Classic Glazed Doughnut Recipe

If you’re looking for the perfect homemade version of a Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut, you’ve come to the right place. 

My last post was published over a year ago. And since then, a lot has happened, not just for me but well, everywhere. Most recently of course is the coronavirus, which has turned the world upside-down, inside-out.

It’s been a bane, but in someways, perhaps a blessing.

Times are tough, for everyone. And while social life has quickly come to a halt, life itself goes on and so, you have to as well. Many people have more time to spare or need distractions from mundane day-to-day practices. So perhaps now’s the moment to return to music, to painting, to those hobbies that are usually tossed aside in the name of “not enough time.”

For me, that means taking to the kitchen, trying new things, and taking Hot Chocolate Hits out of hibernation. And I’m going to do that with the best recipe: a classic glazed doughnuts recipe.

Quarantine cooking is a thing, and this recipe is fit for the occasion. The perfect chance to try your hand at something seemingly intimidating, but in reality isn’t too bad.

Classic, glazed doughnuts.

Here are some pointers to keep in mind:

• Yeast: I used instant yeast (this brand). You can also use active dry yeast, but fresh yeast will take a little longer in terms of rising.
• Temperature of ingredients: As a rule of thumb in baking, all ingredients should be at room temperature, which makes it easier to mix.
• Milk: It should be hot enough, but still warm so that you can still dip your finger in comfortably.
• Frying the doughnuts: Use a good amount of oil. Not too much, but enough so that the doughnuts can float a little. The temperature of the oil should be at 375 F or roughly 190 C. I usually don’t measure the temperature, I’ll know it’s hot if I fry a doughnut hole and it starts to bubble, and turns a light golden colour.
• Eat them warm! These classic doughnuts are best fresh, so make sure to fry them right before serving, the longer you wait, the less delicious they’ll be.

For more step-by-step instructions for this classic glazed doughnuts recipe, be sure to check out the video.

And without further ado, the recipe you came here to read.

Classic Glazed Doughnut Recipe

If you’re looking for the perfect homemade version of a Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut, you’ve come to the right place. 

Yield: 10 doughnuts

Prep: 1 hour hour

Cook: 30 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

For the doughnuts:

• 10 tbsp (150ml) milk
• 1 ⅛ tsp ½ a pack, or 3.5g active dry yeast
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 ½ cups (325g) all-purpose flour

For the glaze:

• 2 cups (250g) confectioners' (powdered) sugar
• 4-5 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt, not in the video, but I always do it!

Instructions

• For the doughnuts, add the milk to a medium sized bowl. It should be warm, around 30-40 degrees, just heat it up in the microwave for around 10 seconds.
• Next, sprinkle in 2 tbsp of granulated sugar, followed by the instant yeast. Give the mixture a quick stir and let it sit for around five minutes.
• Then whisk in the melted butter, egg and 1/2 tsp of salt. The mixture might look a little lumpy, but it will come together once the rest of the ingredients are added.
• Spoon in the flour, you’ll want to do this a little at a time – it just makes it easier to incorporate.
• The resulting dough should be thick, soft and should pull always slightly from the bowl. If it’s too sticky, add a tiny bit of flour to help- but not too much as it will dry out the dough and result in a tougher doughnut.
• Work the dough on a dry surface for around two minutes, till it comes together in a nice ball.
• Place the dough into a bowl that has lightly been greased with some flavourless oil. Then brush the top of the dough with some oil as well.
• Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap, and leave it in a relatively warm place till it’s doubled in size, around an hour to two hours.
• When it’s risen nicely, lightly flour a work surface, and gently remove the dough from the bowl. Roll it out to about ½ inch or 1 cm thickness.
• Then cut out the doughnuts using a greased cookie cutter. I like the larger one to be 5 cm (around 2.5-3 inches), and the small one to be 2 cm (around 1 inch).
• If you don't have cookie cutters, you can use a regular drinking glass as the larger ring, just make sure it’s greased, and a bottle cap for the smaller ring. You can also keep the little doughnut holes to fry up as well.
• Whatever scraps you can left with, bunch them up and roll them out once more, being careful not to add too much extra flour.
• Gently place the little rounds onto a lightly floured surface, then cover them with a tea towel. Let the doughnuts rise again for around 45 minutes while you prepare the glaze.
• To make the glaze, mix together the sugar with the vanilla and 4 tbsp of the milk, until it's nice and smooth, the consistency of caramel sauce. Add a little more milk if it's too thick for your liking, and a dash extra of vanilla if you want. You can also throw in a pinch of salt for that salty-sweet combo.
• After 45 minutes or so, you're ready to fry the doughnuts.
• To fry the doughnuts, heat a medium sized pot with oil. 1 - 1 /2 cups is perfect, I recommend starting this around 10 minutes before you intend to fry. The oil should be hot, about 375 F or 190 C.
• Gently place the risen doughnut into the oil. I like to fry up 2-3 doughnuts at a time. Cook them for around 45 seconds 1 minute on each side, or until they've developed a nice golden brown colour. Use a metal slotted spoon to do this.
• Next, glide the doughnuts onto a paper-towel lined plate so that the excess oil can drain off.
• While the doughnuts are still hot (but not too hot to handle), dip them in the glaze, coating both sides.
• Place the glazed doughnut onto a wire rack, so that the extra icing can drip off.
• The glaze will harden after a while as the doughnuts cool.
• The dough itself can be stored overnight, covered in the fridge. However, these doughnuts must be eaten fresh, as the longer you wait, the more stale they will go, so make sure to fry them right before eating.

Notes

Adapted from Mark Bittman 

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: butter, Dessert

There are three ways you can adapt this glazed doughnut recipe:

• Jam doughnut: Instead of cutting out the hole in the doughnut, fry a 5-inch circle, then using a piping bag fitted a nozzle and filled with your favourite jam, “inject” the doughnuts and squeeze gently to release the jam. Then dust with confectioners’ sugar
• Chocolate glazed doughnut: Add 2-3 tbsp of cocoa powder to the glaze recipe, and top with sprinkles.
• Cinnamon sugar doughnut: Mix together 1 cup of granulated sugar and 2 tsp ground cinnamon. Place the mixture into a ziplock bag, then dip the doughnut into the sugar, coating both sides.

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• Nutella filled beignets
• Churros with chocolate sauce
• Baked pumpkin doughnuts