Warm, fluffy homemade donuts covered in perfect toppings and best served with a cold glass of milk. The perfect way to brunch!
Homemade Donuts
My biggest dilemma for this post was is it “donuts” or “doughnuts???” I think everyone says it a little bit differently, but I decided to go with the shorter word lol. Nonetheless, this is my all-time favorite donut recipe, and I’m here to tell you that the debate about whether Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts is better is over. These donuts take the cake every single time imo.
Around here, we make them on Saturdays (either that or cinnamon rolls), and I’m hoping that becomes a little tradition in our family. I really really hope that when our kids leave the house, they’ll always love coming back for mom’s homemade donuts on the weekend.
What are Yeast Donuts?
Soooo there are 2 categories of donuts: baked and deep-fried. Now obviously, the baked option sounds healthier, but I can honestly swear to you that I’ve never had a baked donut that I love more than a classic deep-fried donut. Let’s face it: donuts were created to be deep-fried, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that!! The way I see it, there’s always room for anything in your individual eating pattern, and deep-fried donuts are most definitely a part of mine lol.
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 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. Which brings me to my next point: these donuts are made with yeast, which gives them the most beautiful flavor that pairs perfectly with the toppings we’re going to make as well.
Ingredients for Homemade Donuts
- Whole milk
- Active dry yeast
- Large eggs
- Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Kosher salt
- All-purpose flour
- Canola oil
- Powdered sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Pure vanilla extract
- Sprinkles (optional)
Making the Donut Dough
This dough is very easy to work with and comes together so quickly. Here are a few tips I gathered from this step:
- 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, 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 make more cuts!
Frying the 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 (I am from the South lol). 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 oil 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 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 chocolate glaze, cinnamon-sugar, or powdered sugar, and then just snack on these while I top the regular-sized donuts lol. Chef’s treat 🙂
I hope you all love these 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
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.
