Homemade Glazed Donuts
These copycat Krispy Kreme donuts are soft, yeast-raised rings fried in about ninety seconds a side, then dipped in a thin vanilla glaze while they are still hot. The glaze sets into a lacquer you can almost see the dough through, and one batch gives you sixteen donuts plus a tray of centers.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) warm water about 110°F
- 2 1/4 tsp (7 g) instant yeast
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) whole milk warmed
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp (6 g) salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter softened
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups (440-500 g) all-purpose flour plus more as needed
Frying
- neutral oil such as canola or vegetable, for frying
Glaze
- 2 cups (240 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 tbsp (45-60 ml) milk as needed for glaze consistency
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with paddle and dough hook
- Mixing bowls
- Rolling Pin
- Doughnut Cutter or Cookie & Shot Glass
- Baking Sheet and Parchment Paper
- Wire rack
- Slotted spoon
- Heavy Pot or Dutch Oven
- Thermometer
- Whisk
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Wake the yeast: Stir the instant yeast into the warm water and leave it for 5 minutes, until the surface goes foamy. If nothing happens, the yeast is dead and the batch is finished before it starts.
- Mix: Warm the milk to about body temperature. Add it to the yeast along with the sugar, salt, eggs, softened butter and 2 cups of the flour, and beat with the paddle attachment until smooth.
- Knead: Switch to the dough hook and work in the remaining flour a tablespoon or two at a time, kneading on medium for 5 to 7 minutes. Stop while the dough is still soft and tacks very slightly to your finger.
- First rise: Turn the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, flip it once to coat, cover it loosely and leave it somewhere warm for 1 to 2 hours, until it has doubled and holds a dent when pressed.
Roll, Cut and Proof
- Roll: Turn the dough onto a well-floured counter and roll or pat it out to a 1/2-inch thickness. Keep the counter floured; this dough is soft and will stick if you let it.
- Cut: Cut rings with a 3-inch cutter and a smaller one for the centers, pressing straight down rather than twisting. Re-roll the scraps once.
- Second rise: Lift the rings onto parchment-lined trays, leaving space between them. Cover loosely and leave 15 minutes, just until they look puffed rather than doubled.
Fry
- Heat the oil: Pour 2 inches of neutral oil into a heavy pot and bring it to 360 degrees, with a thermometer clipped to the side. Treat that number as the one you are defending.
- Fry in small batches: Slide in 3 or 4 rings at a time and fry 60 to 90 seconds a side, until both faces are mid-golden with a pale band around the equator. The centers need about 40 seconds total. Drain on a rack and let the oil come back to temperature between batches.
Glaze and Serve
- Whisk the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar with the vanilla and 3 tablespoons of milk until smooth, then add the last tablespoon a little at a time. You want it thin enough to run off a spoon in a sheet.
- Dip while hot: Dip the top of each donut while it is still too hot to hold comfortably, let the excess run off, and set it back on the rack. Serve within a couple of hours, while the glaze is still glossy.
Notes
Make-ahead: mix and knead the dough, then refrigerate it overnight in place of the first rise and let the bowl sit out for 45 minutes before you roll.
Storage: keep glazed donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Freeze unglazed rings up to 2 months, reheat from frozen at 300 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes, then glaze while warm.
Substitutions: active dry yeast works in the same quantity, but give it 10 minutes in the warm water and add about 20 minutes to the first rise. Bread flour makes a chewier ring than all-purpose does.
Doneness: both faces should be mid-golden with a pale band around the equator, and a finished ring feels almost weightless in the tongs.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Storage: keep glazed donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Freeze unglazed rings up to 2 months, reheat from frozen at 300 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes, then glaze while warm.
Substitutions: active dry yeast works in the same quantity, but give it 10 minutes in the warm water and add about 20 minutes to the first rise. Bread flour makes a chewier ring than all-purpose does.
Doneness: both faces should be mid-golden with a pale band around the equator, and a finished ring feels almost weightless in the tongs.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 168mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1.6mg