Making Homemade Glazed Doughnuts – A Step-by-Step Guide
Making homemade glazed doughnuts is easier than you think, but it requires a little patience. Ready in about 2.5 hours, these taste like doughnuts from your favorite bakery, but they are made in the comfort of your own home. For doughnut success, follow the step-by-step photos, helpful success tips, and video tutorial below.
Why Make Homemade Doughnuts?
Doughnuts from a doughnut shop are incredibly delicious and indulgent. When you can’t pick up your favorite doughnuts, why not make them at home instead? They have always been a baking bucket list recipe for many, and today, we are taking a deep dive into homemade doughnuts – fried, sugary, old-fashioned, and comforting.
About This Recipe
This recipe for homemade glazed doughnuts is:
– Soft and sweet
– Flavored with a little nutmeg
– Completely from scratch
– Ready in about 2.5 hours (most of this is rise time)
– A fun and delicious weekend project
– Perfect for sharing
Best Ingredients to Use for Homemade Doughnuts
This is a straightforward, no-frills yeast dough. You need just a few ingredients to begin:
– Milk: Liquid activates the yeast. Whole milk is a must for a super tender dough, or you can try buttermilk. Lower-fat or non-dairy milks work in a pinch, but the doughnuts aren’t as flavorful or rich.
– Yeast: You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast. If using an instant yeast, your rise time will be a little shorter.
– Sugar: Sugar sweetens the doughnuts, but it also feeds the yeast, increases its activity, and tenderizes the dough.
– Eggs: Eggs provide structure and flavor.
– Butter: Melted butter promises enhanced flavor.
– Salt and Vanilla Extract: Both add flavor. You could even try using homemade vanilla extract!
– Nutmeg: A little nutmeg is the secret ingredient to that cozy, comforting bakery taste.
– Flour: All-purpose flour is the dough’s structure. You’ll be tempted to add more and more flour as you mix the dough, but don’t. You want a very soft, pillowy dough for soft, pillowy doughnuts. The dough can still be slightly sticky.
Are You a Yeast Beginner?
Reference this Baking with Yeast Guide whenever you work with baker’s yeast. This guide includes practical answers to all of your common yeast questions.
How to Make Homemade Glazed Doughnuts
Let’s walk through the process so you understand what you’re doing. Homemade glazed doughnuts seem a little intimidating, but they’re really not!
Step 1: Prepare the Dough
The dough comes together with a mixer. You can also make the dough by hand, but it requires a bit of arm muscle.
1. Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer.
2. Loosely cover and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy and frothy on top.
3. Add the remaining sugar, the eggs, butter, vanilla, nutmeg, salt, and 2 cups (about 250g) flour.
4. Beat on low speed for 1 minute.
5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed.
6. Add remaining flour and beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes.
7. If needed, add more flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Don’t add too much flour, though. You want a slightly sticky dough.
Step 2: Knead the Dough
Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5-7 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5-7 full minutes.
– If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface to make a soft, slightly tacky dough.
– Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough.
– After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger – if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise.
Step 3: Let Dough Rise
Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1.5-2 hours or until double in size.
Step 4: Shape Doughnuts
When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Remove dough from the bowl and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
1. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is 1/2 inch thick.
2. Using a 3.5-inch doughnut cutter, cut into doughnuts. Reroll the scraps and cut more.
3. If you don’t have a doughnut cutter, you can use 1 large & 1 smaller circle cookie cutter (large should be about 3 and 1/2 inches).
4. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
5. Place doughnuts and doughnut holes on each. Loosely cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes as you heat the oil.
Step 5: Prepare the Oil
Using a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and an oil thermometer, heat vegetable oil to 375°F (191°C).
Step 6: Fry the Doughnuts
Working with 2-3 doughnuts at a time, cook for 1 minute on each side. Carefully remove from the oil and place onto prepared rack. Repeat with remaining doughnuts.
Step 7: Make the Glaze
Whisk all the glaze ingredients together. Dip each warm doughnut (don’t wait for them to cool!) into the glaze, making sure to coat both sides. Place back onto prepared rack, as excess glaze drips down. After about 20 minutes, the glaze will set.
Important Notes
– This dough is best for frying in oil. If you’re looking for a baked donut, try crumb cake donuts, pumpkin donuts, cinnamon sugar donuts, or lemon poppy seed donuts instead.
– If you want to use this dough to make filled doughnuts, you’ll need a 3-inch biscuit or doughnut cutter without a hole in the center.
– You can make these doughnuts in an air fryer, but the donuts will taste more bread-like, and more like baked donuts.
Ingredients
– 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
– 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant or active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
– 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar, divided
– 2 large eggs
– 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
– 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
– 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled, plus more as needed
– 1-2 quarts vegetable oil
– 2 cups (240g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
– 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
– 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cook Mode
– Prevent your screen from going dark
Instructions
1. Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer.
2. Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5-7 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5-7 full minutes.
3. Let dough rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil.
4. Shape doughnuts: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Remove dough from the bowl and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
5. Prepare the oil: Using a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and an oil thermometer, heat vegetable oil to 375°F (191°C).
6. Fry the doughnuts: Working with 2-3 doughnuts at a time, cook for 1 minute on each side.
7. Make the glaze: Whisk all the glaze ingredients together. Dip each warm doughnut (don’t wait for them to cool!) into the glaze, making sure to coat both sides.
Notes
– Freezing Instructions: Prepare recipe through step 5. Freeze shaped doughnuts for up to 3 months.
– Overnight Instructions: Complete dough through step 3. Instead of allowing to rise in a warm environment in step 4, place the covered dough in the refrigerator overnight (8-12 hours).
– Special Tools: Electric Stand Mixer, Large Heavy Bottomed Pot or Dutch Oven, High-Heat Thermometer, 3.5-inch Doughnut Cutter, Baking Sheets, Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper, Metal Slotted Spatula, Cooling Rack, Glass Mixing Bowl, Whisk
Doughnut Holes
Add holes to hot oil and fry until golden, about 30 seconds, on each side.
Leftover Oil
Do not pour used oil down the sink drain. Allow to cool, then pour into an empty container (a funnel is useful here) and discard in the trash or reuse it.
Why make homemade doughnuts? *Because homemade doughnuts are soft, sweet, and have a cozy, comforting bakery taste, plus they’re a fun weekend project that can be shared with others.*
What ingredients do I need for the dough? *Milk, yeast, sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla extract, nutmeg, salt, and flour.*
Can I use buttermilk instead of whole milk? *Yes, buttermilk works well, though lower-fat or non-dairy milks will make the doughnuts less flavorful and rich.*
How do I prepare the dough? *Whisk warm milk, yeast, and sugar in a mixer; add eggs, butter, vanilla, nutmeg, salt, and flour; knead until dough is soft and slightly sticky.*
How long does the dough need to rise? *The dough needs to rise in a warm environment for about 1.5-2 hours or until it doubles in size.*
What is the ideal temperature for frying doughnuts?How long should I fry each doughnut? *Fry each doughnut for about 1 minute on each side until golden brown.*
Can I bake the dough instead of frying it? *This dough is best for frying. For a baked option, consider other recipes like crumb cake doughnuts or pumpkin doughnuts.*
What do I do with leftover oil? *Do not pour used oil down the drain. Allow it to cool, pour into a container, and discard in the trash or reuse.*
How long can I freeze the shaped doughnuts? *Shaped doughnuts can be frozen for up to 3 months.*
How can I make doughnut holes? *Add holes to the dough, drop into hot oil, and fry until golden brown, about 30 seconds on each side.*
