Nuremberg doughnuts, also known as krapfen or Berliners

Nuremberg Doughnuts (krapfen)

3 large eggs
1 c. milk
2 tbs. sugar
2 ¾ c. flour
1 ½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, set aside. Place a dry pot into a larger pot of boiling water; be sure to have a lid for the smaller pot. In another pan, bring 3-inch deep oil to frying temperature (about 275-300 degrees, best tested with a small piece of dough dropped into the pan).

With a large spoon, scoop out about a 3-inch ball of dough and drop it in the oil, flattening it as it fries. Do not cook dough all the way through, just enough so it can be pulled out in one piece with tongs. Place fried dough in a dry pot inside pot of boiling water, and cover. (You should be able to get through this amount of dough and let it all sit in dry pot for 5 minutes without burning).

Remove all dough from dry pot and cut into finger-width strips; refry until golden brown and slightly crispy. Serve plain, with powdered sugar, or with honey

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Donuts were introduced in Germany in the 15^th century. "It was here in 1485, the cookbook Kuchenmeisterei (Mastery of the Kitchen) was published in Nuremberg, Germany. In 1532, it was translated into Polish as Kuchmistrzostwo."(Doughnut History)

The name krapfen "only began to appear in cookery books after the beginning of the 19th century, so it is more likely to have been invented by the authors of those books. The farmers themselves refer to them simply as "Krapfen" or otherwise as "ausgezogene Nudeln" ("stretched noodles") or "Hauberlinge" ("little hoods"). The indentation can either be filled with jam or the doughnut can be served plain and simply dredged with sugar." (Uncle Phaedrus)

"95 If you would bake good hollow doughnuts
Take good flour of the very best and pour on it one third quart of cream and beat eggs into it, six, seven, eight, according to how much you will make, and knead the dough as carefully as possible and roll it out very thin. Afterwards fry them, then from the inside they will rise like tiny pillows, then they are ready." (Das Kuchbuch der Sabrina Welserin, 1553)