How It's Made: Donuts
Vocab level: C1
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Donuts used to be called oily cakes because they were deep-fried in pork fat. Nice!
They were ball-shaped when Dutch pilgrims brought them to America.
But then someone found that removing a nut of the dough in the centre helped them cook far more evenly.
And so, the doughnut was born.
Thank goodness for that!
In the world of doughnuts, there are two basic types, yeast doughnuts and cake doughnuts.
The batter for cake doughnuts drops from the mixer right into boiling vegetable oil.
The nozzles shape the dough as it passes.
The doughnuts fry for about a minute and a half,
then a conveyor carries them out of the vat to cool.
Yeast doughnuts require more time to make.
A high-speed mixer works the yeast dough,
then workers pull it off the machine into bins.
From there, it goes into a hopper that extrudes the dough as a sheet.
Then it's on to another conveyor belt,
where a series of rollers flatten the dough sheet to just two centimetres thick.
Next, the sheet passes under a shower of cinnamon,
then hits a rotating cylinder that rolls it into a log.
A small metal rod sprinkles the dough with water.
This keeps it sticky so it holds its shape while going under another flattening roller.
A dusting of cornstarch keeps the dough from sticking to the blade that now cuts it into pieces.
A retractable arm drops the blocks of dough, four at a time, onto a wire mesh tray.
Then it's off to the proofer, a machine much like a large bread box,
in which heat and humidity make the yeast dough rise.
This leavening process takes about 20 minutes,
during which time the trays, over 300 of them, go up and down, and then out to the fryer.
A gate slows them down just before the drop, so they slide in without splashing.
Gas burners keep the oil at a constant temperature.
Anything less and the doughnuts would come out partly raw.
Halfway through, it's time to flip the doughnuts so they cook evenly throughout.
After two minutes, the doughnuts leave the fryer and move through a curtain of sweet glaze.
A strong air current blows off the excess and they're done.
They gradually cool as they spiral through the production area on their way to packaging.
Now let's see how they make donuts with filling.
A machine separates the yeast dough into little blobs
then sends them rolling down plastic tunnels.
This shapes them first into little pugs, then into rounded dough balls.
Rollers flatten the balls before they enter the proofer to rise.
There's cornstarch everywhere to prevent the dough from sticking to the machinery or to the conveyor belt.
Row after row of doughnuts fry in hot oil.
Then slide into a large drum that tumbles them around, covering them with a sugary coating.
Now it's time for the doughnuts to get their fill.
These nozzles inject just the right amount of jam, two at a time.
Each worker fills 45 doughnuts a minute.
After filling, these doughnuts, known as Bismarcks, are ready to go onto packaging.
They're just one of the many delicious varieties that make devouring a doughnut a wholly wonderful experience.
Sorry, I'm hungry now. I've got to go.
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