Hungarian Twisted Donuts - Forgotcz Fank

2 lbs flour
1 c sugar
1/2 lb butter or margarine
3 eggs
1 c milk
1 tablespoon brandy
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 to 3 pounds shortening
powdered sugar

Cream the butter (margarine) and sugar. Add the eggs, milk, brandy, salt, and baking powder. Gradually add the flour until the dough is not sticky. Put dough on a board and knead in any remaining flour. Wrap in plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for a few hours or overnight.... makes it MUCH easier to roll. Cut dough into small sections, covering all but the one you are working on.

Roll dough out to 1/16" thickness. Cut out pieces about 3" to 4" long and about 1-1/2" wide. Make a slit about 1-1/2" long down the center of each piece and pull one end through the slit so that the sides twist. Deep fry about six pieces at a time until golden in color and drain on paper towels. Avoid the urge to speed things up by doing more at one time... you will only cool the shortening too fast and end up with a heavier, less crisp result. Sprinkle lavishly with powdered sugar when cool.

Notes: The brandy is important for more than just flavoring. When the pieces of dough hit the hot shortening, the brandy vaporizes and forces its way out of the dough, preventing shortening from getting in, making for a much lighter result. As you can guess, this gets pretty frantic with only one person doing it; for best results, and more fun, work with a friend, one person rolling and cutting, the other person frying.

Note by original author: The original recipe calls for deep frying in lard, but in the interest of keeping my arteries unblocked, I have experimented with various oils and shortenings in substitute. I have settled on Crisco, as hot as you can get it without smoking yourself out of the kitchen. The name, by the way, translates as "twisted doughnut". The dough is traditionally cut with a special pastry wheel which has a fluted edge.