Fried Doughnuts
I woke up this morning craving a sweet breakfast. I thought through my list of breakfast foods and nothing sounded as good as Fried Doughnuts. So here I am making doughnuts at sunrise. The process of making doughnuts is a long one. It only takes about 15 minutes of prep time, but the total rise time is an hour and half. Plus Fry time, and cool time.
I enjoy making doughnuts the slow way. Cooking from scratch is a skill I didn’t learn growing up. I taught myself as an adult. Now I cook primarily from scratch. Fresh ingredients full of nutrients to nourish our bodies and feel our souls. I would say that doughnuts are a comfort food, a soul food if you will.
You may be wondering; What makes it worth almost 2 hours for doughnuts?
My answer to you; They’re doughnuts. Fluffy, sweet, delicious doughnuts. They’re always worth it!
Fried Doughnuts
Ingredients
For the Doughnuts
Yeast mixture:
- 1 ¼ cups of warm whole milk 100F-110F
- 2 ¼ tsp yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
Dough:
- 1 stick melted butter (8 tbsp)
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 ¼ cups bread flour
For the Glaze:
- 5 cups of powdered sugar
- ⅔ cup of milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- First, we start with the yeast mixture. In a medium bowl, heat the milk in the microwave to 100F-110F. About 45 seconds or so. Add the yeast and sugar. Stir and place in a draft free place (microwave) or cover with kitchen towel and move to the back of the counter to rise. 5-10 minutes.
- Using a mixer fit with the whisk attachment, beat together the yeast mixture, eggs, butter, sugar and salt until combined.
- Switch to the dough hook and add 2 cups of the flour. Mix well.
- Add in the remaining flour ½ cup at time. You may need to stop the mixer to scrape down the sides to ensure all the flour is incorporated. You know the dough is done when it comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer to an oiled bowl. Cover with kitchen towel or plastic wrap and place in a draft free place (microwave or oven) to rise for 1 hour.
- When the dough is done rising, turn onto a floured surface and roll out to ½ inch thickness. Use a doughnut, biscuit or cookie cutter to cut your doughnuts out.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay your doughnuts on the baking sheet to rise for 30-45 minutes. Place tray in your oven (use bread proof if you have, if not that’s okay)
- About 15 minutes before your doughnuts are done rising, heat a large pan with 2’-3’ of vegetable oil to 370F.
- When the doughnuts are done rising, gently lower them into the oil, one at a time. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry for 45 seconds to 1 minute per side or until golden brown.
- Transfer doughnuts to the drying rack. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before glazing.
For the Glaze:
- In a large bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and milk. For a thicker glaze, use a little less milk. The glaze is all about feel. Find the consistency you like by adding your milk in a little at a time.
To serve:
- You can drizzle the glaze on top of the doughnuts, or dip the doughnuts into the glaze, then flip them over and place them back on the drying rack. It’s a really straightforward process.
- Top with sprinkles if you so desire.