Last weekend, I found my favorite waffle recipe to date, and this weekend I found the best doughnut recipe that I have tried so far. The doughnuts turned out light and fluffy and really tasty. It is a two-day process and does take some work, but I was in the mood to cook last night and the prep work this morning wasn't too bad.
First, make a sponge from warm water, yeast, and flour.
When you mix the yeast and water and let it sit, be sure that it blooms before you add the flour. For me, this always happens at the very last part of the allotted time. Please note that the pictures of the yeast blooming are taken just seconds apart. Just in case you have not worked with yeast before, I wanted to show what the process looks like.
Let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour.
Cream the butter and sugar.
Add the eggs, vanilla, and salt.
Add the sponge mixture and flour, and switch to the dough hook on the mixer. Mix until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and clings to the hook.
Butter the sides of a large bowl, and let the dough rise in a warm place for an hour and a half to two hours. It should be double in size. I keep my house pretty cold during the summer months, so I have found that I have to set my oven on the "Warm and Hold" setting and leave it on for about 15 minutes. Then I turn it off and put my dough in to rise. This method seems to make the dough rise perfectly.
I deviated from the original recipe a bit here. I punched the dough down, but left it in my large bowl because the bowl had a lid. I covered the top of the dough in plastic wrap, put the lid on, and left it in the refrigerator overnight.
The next morning, roll out the dough to about 1/2" thickness on a floured surface and cut with a doughnut cutter. I found that thickness is important. My first try was too thin and my next try was too thick. Once I found a happy middle, they rose and cooked perfectly.
I put the doughnuts and doughnut holes on parchment paper on cookie sheets, and put in the oven to rise for another 30 minutes.
While they were in the oven, I prepared my glazes. These are the same glazes that I use every time I make doughnuts.
Plain Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
4-5 tablespoons of milk (more or less, depending on preferred consistency)
Cinnamon Sugar
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Chocolate Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
4-5 tablespoons of milk (more or less, depending on preferred consistency)
Of course, these can be adjusted to taste. This is just what I have found works for my family. A couple of side notes... The pictures will indicate a really dark-colored cinnamon. This is because I was working before my second cup of coffee and started pouring the cocoa powder into the granulated sugar. Once I realized what I was doing, I scooped as much of it out as I could, but there were some leftover bits of cocoa powder in the mixture. It wasn't bad, even though it was a total accident. Also, I decided to experiment this morning and use cooled brewed coffee in place of milk for my chocolate glaze. It was pretty tasty as well.
Heat the oil to between 350-375 degrees. Once the doughnuts are risen, fry the doughnuts in the oil for 1-2 minutes on each side (until they are golden brown). Be sure and turn them quickly. If they fry too long on one side, they get heavy and tend to keep flipping onto the heavy side. This is especially important for the doughnut holes.
Once the doughnuts are fried, I let them cool on a cooling rack sitting on a cookie sheet. Then, I dip them into the glaze of choice and put them back on the cooling rack.
Deputy D and Little Man agreed that this is the best recipe I have tried so far. Deputy D would like the dough itself a little sweeter, so if anyone has any ideas on how to tweak this recipe to make it a sweeter dough, please let me know!
FAQs
Letting the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator gives these doughnuts a rich and slightly tangy flavor. Prep and Cook Time: 1 hour, plus at least 4 hours of chilling and rising time.
What makes doughnut soft and fluffy? ›
Here are some tips to help you achieve that:
- **Yeast:** Use fresh, active yeast. If using dry yeast, ensure it's not expired. ...
- **Kneading:** Knead the dough sufficiently. This develops the gluten structure in the dough, which gives doughnuts their soft texture. ...
- **Resting:** Allow the dough to rise.
Use real cake flour – not DIY cake flour!
DIY substitutions don't really cut it, and AP flour will not create doughnuts with that same soft texture. Also, bleached cake flour will work best. Unbleached (like King Arthur Baking) won't absorb as much moisture, and you may end up with doughnuts that crumble while frying.
What happens if you let donut dough rise too long? ›
If the bench time is too long, volume could be lost in the proofing process; the donuts will shrink during frying; the texture will be coarse; and the flavor will not be up to your standards. Always let the dough rise on the bench for approximately 45 minutes before proofing.
Can you prep donut dough the night before? ›
Doughnuts all begin with dough. If you're making yeast-raised doughnuts (pictured) you'll want to make the dough the night before and chill it overnight first. When you're ready to begin, remove the dough from the fridge, dust with flour, and press the dough out flat on a floured surface.
Why are Krispy Kreme doughnuts so soft? ›
Yeast-raised: Krispy Kreme donuts are yeast-raised, which gives them a softer and fluffier texture compared to cake donuts, which are denser.
How does Krispy Kreme make their donuts so fluffy? ›
A batch of original glazed starts with Krispy Kreme doughnut mix, water and yeast, the same single-cell fungi used to make bread rise. The yeast is what makes the original glazed so light -- it puffs the dough up with air, so it's not dense like a cake doughnut (more on this later).
Why are my donuts not light and fluffy? ›
To make light and fluffy donuts, make sure that your dough is properly risen by allowing it to rest in a warm place until it doubles in size. Also, avoid overmixing the dough as it can lead to a denser texture. Handling the dough gently and not overworking it will help maintain the desired fluffiness.
Is butter or shortening better for donuts? ›
Shortening traps more air bubbles and has a higher melting point than butter, so recipes using shortening tend to produce baked goods with more lift and that hold their shape during baking. Interior texture will also be softer and lighter.
What flour does Dunkin donuts use? ›
Donut: Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Palm Oil, Sugar, Cake Donut Mix [Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Nonfat Dry Milk, Egg Yolk, Leavening (Sodium ...
What kind of oil is best for cooking donuts? The best oil is the one with the least flavour. Vegetable oil and canola oil are both very good in this respect. The most important thing is to use the same oil for the same kinds of foods, since oil readily absorbs flavours and aromas.
What is the secret ingredient in Krispy Kreme donuts? ›
What is the secret to Krispy Kreme Donuts? The secret to Krispy Kreme doughnuts is of course the sweet glaze, and this is achieved by bathing the doughnuts in a glaze of icing sugar, vanilla extract and milk, for a thicker glaze increase the quantity of icing sugar by a few spoons.
Can you buy donut mixture? ›
Sephra Standard Donut Mix is sold in a convenient 3Kg bag. The only ingredient you need to add is water for this simple and easy recipe. 3Kg of Sephra... Ingredients: WHEAT Flour (Contains: Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Sugar, Palm Oil, Rapeseed Oil, SOYA Flour, Whey Powder (MILK), MILK Protein, Rais...
Does Krispy Kreme bake or fry their donuts? ›
Like most doughnuts, Krispy Kremes are fried (cooked in oil). Frying cooks the dough rapidly from the outside in to give the doughnuts their distinctive crispy texture. The conveyer belt carries the doughnuts through a vegetable oil bath heated to between 355 and 360 degrees Fahrenheit (about 180 C).
What's the longest you can leave dough to rise? ›
Can I leave my bread to rise overnight? Yes, you can let your bread rise overnight in the fridge. Keep in mind, though, you'll want the dough to come back up to room temperature before baking.
How long can donuts rise? ›
Roll out the dough and punch out the doughnuts.
Arrange the doughnuts on a few baking sheets lightly dusted with flour. You can stash these in the fridge overnight for their second rise, or let them rise at room temperature for 45 minutes. Use this time to get your fry oil ready.
Is it okay to let dough rise all day? ›
Once you've made your pizza dough, you can place it in the fridge and let it rise overnight for up to 24 hours. Take it out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before you intend on using it to let it come to room temperature. This way, you can make your pizza dough the day before.
