Here’s an opportunity to get a little more intense with your COVID-19 lock down cooking projects. Today is International Doughnut Day, and you can celebrate by making your own. I’ve sourced an easy recipe for Glazed Yeast Raised Doughnuts – like the ones at Krispy Kreme – so you can indulge in style…
Glazed Yeast-Raised Doughnuts: Yes, you can make them yourself, at home!
Bread Style (Yeast-raised) Doughnuts
Here’s a classic Yeast-raised Doughnut that takes very little time and effort to prepare, but requires a lot of patience; raising time is about 90 minutes! But, then again, you have lots of time these days…
Ingredients:
1 cup / 250 ml Whole Milk, Warmed to about 110 F
1 tbsp. / 15 ml Active Dry Yeast
1/4 cup / 60 g Granulated Sugar
2 Large Eggs
6 tbsp. / 90 g Butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 tsp. / 5 ml Pure Vanilla Extract
4 cups / 490 g All-Purpose Flour (scooped and leveled), plus more as needed for working the Dough
1/2 tsp. / 2.5 ml Salt
1/4 tsp. / 1.5 ml (one good pinch) Ground Nutmeg
1 qt. / 1 L Vegetable Oil
Easy Glaze:
2 cups / 240 g Confectioner’s Sugar, sifted
1/3 cup / 80 ml Heavy Cream or Whole Milk
1/2 teaspoon / 2.5 ml Pure Vanilla Extract
What you do:
Combine the Yeast and Milk along with 1 tsp. / 5 ml. of the Sugar in a small mixing bowl or measuring cup, set to rest in a warm place, and allow Yeast to bloom (foam up). This should take no more than about 5 min.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining Sugar, Eggs, Butter and Vanilla.
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups / 250 ml of the Flour, Salt, and Nutmeg. Whisk for lighter, fluffier doughnuts. This is what I call ‘the poor cook’s sift’.
Add the wet ingredients and the Yeast mixture to the dry.
Stir with the handle end of a large wooden spoon until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
If dough is sticky, add more Flour a tbsp. / 15 ml at a time until it pulls away from the bowl cleanly. You know the drill, bread makers.
Turn Dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes.
Place the Dough Ball in a fresh bowl and coat with Oil or Butter on all sides.
Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for about 90 minutes. I usually just place it on the back of the stove top while cooking something else in the oven.
When the Dough Ball has doubled in size, uncover it and punch down to eliminate any large air (actually, carbon dioxide) pockets.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the Dough to about 1/2 in. / 1.25 cm thick.
Cut the Doughnuts. I use two ring cutters, one about 3 – 3 1/2 in. / 7.5 – 8.5 cm in diameter and the other about 3/4 in. / 2 cm. in diameter. Save the centre hole cut-outs for Doughnut Holes!
Place the raw Doughnuts and Holes on a baking pan lined with parchment paper and cover with a damp dish towel or kitchen towel until you’re ready to fry them.
Pre-heat a heavy skillet or dutch oven containing 1/2 to 3/4 in. / 1.5 – 2 cm Oil to 375 F (medium high). An immersible kitchen thermometer is a good way to ensure the temperature is high enough but not too high. If you don’t have one, test-fry a few Doughnut Holes one at a time to test. They should take about 1 minute per side.
Cook Doughnuts and Holes in small batches until golden brown on both sides, turning once.
Remove to a baking pan lined with parchment paper on top of which has been placed a wire rack, to drain.
While the first batch of Doughnuts is frying, whisk together the Sugar, Milk/Cream and Vanilla in a medium sized bowl to make the Glaze.
While the Doughnuts and Holes are still hot, place them one at a time face-down in the Glaze to coat the tops.
Place the glazed Doughnuts ad Holes, not touching, on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
Wait 20-30 minutes for the Glaze to set.
It’s as easy as that
I hope you have an automatic dishwasher. You’ll pretty much be able to put together a full load for it with all the pans and dishes you’ve used!
Experiment with different flavoured and coloured Glazes. Coat with other toppings while the Glaze is still liquid. Substitute Cinnamon Sugar or other coatings for the Glaze. Add more Nutmeg if you wish (but be careful not to go overboard!).
The finished doughnuts can be stored in a tightly-closed freezer container in a single layer for a few days in the fridge, or frozen (not touching) on a cookie sheet and them stored in larger layers separated with parchment paper for up to a couple of weeks. Longer than that and they’ll dry out. Yuk. But if my experience is any guide, you won’t have to worry about storing any for more than a day or so! They’ll disappear faster than a dog on bath day…
~ Maggie J.