There’s nothing like a yeasty donut, fresh from the fryer. They are substantial, but chewy and light. This recipe will make you feel like opening your own donut shop. Easy to prepare and coat, the donuts are actually fine alone, thanks to the sugar, vanilla and the pinch of salt in the dough. They are perfectly balanced and not too sweet. Feel free to eat them with no coating, but my favorite donut when making them or at a bakery is the sugar donut: The granules all over my clothes, fingers and face make me feel like a kid.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 35 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 donuts |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole milk, warmed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more for coating, optional
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 large egg, at room temperature, whisked
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
- Kosher salt
- Peanut or canola oil, for greasing the bowl and frying
- Nonstick cooking spray, optional
- Cinnamon sugar or Vanilla, Strawberry or Maple-Bacon Glazes, recipes follow
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 cup whole milk (enough to loosen to a slow drip)
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries, crushed to a powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 cup whole milk (enough to loosen to a slow drip)
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon maple extract
- 1/4 cup whole milk (enough to loosen to a slow drip)
- 6 strips bacon, crisped and finely chopped to tiny bits
Instructions
- Mix the wet. In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, add the milk and whisk in the granulated sugar to dissolve. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let rest until it dissolves and puffs up, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, vanilla paste and egg and whisk to combine.
- Mix the dry. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour and a pinch of salt and mix to combine.
- Make the dough. Starting on low speed, slowly add the wet mixture to the dry. Once all of the liquid is incorporated, remove the paddle and replace it with the dough hook. Turn the speed up and watch as the dough comes together; it will eventually release from the sides of the bowl. Let the mixer knead the dough until it looks smooth and is slightly sticky, about 5 minutes. Stop and let the dough relax for about 5 minutes.
- Let the dough rise. Coat the bottom and sides of a large mixing bowl with oil or cooking spray. Remove the dough and gently shape into a ball. Place the dough in the prepared bowl and turn the dough over to fully coat with the oil. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let rest at room temperature until it rises by more than double, about 1 hour.
- Shape the donuts and rest. Cut parchment paper into 5- or 6-inch squares and arrange in a single layer on a sheet pan. Gently push your fist into the center of the dough to release the air. Pick up the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. (I’ve even used parchment with no flour!) Cut the dough into 10 to 12 even parts and gently roll each piece into a ball. Use your hand to press down on the dough to flatten each ball into a circle about 4 inches in diameter. Punch out a hole in the center of each circle using a bottle cap (from your oil bottle, a condiment jar, etc.). Place the donuts and donut holes on the parchment squares and cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. Set the donuts aside to let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Fry the donuts and prepare the toppings. Pour at least 4 inches of oil into a large Dutch oven. Heat the oil to 325 degrees F. Meanwhile, fit a baking sheet with a wire rack and set aside.
- If making sugar donuts, add granulated or cinnamon sugar to a large bowl and set aside. If glazing the donuts, have the glazes prepared in bowls.
- Fry the donuts in small batches, starting with the donut holes to gauge the oil temperature. The donut holes should fry to a golden color, flip on their own and float in about 2 minutes. For the whole donuts, working with one donut at a time, gently invert the donut into the oil so the parchment paper side is up. Gently peel the parchment paper away from the dough. Repeat with the remaining donuts, adding only a few donuts to the oil at a time. Once the donuts float and the bottoms are golden, flip and cook until the other side is golden, 2 to 4 minutes. Allow the oil to come up to room temperature between batches.
- For sugar donuts, remove the donuts from the oil with a slotted spoon, then allow the oil to drip off, and put directly into the bowl of sugar. Roll to coat, or use a clean spoon to spoon sugar onto the donut and a fork to gently flip the donut so the other side can be coated in sugar. Remove and let cool slightly on the wire rack. Serve warm.
- For glazed donuts, remove the donuts from the oil with a slotted spoon, then allow the oil to drip off and place on the wire rack to let cool enough to handle. Drizzle the glaze over the donuts on the wire rack or, working with one donut at a time, gently dip one side into the glaze, then turn right side up and return to the rack. For the Maple-Bacon glazed donuts, sprinkle bacon bits over the top right after coating and before the glaze sets.
- In a medium bowl, add the confectioners’ sugar, salt, vanilla and milk and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the confectioners’ sugar, salt, strawberry powder, vanilla and milk and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the confectioners’ sugar, salt, maple extract and milk and whisk until smooth. Set aside. Save the chopped bacon as a garnish after glazing.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 11 servings |
| Calories | 843 |
| Total Fat | 52 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 91 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 71 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 36 mg |
| Sodium | 454 mg |
Reviews
I made maple bacon, plain sugar and cinnamon orange (from one of Sunny’s other posts). They took about 2 min. on each side to fry and the parchment technique helped getting them in the hot oil. It would have been easier with a temp controlled deep fryer as even with a thermometer I had trouble keeping a fairly constant oil temp. The maple bacon had a similar mouth feel to an apple fritter. Make sure you just press down instead of twisting when punching the hole in the dough before the second rise to get maximum height.
These are best eaten the same day made.
These are best eaten the same day made.
These are good we did maple without bacon and the strawberry glazes. Best warm.
These turned out pretty well for my first time in making donuts they brown very quickly as I did check my oil temperature and it was about 310 – 320 when I started frying them. The parchment paper technique was very helpful in dropping them into the oil . I made my donut shapes into small logs and I did half the recipe so I made six donuts with the maple flavoring minus the bacon I will try the recipe again and maybe make just donut holes or try the regular shape.