It’s been awhile since I made my delicious doughnuts. My kids and the hubby have been begging me to make them, so I finally broke down and did. This is a super easy recipe. It does take a bit of time but anyone can make these with enough patience. You don’t need special equipment other than some arm muscle. The hardest part for me is coming up with the toppings and fillings. There are so many options. I made a simple coffee glaze, raspberry basil glaze and the rest were pretty basic (Powdered, cinnamon & sugar and a lemon curd filling).  Feel free to use whatever filling or topping you would like.

Below you will find the donut and basic glaze recipe which can be helpful to make other creations.

Dough ingredients:

1 cup warm whole milk
1/4 cup plus 1 tsp. granulated sugar, divided
1 packet active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
6 tbsp melted unsalted butter
2 large eggs, room temp
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Canola or vegetable oil, for frying

Preparation:

Grease a large bowl with cooking oil and set aside. In a small add warm milk , teaspoon of sugar and stir to dissolve, then sprinkle over yeast and let sit until it blooms, about 8 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Pour in yeast mixture, mix to combine, then add in dry ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon until dough forms. Transfer to a floured surface and knead until elastic and slightly tacky, adding more flour as needed. Knead for 5 minutes.

Form into a ball then place dough in oiled bowl and cover with dish towel. Let dough rise in a warm spot in the kitchen until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Take a large cutting board and dust some four over the surface. This will prevent the doughnuts from sticking. Set aside. Punch down dough, then turn onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out into a ½” thick rectangle. Using a doughnut cutter or 3” and 1” biscuit cutters, punch out your doughnuts. Re-knead scraps together and punch out as well. Place doughnuts and holes onto baking sheets, cover with dish towel, and let rise again, about 45 minutes.

Line a large baking sheet with paper towels or cool racking. In a large dutch oven on medium heat, heat 3” oil to 350°. Cook doughnuts, in batches, until deeply golden on both sides, about 45 seconds to 1 minute per side.

Transfer doughnuts to paper towels or cooling rack to drain and cool slightly. Dip into desired glaze or topping, then place onto a cooling rack.

Basic glaze:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup whole or 2% milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preparation: Whisk all of the ingredients until well incorporated.