Easy Homemade Yeast Donuts
Warm, fluffy, and super easy homemade yeast donuts covered in powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, and a rich chocolate glaze. The perfect way to brunch!
What are Yeasted Donuts?
Dipping your toes into donuts for the first time, when they’re actually fried, can be a bit intimidating. Many people love baked donut recipes for their easy and approachability, but this yeasted donut recipe is one that I’m hoping will encourage you to take the jump into fried donuts, kind of like these Fried Apple Cider Donuts.
When it comes to donuts, you can take 2 routes: cake vs yeast donuts. One is leavened (a leavening agent is what gives a baked item its rise, causing it to puff up when it hits a heat source) with something like baking powder or baking soda, and one is leavened with yeast. Like these Chocolate Sugar Buns or Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, yeast is the leavening agent we’re using for these easy homemade yeast donuts.
Why Fried, Yeasted Donuts a Favorite
Let’s face it: donuts were created to be deep-fried, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that!
You’d think these are super time-consuming and way harder than you can handle, but I promise you this is one of the most shockingly easy homemade yeast donut recipes to make. That probably has to do with the fact that there’s really not a lot of hands-on time because the majority of the time, you’re proofing the dough. The addition of yeast to any dough brings a light, fluffy texture – and this combines just perfectly with the chocolate glaze we’re going to make as well.
Why this recipe works
This yeasted donut recipe is a tried and true recipe in my home and many others. I make these easy homemade yeast donuts on the weekends most of the time, and share them with friends, neighbors, etc. I also love getting my boys involved in the process of making these easy homemade yeast donuts – they love rolling out the dough, cutting the donuts out, and eating the little donut holes that come from the middle. And you can bet that when we make them chocolate glazed donuts, they are head over heels for the homemade chocolate glaze.
Cake vs yeast donuts
Now let’s talk about the difference between cake donuts and yeast donuts, and why I’m partial to yeasted donuts (just like in this apple cider donut recipe) . When yeast is mixed with flour, sugar, and liquid, it begins to ferment, feeding on the sugars and releasing carbon dioxide gas. This carbon dioxide creates air pockets within the dough, causing it to rise and expand as it proofs on your countertop.
Once the yeasted donut dough is proofed, it becomes soft and pillowy. Then, when fried, the contact with heat (coming from the hot oil) causes these air pockets to expand further, resulting in donuts that are fluffy on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside (be sure not to cook them too long in the oil!). Yeast also adds a subtle depth of flavor, giving these easy homemade yeast donuts a distinct, rich taste that’s different from cake donuts.
Some equipment you may need for Yeasted Donuts
- Stand mixer: this is the one I have and I love it! I’ve had it for years now and I’ve never had any trouble with it. You definitely don’t “need” a stand mixer for this easy homemade yeast donut recipe, but it sure does make life a lot easier.
- Heavy-bottomed Dutch oven: this is what I always use to fry my homemade donuts (and almost anything fried). You just want something that has a heavy bottom and a high wall. The last thing you want is to be splashing oil all over yourself and your kitchen.
- Candy thermometer: you’ll want to pay close attention to the temperature of your oil when you’re frying your donuts. If things get too hot, they’ll burn the outsides and leave the centers raw. If it’s not hot enough, they’ll take forever to cook the insides.
- Candy thermometers are great for lots of different things, I use mine a lot for Swiss Meringue Buttercream, French Buttercream, and Homemade Caramel!
- Round cookie cutters: these are what I use for cutting out my yeasted donuts (and the donut holes). They’re perfect because you can choose the size of your donuts and the size of the donut holes.
- I also use these in my cookie recipes to make perfectly round cookies. You can read more about that in this Chewy Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookie recipe.
- Measuring cups/spoons: I’ve been linking these in all of my posts because I love them SO much! They are beautiful and look just like some other expensive ones on the market (but wayyy cheaper).
- Mixing bowls: I love these glass mixing bowls from Amazon. They’re especially perfect for food photography.
Ingredients for Easy Homemade Yeast Donuts
- Whole milk
- Active dry yeast – make sure you’re using “active dry yeast” and not “instant yeast.” These are 2 different products and the result will be different if you get them mixed up!
- Large eggs
- Salted butter – for ease, I used salted butter for this recipe. If you choose to use unsalted butter, just add about 1/2 tsp salt to the dough when you’re mixing it.
- Granulated sugar
- Kosher salt – I always use Diamond Crystal kosher salt for my recipes, and I suggest you do the same for sake of consistency!
- All-purpose flour – I always use King Arthur flours so that my recipes stay consistent across the board, and I suggest you do the same!
- Canola oil
- Powdered sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Pure vanilla extract
- Sprinkles (optional)
How to Make Donuts with Yeast
Making the Easy Homemade Yeast Donut Dough
- It’s a very soft dough, so be sure to have plenty of bench flour on hand for rolling it out.
- Try to get the most out of your first “cut.” Unfortunately, just like with my apple cider donut recipe, donut dough does not love to be re-rolled. So when you’re cutting out your little donuts out, try and make sure they stay close together so you can get as many as possible in the first go-round. That’s not to say that you can’t use the re-rolled dough for more donuts; you’ll just notice very quickly that it wants to shrink up instead of roll out. That’s why I recommend letting it rest for a few minutes – this will help the dough relax enough for you to re-roll and make more cuts!
Frying the Yeasted Donuts
Deep frying can seem intimidating – it doesn’t matter that I’ve done this countless times, there’s still always a little bit of caution I feel when heating oil to such a high temperature on my stove-top. But, with the right tools and know-how, deep-frying will become a new favorite way to cook. Here are some tips:
- Keep the oil around 375°F. This is the ideal temperature for frying just about anything, and you’ll notice that as you drop the room temperature yeasted donuts into the oil, this will gradually begin to cool down the oil. You’ll need to keep an eye on the temperature so you can adjust the heat as necessary.
- Use a candy thermometer. This will help you keep an eye on the temperature as described above. I have this one from amazon and am really happy with it!
- Use a slotted spoon to drop the donuts into the oil. I have a large slotted spoon solely for the purpose of frying homemade fried donuts. If you were to use tongs to pick up the donut and place it in the oil, it would warp and you wouldn’t get the perfect rounded shape you want. So instead, I pick up the donut with my hand, place it on the spoon, then dip the spoon into the oil with the donut. You’ll notice the donut will slide off into the oil.
Don’t forget about the Donut Holes!
Remember the pieces of dough you took from the middle of your donuts?? Those are an absolute necessity to fry as well. They’ll cook a little bit quicker than the regular-sized donuts, but you’ll still need to flip them and cook on each side. You can also top them the same way you do the regular donuts.
I usually start by topping these with either the homemade chocolate glaze, cinnamon-sugar, or powdered sugar, and then just snack on these while I top the regular-sized yeasted donuts. Chef’s treat 🙂
Pro-tip: you could also try dipping them in this homemade caramel recipe for more of a fall twist.
Easy Homemade Yeast Donuts FAQs
What toppings should I use?
My absolute favorite topping for these easy homemade yeast donuts is a homemade chocolate glaze, and you can find that recipe on the recipe card below. The glaze will remain smooth while you make the donuts, but once you dip the yeasted donuts into the glaze it will begin to harden after about an hour. This makes the homemade fried donuts easier to transport.
If you’ve wondered how to make homemade caramel, read my detailed how-to on making caramel from scratch, and try dipping the yeasted donuts in the homemade caramel!
Just as an idea, you could also consider adding a homemade chocolate pastry cream to the center of these donuts.
Can these easy homemade yeast donuts be stored for later?
Yes, these yeasted donuts can be stored and used later on, but just be aware that they are best eaten after cooking and glazing/topping. Enjoying them within the same day that you make them is ideal, though from time to time (if there are any left) I will package them into an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for another day or two. After that, the quality drops off pretty substantially.
If you choose to store them, with toppings, in an airtight container, be aware that the glaze will begin to run and the powdered sugar will begin to soak into the donut.
Can I make yeasted donuts ahead?
If you need to make them ahead, you can go through the whole process and store the yeasted donuts, unglazed and untopped, in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to serve them, let them come to room temperature before topping them/glazing them.
I hope you all love these easy homemade yeast donuts as much as I do, and if you make them don’t forget to tag me @sarahsdayoff so I can see them!
Love,
Sarah
“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers – the moon and the stars you set in place – what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?” – Psalm 8:3-4-
Homemade Donuts
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups plus 3 Tbsp whole milk divided
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 8 Tbsp butter melted and cooled slightly
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar divided
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 quarts canola oil for frying
- 3 cups powdered sugar divided
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Heat 1 1/4 cups milk in microwave in 30-second intervals until it is warm but not hot, about 90°F. Combine milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
- Beat in eggs, butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and salt; beat in 2 cups flour, and mix until combined. Beat in remaining flour on medium speed 3 to 5 minutes or until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.
- Transfer dough to a large greased bowl, and cover. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface; roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out donuts with 2 round cookie cutters (1 large and 1 small) or a drinking glass and a shot glass, flouring cutters as you work (be sure to save the donut holes).
- Knead any scraps together, being careful not to overwork the dough, and let rest before repeating the process. Divided donuts between 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise until slightly puffed, about 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat until it reaches 375°F. Line 2 wire cooling racks or plates with paper towels.
- Carefully add donuts and donut holes to oil, a few at a time. Cook 45 to 60 seconds or until donuts are deeply golden before very carefully flipping to other side using heat-proof tongs; cook additional 45 seconds or until deeply golden on both sides.
- Transfer donuts to paper towel-lined racks or plates, and repeat with remaining donuts, being sure to keep oil temperature at 375°F.
- Whisk 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, cocoa, 3 Tbsp milk, and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl until smooth. Dip tops of donuts into glaze; top with sprinkles.
- Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar and cinnamon in another medium-sized bowl. Place donuts in bowl, turning to coat.
- Add 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar to another separate bowl and place donuts in bowl, turning to coat.
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