Gourmet Donuts You Can Make at Home!

Donuts are probably one of the easiest things to make at home and you can make it as fancy as those you find in donut shops! By this time, a year over this pandemic, a lot of us have learned DIY projects and lots of baking. And baking, in particular, has been one of those interesting things most of us have done. So DONUT fear to grab the whisk, get your hands in those sticky doughs because it's time to make donuts -  knead, punch, roll and fry these scrumptious donuts! I will share a recipe below of the basic donut dough and you can be creative and inventive with the fillings, toppings and glazes of your choice. 

First of, mise en place! gather the ingredients, bowls, measuring spoons, stand mixer (if you have one), clear up a work bench and everything else you will need for this rewarding adventure. 

Ingredients for the Donuts:

2 Cups                       All Purpose Flour, extra 3-4 Tbsps flour for kneading

3 Tbsps                     Granulated Sugar 

2 tsps                         Instant Yeast

1/2 tsp                        Salt 

1/4 tsp                        Nutmeg 

1                                Egg 

1/2 Cup                     Whole Milk, lukewarm temperature

1/3 of a Stick            Unsalted Butter, at room temperature 

4 Cups                      Vegetable Oil for frying

Ingredients for the Basic Glaze: 

2 Cups                     Powdered Sugar, shifted to break up any lumps 

1/3 Stick                 Butter, melted 

3-5 Tbsps                Whole Milk

1 tsp                        Vanilla Extract 

Procedure: 

In a medium bowl,  or in the bowl of the stand mixer,  place the 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt and nutmeg. Whisk to combine. Pour the milk in a small bowl, add the yeast and mix well until it's dissolved, then add the melted butter and egg. Mix to combine. 

Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and knead to make the dough. The dough will become elastic and quite tacky. If kneading the dough by hand, use the 1/4 cup of flour to dust the surface of the work bench. Knead for about 10-15 minutes. 

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise to 1.5 hours. 

After the rising time, punch the dough to deflate. Transfer the dough from the bowl to the work bench that is lightly dusted with flour. Use a rolling pin to spread the dough at about an inch thick. Lightly dust the surface of the dough with flour. Using the rim of a glass or with a 3-4 inch round cutter, punch donut rounds and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, at least 3 inches apart per dough. Re-roll the dough scraps to make more. 

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow to proof for 30 minutes. when the dough has risen and doubled in size, it's time to fry. 

Pour the oil in a pan enough for the oil to come at about 2-3 inches to its side. Heat the pan to about 320'F or when you stick a bamboo skewer or wooden stick, it will start to sizzle.

Cut out the parchment with the risen dough on it and carefully place 2-3 donuts in hot oil.  Take the parchment paper off once the dough is released in the oil. Do this one donut at a time to ensure that the temperature of the oil doesn't drop otherwise the dough will absorb quite a bit of oil and it will become greasy. Adjust the heat when necessary so the donuts don't turn brown too quickly, either.  Flip the donut once you see them turn light golden brown. Fry the other side of the donut. Take the donuts out of the pan and place them on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Repeat the process until all the donuts are fried. 

For the Glaze: 

Place the powdered sugar in a bowl, add the melted butter and a little bit of the milk and vanilla extract. Whisk it until smooth. Add the extra milk to adjust to your desired consistency. 

You can actually play around with the glaze recipe for the desired thickness and effect. Add more powdered sugar if necessary. You can switch to puréed fruits like strawberries, raspberry, blueberry or blackberries in lieu of butter and milk to make the glaze. But always mix the liquid a little at a time and mix well to adjust the glaze mixture's viscosity. 

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The donuts I made below were: 

Coconut Glaze (using unsweetened coconut milk) topped with sweetened coconut flakes and coconut pastry cream

Donut with cinnamon sugar 

Raspberry jelly filled donut with a raspberry glaze (using raspberry purée) 

Raspberry and Rosewater Glaze with rosewater pastry cream, and some dried edible rose petals