pictured above)—these are the doughnuts that are perfectly suited for this endeavor.
The doughnut does best when sliced into two halves. When fried in salted butter, the bottom, unglazed portion takes on the characteristics of a fluffy, toasted and buttered piece of brioche, while the glaze on the top half melts, then hardens to form a crispy, almost brûléed sugar crust. It’s good plain, it’s good with some cream cheese and/or jam, and it’s phenomenal as the base for a breakfast sandwich, particularly if you are working with a maple bar.
Start by splitting the doughnut in half. Melt about a tablespoon of salted butter (enough to completely cover the pan) in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Once it starts to foam, place the halves, cut side down, into the butter, scooting it around as needed to make sure every bit sees some butter. Let fry for a few minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown. Flip and fry for a few minutes more, letting any glaze or sugar melt completely. Plate the doughnut, with any glaze or sugar facing skyward, then let cool for a minute or two to let the sugar crust set. Enjoy as is, with a swipe of cream cheese or dollop of jam, or use as the bread portion for the most indulgent, sweet, and salty breakfast sandwich of your entire life.
