On a recent trip to a local coffee shop, I noticed that although their name included the word doughnut, they were selling almost everything but the delightful, but very nutritionally unsound treats. I realized that I have never given doughnuts very much thought. They are just something that I like but don't have very often. I wondered why it is called a doughnut and where did the hole come from?

A doughnut isn't the same everywhere. In every country that makes bread, there is always the question of what to do with the leftover scraps of dough. In England, they dropped the bits into water, and made dumplings. In Holland and in Germany, cooks dropped the extra into boiling oil and made fry-cakes, or olie-koecken. The Dutch made its leftovers a little fancier by shaping them into decorative knots, and rolling in sugar afterwards.

The Puritans found these little cakes a pleasure during their stay in Holland and took the method with them to the New World. They found a similar dish in the Native American fried bread.

Doughnuts have long been associated with holiday festivities. The Dutch and German made them as a Christmas specialty. Europeans made them an important part of the pre-Lent festivities. Mardi Gras wouldn't be the same without beignets, the French version of the doughnut, or the fastnachtkuches or fasting -night cakes of the Germans.

The popularity of the doughnut in the United States began in the Dutch settlement of Nieuw Amsterdam, now New York. When the dough was tied in a knot before frying, in English they were called dough knots. If they were round and the size of a walnut, they were called dough nuts. In any case, those are the two possible explanations for the name.

There is a legend about the hole that tells the story of a sea captain from Maine named Hanson Crockett Gregory who invented the hole by impaling a fried doughnut on the steering wheel of his vessel during a storm at sea. When the captain was interviewed at the age of 85, he said he was indeed the inventor of the hole in the doughnut. He said he was about 16 years old and he couldn't stand the uncooked centers of the fried cakes that they made on board.

Using a tin can, he cut a hole in the dough before frying, and it worked. When he put in to port at Camden, he told his mother about his invention, and she made a batch. The rest is history.

Doughnuts gained popularity in the United States after World War I. A New York businessman named Adolph Levitt invented the doughnut machine, and the little circular pastry became an even bigger hit. Today, doughnuts can be purchased just about anywhere.

Even though some can be baked, doughnuts are usually fried in oil, preferably shortening. As a result, doughnuts are loaded with fat and cholesterol, as well as calories and sugar. There are so many good fried doughnuts in the marketplace that I have included a homemade version of a doughnut that is baked in the oven. This will be much friendlier to your waistline because it is fat free. Enjoy.

This column has been a collaborative effort between Auburn natives chef Max Hitchcock and his mother, Susan Silverman. They can be reached at Birdscapes@adelphia.net

Baked Cinnamon-Applesauce Doughnuts

Makes 3 dozen doughnuts

2 packages dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)

5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/3 cup margarine

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup margarine, melted and divided

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add 3 cups flour, applesauce, and next five ingredients; beat at low speed of an electric mixer until moistened.

Beat at medium speed for an additional 2 minutes.

Stir in 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form a soft dough.

Turn out onto a well-floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes); add enough remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.

Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down, and turn out onto a lightly floured

surface. Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness; cut with a lightly floured 2 1/2 inch doughnut cutter.

Combine doughnut holes and any remaining scraps of dough; reroll to 1/2 inch thickness and cut as before. Place doughnuts on baking sheets coated with cooking spray; brush 2 tablespoons melted margarine over doughnuts. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm, draft-free place for 40 minutes.

Combine 1/2-cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a large zip-top heavy-duty plastic bag, and set aside.

Bake doughnuts at 425 degrees for 8 minutes or until golden. Immediately brush remaining 2 tablespoons melted margarine over baked doughnuts; add doughnuts to plastic bag. Seal the bag and shake to coat.