Easy Yeast-Raised Doughnuts - Step By Step

Freshly Fried Yeast Doughnuts

Doughnuts. Who doesn't love 'em? I sure do, which is why I decided to try and make my own. To be honest, I hadn't ever thought of making them, since there's a Dunkin' Donuts down the block from home one way and a 7-11 down the other way. Both places have good doughnuts if you can catch them early in the day. With the humidity we've been having all over the Northeast, the weather has not been the best for the survival of doughnuts, which actually begin to stale as soon as you remove them from the fryer(I'll go into preventing this in a bit) 

I don't like stale doughnuts, and if you are reading this then you don't either. 

Solution? I am going to show you how easy it is it make your own doughnuts! 

I am not talking about biscuits from a can that you can cut out like doughnuts, either. I am talking, for-real, delicious, yeast-raised doughnuts from scratch! 

So let's get started. First, be sure to get all of the ingredients(scroll to the bottom for the recipe), most of which are usually in the common household, and set them out. 

Next, you will need to do a few simple things(trust me, it will make life easier when it comes time to prepare the doughnuts, as time is of the essence once you begin)before you get to the real work. 

Once you proof your doughnuts, it will be very difficult to move them to the oil without deflating the air from them(something I learned the hard way the first time I did them - Lesson learned!)so you need to be sure that it doesn’t happen by being prepared. There are two options in order to avoid this. One is to heavily flour a cookie sheet to place your cut doughnuts on. I do it that way sometimes, but I find that the excess flour on the dough clouds my oil too much, which I like to reuse a few times before discarding. So that brings me to option 2, which is to make wax squares lightly sprayed with cooking oil so that you don't have to use the flour. Also, the wax paper is oil safe, which is a win-win in my opinion. So here we go! 

Make Wax Squares 

You’ll want to get your round cutter, or if you don’t have a cutter like mine you can use a clean soup can to punch out your doughnuts(minus the lid) and a bottle cap to cut out the centers. 

Get your wax paper and tear off a sheet just about the width of whatever cutter you plan to use with a little room to spare. I am using 3 7/16 for the circles and 1 1/2 for the centers

Preparing your wax squares is a must to make this an easier process. Just spray the completed squares with a bit of cooking spray before proofing your donuts to keep them nice and plump. You also want to spray the tops of your doughnuts with cooking spray so that when you remove the plastic wrap, it won't cling to the dough and possibly deflate it. Just nice and slow when you peel off the plastic wrap after proofing.

Use a ruler to keep it straight as you tear downward. 

You will have a long strip of wax paper. 

Put your cutter on the top most part of the wax paper just beneath your cutter, with a bit of room to spare, and then cut across with scissors so that you have a square of paper that is slightly larger than your cutter.
I used some of the cutters from a stacked cookie cutter set that I got a few years ago, and often use them while making gumpaste items or cookies for my custom cake business, Gigi Cake Shoppe. 

With such a wide variety of sizes, these are great for multi-purpose use. For my set of cutters, the sizes range from 3 7/16 down to 1 1/2 and one of the most basic cutter sets can be purchased here. They also come in different shapes as well. Or, you can use a doughnut cutter which will cut the big and small hole simultaneously. 

Time for a quick Science Lesson! 

Proofing is a practice of letting your freshly mixed dough rest and allow the yeast(which is a live culture) to expand and grow it as it eats the required sugar in your recipe, which gives it a light, fluffiness. You can use either Active Dry Yeast, which must be prepared with warm milk and/or warm water and sugar, which the yeast eats and helps it grow and expand your dough. Or you can use instant yeast, which begins the growing process(or yeast-feast) as soon as it touches the warm liquid(s). 

I tend to use the instant yeast since I use my trusty bread machine(on the dough cycle), but most people who use a stand mixer, or God help you, mix it by hand, find using Active Dry Yeast a better option. You'll get a heck of a workout if you dare go by hand, but it CAN be done. Most yeast recipes call for the dough to rest once after mixing, punched down to remove the gas which makes it expand during the resting period, then shaping it for whatever you want(bread, doughnuts, cinnamon rolls(my personal favorite)) and then letting the shaped dough rise a second time before baking. 

If you plan to bake later, you can simply shape the dough after the first rise, place in your pan(s), cover with plastic wrap and freeze.  Bring it out to the counter when ready to bake and allow to come to room temperature. You will also notice that it rises as it gets warm. Or sometimes you can shape it right out of the mixing period and let it do the first rise overnight in the fridge, a "slow rise",bring to room temperature(in which it may rise a bit more, and that's okay!) and bake it.  I do this sometimes when I want fresh doughnuts first thing in the morning but don't want to go through a long process of preparation. If your doughnuts accidentally deflate after the second rise, then you will have to let them sit in a warm, draft-free place to rise again. I usually set my shaped, covered dough on a cookie sheet in the oven with the oven light on, wich will be just about the right temperature for it to re-rise.

Mixing The Yeast Dough

If you are using a bread machine, which I recommend since it will provide the correct proofing temperature as well as thoroughly mixing the dough enough for the proper gluten consistency to form from the flour.(gluten is what makes the dough soft, elastic and stretchy), it's best to put all of your wet ingredients into the pan first. Then add your dry ingredients and follow the instructions for your machine to set it to the "Dough Cycle". This method is using the "Instant" or "Bread Machine" yeast, which activates the second the warm mixture touches it.

If you are using a stand-mixer, it's a little bit different(but not by much!). You can use Active Dry Yeast, sugar and the warm water and allow it to 'bloom' first in a bowl.  This is the process in which the yeast eats the sugar and grows. Takes about 5-10 minutes and you will be able to tell that it's done since it will be doubled in size and foamy on top(like a beer!) When that's done, you can simply add your flour, a little a time, into the bowl after you put in your egg and butter.  You can use the paddle attachment when adding the first cup of flour to fully incorporate the wet and dry ingredients, but you'll want to switch to the dough hook to do the heavy work for the remainder of the flour.  Don't be alarmed if your mixer rocks a bit once you add all of the flour. The important thing is mixing it on medium-high speed for at least six or seven minutes to properly develop the gluten. You want light and fluffy, not dense and heavy. Just keep an eye on it.   If you are doing it by hand, the same rules for using Active Dry Yeast apply, but you would simply use your hands to work the dough instead of the dough hook.  You will get a good workout since you are going to be eating doughnuts and now you won't feel so guilty for doing so! If you are going the stand-mixer or hand route, be sure that you spray the bowl you are going to do the first rise in with cooking-spray so that the dough won't stick to your bowl.  Put the dough in, turn it a few times against the sides to coat it with the oil so that your dough is non-stick. Put a sheet of plastic wrap over the bowl and seal it tight. Place your bowl in your oven with the light on ONLY. If your oven doesn't have a light, you can place a glass measuring cup full of water in the microwave for 1 minute.  Leave the steaming cup in the microwave and put your bowl in there with it and close the door to seal in the heat. Let it rise for about an hour. Most bread machines automate this process. Proofed Yeast Dough Cutting Your Doughnuts Unproofed Yeast Dough Now that the dough has been thoroughly mixed and has risen the first time, it's time to make the doughnuts! Punch down your dough and then remove it from the bowl.   Get a non-stick rolling pin or lightly flour a wooden one and roll out your dough to about 3/4 of an inch thick.  We want the dough to be thick enough, but not too thick. What we are looking for it a thick enough dough that will give us a pale "ring" around the doughnuts when we fry them.  This is the most telltale sign that your dough has been properly proofed. The other sign is watching for your doughnuts to float on top of the hot oil the moment you begin the frying procedure. Using the cookie cutters, cut out your doughnuts after flouring the large cutter between each cut. Be sure to apply pressure to the cutter and give it a full twist to be sure that it cuts through your dough. Next, use the small cutter to remove the centers from the dough(if you want)or leave them whole if you plan on filling your doughnuts with jam, pastry-cream, etc.  Get your wax squares and place them on a cookie sheet. Spray the squares lightly with cooking spray and then place each of your doughnuts on one of the squares. You can make extra squares to use for your doughnut holes, which you can also fry. Great treats for kids! Once you have prepared your doughnuts and holes(if you went that route) pop the plastic wrap covered tray in your oven for an hour. Dependent on your oven, it may be done a little sooner than that or a little bit later. Just make sure that you doughnuts have at doubled in size and are fat and puffy.  We want to keep them like this until we can get them into the oil, which is why it's best to use the wax squares. Unproofed Fully Proofed Wax Square Method Frying You are simply going to lift the wax paper by the corners and set it, with the doughnut on top of it, into the hot oil.  Watch for the paper to loosen and use tongs to grip and fish it from the oil. If you proofed your dough correctly, your doughnuts should float on top of the oil without ever sinking underneath. I usually do the holes first to kinda 'test the waters' a bit and see how they fry. If the holes sink, then you can put your cookie sheet back into the oven for another five or ten minutes to give it more time to rise. If they float straight off, then you're good to go! Now you want to check the coloring of your doughnuts. Using a pair of wooden chopsticks(I usually load up on them from Benihana, Panda Express, Sarku - wherever!), which will bubble on the tip if you test the oil with them first - letting you know the oil is hot enough, slip it underneath one end of your doughnut and raise it slightly to see the color. It should be a nice medium, golden brown. I usually fry them for about 30-40 seconds on each side at a steady 360 degrees. I have an electric fryer that allows me to set the temperature, but a simple candy-thermometer will do the trick to check your temp. Just be sure that the tip of the thermometer doesn't touch the bottom of the pan otherwise you will get a false reading since that's where the flame is. Keep it clipped to the side and just below the surface of the oil to get a good, true reading. Once you have a nice golden brown, use both chopsticks to gently flip the doughnut over to fry the other side. Don't crowd them, but depending on the size of your pot you may be able to fry at least three or four at one time. My fryer is kinda small, and the doughnuts sizeable so I usually just do two at a time.  The holes I tend to do all together, after testing the first one, since they are so small. Finishing Up When you finish frying all of your doughnuts, you'll need to get rid of the excess oil.  Set up a cookie sheet, with a cooling rack over it. Line the cookie sheet with paper-towels to catch dripping oil from the doughnuts. You can also give them a quick blot if you don't have a rack.  With the rack still in place, you can either glaze your doughnuts and then let excess drip off. Or you can roll them in cinnamon-sugar mixture.  For this one, I decided to let my doughnuts cool completely and then dip them in a white-chocolate icing. Also, I made some long, rectangular ones, which I filled with my home-made strawberry jam(made from strawberries I grow in my side yard)after glazing. Be sure that you set up your doughnut workstation before getting started so that you can go from frying to oil, to drip dry to glazing/sugaring/filling. Believe me, it will save a hassle since you won't have time to go hunting for things while your doughnuts are frying.  Once the doughnuts are finished frying, you can poke one of your chopsticks through the hole(use tongs if you didn't make a hole in your doughnut, or two forks to support it as you lift it out)and simply lift up the doughnut on the end of the stick.  Let it drip for a moment or two before you put in onto the rack to dry. Continue to do this for all of the doughnuts before shutting off your fryer/open flame. Notice the white ring? These are some seriously perfectly proofed pastries!(try and say THAT five times fast!) Dipping Doughnuts While I was waiting for my dough to rise the first time, I made some of the glazes and icings I wanted to use. I have tons of sprinkles of different colors from my cake shop, so I decided to bring them out. You can pretty much use whichever ones catch your fancy. This can even turn into a fun family event by letting everyone help decorate the doughnuts. Just check out my niece, Gianna, as she painstakingly decorates her doughnuts. I usually glaze them warm or toss in white sugar/cinnamon sugar/combination of both and serve right away, but sometimes I make them and let them cool first before topping with icing. Use any icing you want along with any sprinkles you want. Again, it's a great family activity and the kids will love showing off their own doughnut. And apparently posing with them as well!(as you can see from my ham of a niece, Gianna) a perfectly yummy doughnut! Freezing Doughnuts You may decide that you are going to freeze your doughnuts, which is something that I do if I am not going to serve them right away. You can wrap them. unglazed, in wax paper individually and then put them in a gallon freezer bag. Date it and label it so you remember that you have them. When you are ready to have them, simply pull them out of the freezer and let them come to room temperature. You can then dip them, or toss them in the microwave for about 10 seconds to get them warm enough to glaze. I hope you enjoyed the first of many blogs for Easy Eats With Erica. Feel free to email me any questions you have about the recipe, and please post your pics when you do yours! Easy Yeast Doughnut Recipe(courtesy of www.topsecretrecipes.com) Donuts One 1/4-ounce package active dry yeast 2 tablepoons warm water (98 degrees) 3/4 cup warm milk (30 seconds in the microwave does the trick) 2 1/2 tablespoons margarine or butter 1 egg 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3 cups vegetable oil Glaze 5 1/3 tablespoons (1/3 cup) margarine or butter 2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/3 cup hot water Chocolate Glaze 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1. In a medium bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. 2. Add the milk, margarine or butter, egg, sugar, and salt, and blend with an electric mixer until smooth. 3. Add half the flour and mix for 30 seconds. 4. Add the remaining flour and knead the dough with flour-dusted hands until smooth. 5. Cover the bowl of dough and leave it in a comfy, warm place until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour. You can tell that the dough has risen enough when you poke it with your finger and the indentation stays. 6. Roll out the dough on a heavily floured surface until it's about 1/2 inch thick. 7. If you don't have a donut cutter, and don't intend to buy one, here's a way to punch out your dough: Empty a standard 15-ounce can of whatever you can find--vegetables, refried beans, even dog food. Be sure to wash out the can very well, and punch a hole in the opposite end so that the dough won't be held inside the can by a vacuum. 8. When you've punched out all the dough (you should have about a dozen unholed donuts), it's time for the holes. Find the cap to a bottle of lemon juice or Worcestershire sauce, or any other small cap with a diameter of about 1 1/4 inches. Use this to punch out holes in the center of each of your donuts. 9. Place the donuts on plates or cookie sheets, cover, and let stand in the same warm, comfy place until they nearly double in size. This will take 30 to 45 minutes. 10. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Bring the oil to about 350 degrees. It is easily tested with scrap dough left over from punching out the donuts. The dough should bubble rapidly. 11. Fry each donut for about 30 seconds per side, or until light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on paper towels. 12. For either the plain or the chocolate glaze, combine the margarine or butter with the powdered sugar in a medium bowl and blend slowly with an electric mixer. Try not to get too much air into the mixture, or your glaze will thicken and turn white. If this happens, warm up the glaze in the microwave for 30 seconds. 13. Add the vanilla and hot water. Mix until smooth. 14. If you're making the chocolate glaze, melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for 30 to 40 seconds. Stir, then microwave another 30 seconds and stir again until completely melted. Add to the plain glaze mixture. Blend until smooth. 15. When the donuts have cooled, dip each top surface into the glaze and then flip over and cool on a plate until the glaze firms up, about 15 minutes. Make 1 dozen donuts Tidbits You can also make "donut holes" as they do at Dunkin' Donuts by cooking and glazing the holes you've punched out the same way you prepared the donuts. Erica's Note: I use instant yeast, which is about 2 1/2 teaspoons instead of the packet of Active Dry Yeast. Read the back of your package to be sure what the liquid temperature should be. In my case it's anywhere from 120-130 degrees Farenheit. It may be different for active dry, but probably not. Too hot, the yeast will die. Not hot enough, the yeast won't activate. Get a standard digital thermometer to measure the temperature of the liquids.