Many home cooks are put off by the idea of making their own donuts, simply because it’s such a hassle. With yeast donuts, there’s a lot of kneading and resting involved, and let’s be serious, no one wants to wait for hours when you have a donut craving! Luckily, these homemade fried donuts are easy to make, and they are delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed to 110°F
- 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast, or instant yeast
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 6 Tablespoons (3 oz) unsalted butter, softened, room temperature
- vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine milk, yeast, and sugar then allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in egg until incorporated.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Attach dough hook attachment to stand mixer.
- With the mixer running on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture. Once the dough starts to come together, add another 1/3 of the flour mixture.
- Add softened butter one tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- At this point, the dough will be sticky. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing then add the remaining 1/3 of the flour mixture.
- Once the dough starts to form, increase mixer speed to medium. Knead for 3-5 minutes until the dough is smooth and soft.
- Dough may still stick to the sides of the bowl, but it should be easy to scrape using a spatula or dough scraper then transfer the dough to a large greased bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel and allow the dough to rest for 30-45 minutes at room temperature until dough has doubled in volume.
- Gently deflate the risen dough. Working on a lightly floured surface divide dough into 12 equal parts.
- Loosely cover the dough with a kitchen towel. Working with one piece at a time, stretch and roll dough into a 14-inch stripe.
- To form twist, place hands on ends of the rope. Roll one hand upward while simultaneously rolling another hand downward.
- This will cause the dough to twist. Pick up the twisted dough in the center of the rope.
- The tension in the twisted dough will naturally braid together. Pinch end seam together and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Loosely cover with a kitchen towel and repeat with remaining dough.
- Allow dough to rest for 8-10 minutes while oil heats up. Attach kitchen thermometer to a heavy-bottomed saucepot.
- Fill the pot with 2 to 3 inches of oil. Set over medium heat until oil reaches 350°F.
- Carefully place two or three doughnut twists into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pot.
- Cook for 95 seconds on each side, until golden brown.
- Toss warm doughnuts in cinnamon sugar coating. Enjoy immediately.
