There's not anything much better than a warm homemade donut. I've been making this glazed donut recipe for years. You must try it! It's so good.  

Made with a yeast dough and smothered in a scrumptious glaze, these donuts will test your will power for sure. 

 

HOMEMADE DONUTS

These donuts remind me a lot of the Krispy Kreme donut. They are a little smaller and not so "bready" as a traditional bakery donut. Which means there's a lot more glaze in each bite.

Speaking of glaze, the glaze for these donuts is so irresistibly good. I'll walk you through making the perfect glaze. Because the glaze makes the donut. Without glaze it's just a scone with a hole in it. 

This time around, I made a few Boston cream donuts as well. I'll share the details of that recipe soon.

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INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR YEAST DONUT RECIPE

• yeast
• sugar
• warm water
• warm milk
• shortening
• sugar
• salt
• eggs
• flour
• oil for frying
• butter
• powdered sugar
• hot water
• vanilla

HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOLS FOR DONUTS

• donut cutter
• rolling pin
• thermometer for checking oil temperature
• KitchenAid Stand Mixer

A donut cutter would be a handy little tool to have. The center is removable, so you could use it for a filled donut, round cookies or biscuits as well. I just may get me one. Currently, I use a cup for the donut and one of those little medicine measurement cups that comes on top of the kids medicine to cut out the holes. 

A donut cutter would make it a lot easier. But don't let the fact that you don't have a fancy cutter stop you from making these donuts. They're just as good no matter how they are cut out.

My KitchenAid mixer is my go-to for all the bread doughs. I learned to make bread without one. But the KitchenAid makes it so much easier and less messy, that I actually make bread (and donuts) a lot more often than I would if I didn't have one. 

It's definitely an investment, but I have used mine multiple times a week for over 15 years. I'd say I've got my money's worth out of it.

HOW TO MAKE DONUTS FROM SCRATCH

Freshly made donuts are the absolute best kind of donuts. 

MAKING THE YEAST DOUGH

Let's get started with the yeast dough. 

Fill a liquid measuring cup with 1/4 cup of warm water, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 2 tablespoons of yeast. Give it a quick stir and let this sit for a few minutes. 

In the mean time, fill another measuring cup with 1 1/2 cups of milk. Add 1/3 cup of shortening (I like butter flavored shortening) to the milk and pop it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until shortening has melted.

By the time you do all this, the yeast should have expanded and is now ready to use.

Add the sugar, salt, eggs and 3 cups of the flour to the mixing bowl.  Add in the yeast mixture and milk mixture. 

Stir until it is all combined. Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. (You may not need all of the flour) Then let the mixer work for 5 minutes on speed 2, using the hook attachment.

Don't have a mixer? No problem, just mix it up by hand.

Follow the same steps as above, mixing with a wooden spoon. Once you get to the point that adding more flour makes it too hard to stir, begin kneading by hand. Add more flour as needed so it is not overly sticky. Knead by hand for five minutes.

Now, cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and set it someplace warm to rise. Let it rise until it is double in size. This will take 1-2 hours depending on the warmth of your house.

FORMING THE DONUTS

Punch down the dough and place it on a floured surface. Knead a few times to form a nice round ball.

Now roll out the dough to between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thickness. 

If you want more of a Krispy Kreme type donut, then the thinner the better. If you want more of a thick bakery style donut, roll the dough out thicker. 

Next, cut out the donuts. I use a cup and a medicine cup. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. 

I try to get the donuts as close together as possible. You can make extra donut holes with the excess pieces. 

You can squish the extra pieces back into a dough and re-roll them to make more donuts as well. This doesn't always work well depending on how stiff the dough is.

Place the donuts and donut holes on a greased baking sheets to rise again until double. 

At this point get your oil heating up. You need it to be between 360 and 375 degrees. I turn the burner between medium and medium high. 

I use a basic frying pan with about 2-3 inch sides. Nothing fancy, just the pan I use for everything. I like it because it's wide enough across to fit 6 donuts in at a time. And it's deep enough so the donuts can float in the oil and not touch the bottom. 

MAKING THE DONUT GLAZE

Once the donuts are risen and the oil is heating up, it's time to make the glaze. 

This glaze is the ultimate! It coats the donuts perfectly and creates those perfect little flakes as you take a bite. 

Melt 1 cup of butter in a large saucepan. Add 6 cups of powdered sugar. It will look pretty clumpy at this point. That's ok. It will come together.

Next add the vanilla and 6 tablespoons of the hottest tap water. (If you have soft water, heat some water in the microwave to avoid an off taste)

Continue adding 1 tablespoon of water at a time until you reach the consistency you desire. It should be thin enough to run smoothly from a spoon, but thick enough to coat the donut and not slide off.

It can be kind of hard to tell if you have the right consistency. Here's what I do. I make my best guess! 

Once the glaze is made, I'll start frying the donuts and glaze just one. I can then tell if I need to add more water. Or if I've added too much and need to add a bit more powdered sugar. I'll adjust the glaze as needed for the remainder of the donuts.

FRYING THE DONUTS

Once the oil has reached frying temperature (360-375 degrees), it's time to start frying the donuts. (I often test with a donut hole, to make sure it's hot enough.)

Add a few donuts to the oil. Make sure there's enough room for them to move freely without being too crowded. Fry on one side for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and fry on the other side until it's golden brown too. 

Remove the donuts to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Let cool just 2-5 minutes. If you try to glaze them when they're too hot, the glaze will just run completely off. 

GLAZING THE DONUTS

While the donuts are still warm, dip the donuts in the glaze until completely coated. Let the excess drip off and then place on a wire rack to harden. I place the wire rack on top of a sheet pan to catch all the drips.

It can be a bit tricky to fry the donuts and then glaze them in a timely way so they're still warm. It's great to have a helper. 

But if not, work in batches. I'll fry up two batches of the donuts. Then glaze the first batch. Fry a 3rd batch. Glaze the 2nd batch and so on so that I'm working efficiently and allowing enough, but not too much, cooling time for the donuts before glazing. 

These are SO good, especially when they're still a little warm! Just try not to eat too many like I do!

Now, let's go over a few commonly asked questions.

DO I NEED A DEEP FRYER TO MAKE DONUTS?

Absolutely not. 

In fact, I don't recommend it unless the oil in the deep fryer has only used for donuts and/or scones. 

The reason? If you've cooked up some chicken or fries in the deep fryer, that flavor will attach itself to the donuts. Not appealing.  

If you would like to use a deep fryer, it can be a great way to regulate the temperature, just be sure to use fresh oil.

SO HOW DO I FRY DONUTS WITHOUT A DEEP FRYER?

Use any pan that heats evenly and that is large enough for the donuts to float around in the oil and not touch the bottom of the pan. 

WHAT IS THE BEST OIL FOR DEEP FRYING DONUTS?

Vegetable oil or canola oil are great oils to use for frying donuts. They have a mild flavor and a high smoke point.  

Avoid using olive oil or other oils with bolder flavors, you will taste it in your donuts.

WHY ARE MY DONUTS NOT COOKED INSIDE?

Your oil is too hot and is cooking the outside so quickly that the middle hasn't had enough time to cook through.

Keep the temperature between 360 and 375 for the best results.

HOW LONG DO YOU DEEP FRY DONUTS?

Donuts will take 2-4 minutes to cook, flipping once. It is better to go by the golden color of the donut than a specific time.

MORE RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE

• Donut Muffins
• Grandma's Dinner Rolls
• Homemade Bread Bowls

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