Forget the store-bought donuts and make these delicious homemade donuts from scratch instead! They're fried to a nice golden brown on the outside with a soft, fluffy inside, then dipped in a smooth and silky chocolate glaze that comes together in minutes! These are a definitely must-make for any morning treat!
3cupsAll-Purpose Flour(plus any additional flour for rolling dough)
4cupsCanola Oil
Chocolate Glaze
½cupSemi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
¼cupHeavy Whipping Cream
1teaspoonVanilla Extract
Vanilla Glaze
2cupsPowdered Sugar(sifted)
¼cupWater
1 ½teaspoonVanilla Extract
Suggested Toppings (optional)
Chocolate Jimmies
Rainbow Sprinkles
Chocolate Pearls
Crushed Oreos
Instructions
homemade donuts
Combine the packet of active dry yeast and the warm water in the mixing bowl of the stand mixer that's fitted with the dough hook attachment. Let the sit covered with a tea towel for 10 minutes.
2 ¼ teaspoon Active Dry Yeast, ¾ cup Warm Water
Add in the granulated sugar, salt, unsalted butter, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and all-purpose flour. Then set the mixer speed to low and knead until the dough begins to form. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl easily. If you find that it's still really sticky, you can add 1 tablespoon of flour until the dough is soft and slightly tacky.
⅓ cup Granulated Sugar, ½ teaspoon Salt, ¼ cup Unsalted Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1 Large Egg Yolk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
Transfer the dough over to a lightly greased, medium size bowl, flipping it over once to coat the entire ball. Cover tightly with plastic wrap (do NOT use aluminum foil) and place in a warm, draft free spot for about 1 hour or until it's almost doubled in size. That last part is very important!
When ready, gently punch the dough down in the center, then turn it out on to a clean and lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until it turns into a smooth ball about 6-7 times, roughly.
Using a floured rolling pin and lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to about a ½ inch thickness rectangle. Coat your donut cutter (mine was the 3.5" dia size) with some flour and then cut out the donuts, placing them onto a parchment lined baking sheet (space them out about 1 ½ inches apart). With any leftover dough you may have, you can roll some into balls to make donut holes or reroll to get a few more donuts. Optional step: lightly spray the parchment paper with baking spray to keep the donuts from sticking to the parchment.
Cover the baking sheet with a clean tea or dish towel and allow the donuts to rest for 1 hour or until they've almost doubled in size.
Meanwhile, line a large baking sheet with about 2 layers of paper towels with a cooling rack placed over top. Set aside.
When ready to fry the donuts, pour the canola oil into your deep fryer (following the min/max guidelines), deep heavy skillet, or stock pot. Then heat the oil until it reaches 365ºF. If using a skillet or stock pot, use your candy thermometer. Do not guess!
4 cups Canola Oil
Place 1-2 donuts in at a time for 45 seconds on each side, turning them over with either tongs or a slotted spoon. You want the donuts to be a nice medium golden brown color. At the correct temperature, they will fry quickly, so please pay attention while you're doing this part! I highly recommend using a timer.
When the donuts are ready, carefully remove from the oil and place onto the cooling rack to let any excess oil drain off of it. Allow them to cool before dipping them in the chocolate or vanilla glazes and any additional toppings.
chocolate glaze
Place the semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips into a medium size bowl. Set to the side.
½ cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Using a heat proof bowl or glass measuring cup, heat the heavy whipping cream for 1 minute, 15 seconds at full power. Pour it over the chocolate chips then cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let it sit for 2 minutes.
¼ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Remove the foil, then add in the vanilla extract. Slowly whisk the mixture until it is smooth and fully melted. Use a small spatula to smoosh any stubborn chocolate chips that may not want to fully melt.
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Dip each slightly cooled donut into the glaze, swirl around 1-2 times, then carefully lift up and place onto a large parchment lined baking sheet or cooling rack. Dip or sprinkle on the additional toppings (if using) immediately after the glaze.
vanilla glaze
In a medium bowl, slowly mix together the powdered sugar, water, and vanilla extract until smooth.
2 cups Powdered Sugar, ¼ cup Water, 1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Dip each slightly cooled donut into the glaze, swirl around 1-2 times, and carefully lift up and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet or cooling rack. If you want to glaze the entire donut, flip it over and cover the other side with the glaze and then place on the cooling rack. Add any additional toppings immediately after the glaze.
Store leftover donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, but are best served fresh the same day they're deep fried and glazed.
Donuts can be reheated about 15 seconds in a microwave.
After frying the donuts, do NOT pour the oil down the drain. I know this is probably old news to many of you, but I still need to say it. Wait for it to completely cool and then pour it into a large glass jar, these Toss-It! Bags (which what I use), or reuse it.