Sugar Donuts

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5 from 7 votes

These light and fluffy donuts are perfect! Glazed Yeast Raised Doughnuts Recipe perfect for breakfast!

Prep Time40

Cook Time6

Resting Time2

Total Time2 46

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: donuts

Calories: 919kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

For the donuts

3 cups (361g) All-Purpose Flour spooned and leveled
1/4 cup (50g) granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast
1 large egg
1 cup (227g) milk
2 tablespoons (28g) melted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 cups oil for frying

To coat the donuts

1 cup (197 g) granulated sugar

Instructions

To make the dough
In a large bowl or the bucket of a bread machine set on the dough cycle, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Add all at once to the dry ingredients. If you're using a bread machine, press Start. If you're preparing by hand or mixer, mix and knead to make a soft dough. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes.
If preparing by hand or mixer, knead the dough after its rest for 6 to 8 minutes, until it's smooth and soft. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn it over to coat the top, cover, and let it rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in bulk.
To shape the doughnuts: Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll it 1/4" thick, and cut out doughnuts with a 3-1/2" donut cutter. (if you don't have a donut cutter - then use a round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, then a smaller cutter to cut out the hole in the middle - a round piping tip or smaller cutter works great! Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let the doughnuts rise for 30 minutes to an hour, until doubled.
To fry: Heat the oil or shortening in a heavy frying pan or skillet to 350°F. Carefully place the doughnuts in the oil, 2 or 3 at a time, and fry until golden brown. Turn over and cook the second side; each side should take no more than a minute. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper. Fill or frost doughnuts as desired, using your choice of sugar topping or glaze.
Place sugar in a bowl. Roll each doughnut in the sugar to coat both sides.

Notes

Storage: Keep baked donuts, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days. Or freeze them for up to 3 months. Wrap each one in plastic wrap and store them in a plastic bag. When ready to enjoy, unwrap and thaw at room temperature.
Oil. I use a neutral tasting oil with a high smoke point such as vegetable or canola. You want your oil to 350°F. Use a thermometer. Or do a test donut with one of your donut holes. If your oil temperature is too cold then your donuts will absorb too much oil and become greasy. Fry only a a few at time so a not to drop the temperature.
Donut variations:
- Glazed donuts: Skip rolling them in sugar and make a simple powdered sugar glaze to roll them instead.
- Chocolate frosted: Skip the sugar and make a chocolate glaze and dip the donuts in.
- Cinnamon sugar: Add 2 Tablespoons cinnamon to the sugar and roll them in a cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Jelly: Do not cut out the center and fill with a jam or jelly instead. Roll in sugar.
- Boston Cream: Do not cut out the center, fill with a Vanilla Pastry Cream and top with a chocolate glaze.
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

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