Easy Homemade Donuts recipe for those of you who think you don’t like fried foods – but secretly love baked foods. Do you love both fried and baked donuts but feel like fried donuts a little less? If so, the key is to invest in a digital thermometer, preferably an electronic one that shows the exact temperature. This will make frying a non-issue. Just read the digital reading and fold the donut in half before cooking to seal in that delicious inside crispness.
Other than a digital thermometer, you’ll need one or two other tools to get your homemade donuts right. One is a frying pan. Depending on the recipe, you may want to go with a different pan, but this is the start. Any frying pans you buy will have recommendations for usage. You also want to have a rack to keep the donut warm while it’s being fried.
When you’re ready to cook, first check the bottom of the pan to see if they are already golden brown. If not, transfer them to a hot plate. If they are, turn the stove off and preheat the oven. Next, preheat your frying oil (if using shortening, check the oil’s brand to ensure you use the correct amount), and add the donuts to the pan. If any donuts do not come out even when you cook them until golden brown, it’s either because the pan or the oil was overheated or the donuts were covered in too much paper towels.
Once the donut is cooked, carefully inspect them for donut pieces. Any that come out are good, but look for ones that are dark yellow or other darker colors. This gives the donut its signature look. If there are still dark spots remaining after removing all of the dark spots, soak the underside of the next donut in buttermilk or lemon juice and wait to see if they come out at all. If they do not come out at all, remove them from the pan and re-do the steps above. Continue this process until all of the donuts are done and the pan is cool enough to handle.
If you want to get even more into the spirit of things, make a donut cutter with some wooden or plastic skewers. Use toothpicks to poke holes in the donut and then use the wooden or plastic skewer to slice the donut into rounds. This makes for an easier presentation and much easier to clean up afterward. You can also add additional ingredients to the batter, so you can shape them into donuts.
When the bonus comes out, check to see if the temperature is where it needs to be. If it’s a little too hot to display them immediately, wait a few minutes until the oil temperature reaches the proper level. This will keep your out nice and warm while you enjoy it. If your donut comes out warm but not perfect, or if you have used an oil that is too hot for your pan, make another batch of donuts with a lower temperature and try again.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. dry yeast
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup shortening room temp
- 2 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 4 eggs
- 6 1/2-7 1/2 cups flour
Directions
- Dissolve yeast in ¾ cup Luke-warm water. Set aside.
- Heat 2 cups milk in microwave for 2-3 minutes.
- While milk is heating add shortening to a large bowl. Pour hot milk over it and whisk until mixed. Add salt, sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Add 4 eggs and mix well.
- Add yeast mixture to batter and mix. Add 2 cups of flour and mix with a wooden spoon. Mix well. Add 2 more cups and mix. Add 2 more cups and mix. At this point, the batter should not be runny. Add 1 more cup of flour, give or take ½ cup. NOTE: You do not want your dough to be tough. Mix until your dough is smooth.
- Sprinkle flour onto a clean surface and pour batter onto it. Gently knead dough batter until the surface is not sticky to the touch. NOTE: The dough should be very soft but not sticky that you can’t handle it fairly easily. Place the soft dough into a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl and let rise for 1 to 1½ hours. Dough should be about double in size when done.
- Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to about a 1 inch thickness. Cut the doughnuts out as closely as possible. You can save the middles for doughnut holes. Move donuts and holes to a clean surface. Cover and let rise for 1 to 1½ hours.
- Once the donuts and holes are done rising, fry them in a large frying pan with vegetable oil until golden brown.
- While donuts are frying make your Glaze. To make glaze mix 7 cups powdered sugar with ⅔ cup water and 2 tsp. vanilla. Add donuts to glaze as soon as they are done frying and make sure both sides are covered. Place on a plate to let excess glaze drain
