Homemade Donuts Recipe

These Homemade Donuts are a wildly popular donut recipe! Ultra soft, light, airy and they are sinfully addictive. I have provided countless tips and tricks to achieve the most amazing doughnuts you'll ever make at home. It's as light as biting into a cloud!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword soft donuts, soft doughnuts

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 25

Rising time 2 30

Total Time 4 55

Servings doughnuts

Calories 120kcal

Author Maria Doss

Ingredients

1 ½ cups lukewarm milk (whole milk or 2%)
1 stick unsalted butter ( ½ cup ) at room temperature
4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast or Instant yeast
3 large eggs at room temperature (NOT COLD)
6 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
5 ¼ cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour divided
vegetable oil for deep frying

For the glaze

3 cups confectioners sugar
5 to 6 tablespoons water
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 pinches salt

Instructions

To make doughnuts

Make a sponge. Combine the first 7 ingredients (milk through nutmeg) and 2 cups flour in the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat on medium speed with a flat beater for 2-3 minutes (dough will look like slightly curdled cake batter).
Finish the dough. Add the remaining flour ( 3 ¼ cups + 2 tablespoons ) and switch to a dough hook, knead on medium speed for 3 minutes (dough will be very soft).
Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place it in the warmest spot in your kitchen. Let the dough rise for about 1½ hours, or until it has doubled in size.
Pro tip: Soft dough equals soft doughnuts. Do not be tempted to mix in more flour!
Cut rounds. Generously dust your counter with flour, then turn the dough out onto the counter and lightly dust the top with more flour. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough to ½ to ¾ inch thick, then cut out the donuts with a donut cutter.
Gather the scraps and gently press them together, kneading just once or twice—just enough for the dough to hold together. Avoid overworking the dough to preserve the air bubbles that make the donuts light and fluffy. Roll out the dough again and cut out more donuts.
Rise again. Place doughnuts and holes on two lightly floured cookie sheets, spacing about an inch apart. Cover with a kitchen towel, let rise again for 45 - 60 minutes.
Prep. When you're ready to fry, pour enough oil into a large Dutch oven so it's about 2 inches deep. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 330°F to 340°F (a deep-fry thermometer is very helpful here—see the notes below if you don't have one).
Meanwhile, place a wire rack over a large baking sheet. This gives the donuts a place to drain any excess oil.
👉 Keep a close eye on the oil temperature—it makes all the difference. If the oil is below 330°F, the donuts will absorb more oil and can turn out greasy. If it's above 340°F, they'll brown too quickly on the outside before the inside has a chance to fully cook and rise, leaving you with a crisp exterior instead of the soft, light, cloud-like texture you're after.
Deep fry. Carefully add 2 to 4 donuts to the hot oil, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Fry for 45 to 60 seconds per side, or until they're light golden brown on both sides. Transfer the donuts to the prepared wire rack and repeat with the remaining donuts and donut holes.
👉 For the softest, lightest texture, avoid frying the donuts until they're dark brown. A pale golden color is exactly what you're looking for.
Tip: To test if the oil is at the right temperature, pinch off a small piece of dough and carefully drop it into the oil. It should turn golden brown in about 40 to 50 seconds. If it browns much faster, the oil is too hot. If it takes much longer, let the oil heat a little more.

Glaze the doughnuts

👉 Glaze the donuts while they're still warm but cool enough to handle. At this stage, the glaze clings beautifully to the surface and sets into that classic thin, shiny coating. If the donuts are too hot, the glaze will melt and slide right off. If they've cooled completely, the glaze won't stick as evenly or create that smooth finish.
Make glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the glaze ingredients until smooth. Start with 5 tablespoons of water, then add a little more, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the glaze is thin, smooth, and easy to dip.
Glaze donuts. Working with one doughnut at a time, dip one side of each doughnut into the glaze and return to the wire rack. Let glaze set for about 20 minutes before serving. We never wait that long around here!
Serving. These soft glazed donuts are at their absolute best while they're still warm. If you have leftovers, they're best enjoyed within 1 day. To bring back that freshness, simply microwave a donut for about 5 to 7 seconds before serving.

Notes

Eggs - Leave the eggs out on the kitchen counter for several hours to ensure they are not cold.

Lukewarm milk - It's important that the milk is lukewarm, as this is the ideal temperature for activating the yeast. If it's too hot, it can kill the yeast, and if it's too cold, the dough won't rise properly. If you don't have a thermometer (the ideal temperature is 105°F to 110°F), simply sprinkle a few drops of milk on the inside of your wrist. It should feel neither hot nor cold (like the temperature of a baby's bottle).

Nutmeg - Freshly grated nutmeg is the secret to that classic old-fashioned donut shop flavor. I highly recommend grating it yourself with a Microplane or fine grater instead of using store-bought ground nutmeg. The flavor is much fresher and more aromatic.

Tip for Rising Dough on Cooler Days - If your kitchen is on the cooler side, I like to use the oven method to create the perfect warm spot for the dough to rise. Set your oven to 170°F (or the lowest temperature it allows). As soon as it starts heating, let it warm for 20 to 30 seconds—don't let it actually reach 100°F—then turn the oven off.

Place the covered bowl of dough inside the warm oven and let it rise until doubled in size. If the oven gets to 100°F or higher, leave the door open for a few minutes to let it cool slightly before placing the dough inside. The goal is a gently warm environment, not a hot one, so the yeast can do its job without overheating.

Storage - These are absolutely best when fresh! However, unglazed donuts can be refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 4 days (warm in the microwave for few seconds before eating). It can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature; beyond that, the glaze becomes sticky.

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