Soft & Fluffy Homemade Donuts Recipe (Better Than Bakery)
These donuts are sweet, but not so much that you won’t want to eat more than one. Heat the milk gently, let the dough puff up moderately and fry steadily for optimal texture.
These homemade yeast donuts are one of those things that I know will make me feel like a bakery-gourmet even though I pulled off in my home kitchen. It pulls together with bare-bone pantry ingredients, then gets light and tender after it has a chance to rise.
Once in the hot oil, they take mere minutes and pay off big time: a fluffy interior that has the perfect resistance against your teeth, a tenderly crisp exterior and sweet sugar finish that you can leave alone or customize.
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Doesn’t require exotic ingredients you’ll have to go out of your way to buy
- Soft, puffy texture from the yeast and a sufficient rise.
- Fast fry time for quick cooking once formed
- Quick to coat with sugar (or the topping of your choice)
- Fantastic weekend indulgence, but it tastes like homemade and not stale
Ingredients
For the dough
- Milk – 1/2 cup (120 ml)
- Sugar – 2 tbsp (30 g)
- Instant yeast – 1 tsp (4 g)
- Egg – 1 large
- Salt – 1/2 tsp (2 g)
- Plain flour, about 2 1/2 cups or 300g.
- Butter unsalted, room temperature – 2 tbsp (30 g)
For frying / finishing
- For frying the Neutral oil -Canola/Vegetable oil
- Granulated sugar, for coating (I used: some vanilla sugar)
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Milk: Heat the milk to 100–110°F (38–43°C). Too hot can weaken the yeast. Feel free to use whole milk for a more luxurious donut, or 2% milk.
- Sugar: I recommend using regular granulated sugar.
- Yeast: I use instant yeast but it mixes in nicely. Just second to proof active dry yeast that you get the same amount and let sit in warm milk + sugar until foamy .
- Flour: All purpose is how the donuts stay soft. Add some flour, if dough is very sticky.
- Butter: Make sure it’s at room temperature, or it won’t incorporate well into the dough.
- Frying oil: Any neutral, high smoke-point cooking oil is best.
How to Make Donut recipe
- Combine warm milk, sugar and yeast.
In a big bowl, combine the warm milk with sugar and yeast and whisk until mixed. Let sit 5 minutes if you wish to see it wake up. - Add the egg and salt.
Whisk in egg and salt until smooth. - Add flour and knead until just combined.
Stir in the all-purpose flour until a shaggy dough comes together. - Knead, then add butter.
Knead until the dough begins to become smooth and then add room-temperature butter, kneading it in until incorporated and the dough feels soft and elastic.
- First rise.
Cover the bowl and allow dough to rise until doubled in volume (about 60-90 minutes, depending on room temperature).
- Roll and cut.
Lightly flour your surface. Roll dough to 1/2 inch. If desired, cut out donuts (large round cutter with a smaller center cutter).
- Second rise.
Place donuts on their own parchment squares (so they can be easily transferred to the oil) and let rise, until puffy, about 20–30 minutes.
- Fry.
In a pan, heat neutral oil to approximately 350°F (175°C). Fry donuts, in batches so they do not crowd the pan, until golden brown and turned all at once, 1-2 minutes on a side. - Flip once and don’t rush: a gentle, even fry gives the best shape and crumb.
- Drain briefly, then sugar: coating sticks best while donuts are still warm.
Expert Tips
- Embrace your thermometer for the oil: unwavering heat, no greasy donuts ( 350°F/175°C).
- Just warm the milk, not hot: it should be 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (38 to 43 degrees Celsius).
- Don’t add too much flour all at once: The dough should be tacky and fry up lighter, not dry.
- Wait for donuts to get puffy before frying: under-proofed donuts can crack and will feel dense.
- Fry it in small batches: overcrowding lowers oil temperature and color.
- Flip once, and don’t be in a hurry: gentle, even frying leads to the best shape and crumb.
- Drain briefly, then sugar; coating adheres best when donuts are warm.
- Donut holes keep: fry them as little bites .
Storage & Freezing
- Refrigerator: Don’t bother; the refrigerator can dry them out more quickly.
- Room temperature: In an airtight container for up to 1 day.
- Freezer: Freeze cooled unglazed doughnuts in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
- Defrosting: Defrost at room temp and then heat in microwave for 10–15 seconds or in a preheated low oven for a couple of minutes before coating.
Variations
- Cinnamon sugar: Sugar mixed with ground cinnamon to coat.
- Vanilla sugar finish: Finish with vanilla sugar for a bit of extra scent.
- Glazed: Coat cooled donuts in a basic powdered sugar glaze .
- Stuffed: Forget the center hole, fry in rounds and fill with jam or pastry cream .
- Chocolate drizzle: Melt chocolate and then drizzle on cooled donuts .
Donut Recipe
Soft, fluffy yeast donuts made with simple pantry staples, fried until golden, then finished with a classic sugar coating .
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a bowl, whisk the warm milk with sugar and instant yeast until combined. (Assumption: milk is warmed to about 100–110°F / 38–43°C.)
- Whisk in the egg and salt until smooth.
- Add the flour and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead the dough until it starts to smooth out, then knead in the room-temperature butter until fully incorporated and the dough is soft and elastic.
- Cover and let rise until doubled in size (about 60–90 minutes).
- Roll dough to about 1/2-inch thickness and cut donut shapes.
- Let cut donuts rise until puffy (about 20–30 minutes).
- Fry in hot oil until golden on both sides (assumption: 350°F / 175°C, 1–2 minutes per side).
- Drain briefly, then coat as desired
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Neutral oil for frying and granulated sugar (or vanilla sugar) for coating are used based on your photos, but they were not included in the provided ingredient list. Add as needed.
- If the dough feels very sticky, add a small amount of flour while kneading, but keep it soft for fluffy donuts.
- For best results, keep oil temperature steady and fry in small batches.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!FAQs
Can you bake these instead of frying ?
Definitely is possible, I imagine the texture to be more like a soft roll rather than a classic fried donut .
Why are my donuts greasy ?
Oil temperature also tends to be too low. There’s no need to let the oil get much hotter than 350°F (175°C), and don’t crowd that pan .
Do I need to allow the dough to rise two times ?
Yes, the first rise develops the structure and second rise allows you to cut donuts and keep them light.
Can I substitute active dry yeast for instant ?
Yes. Take the same quantity, and dissolve it in boiling milk with sugar until it makes suds: then put in other ingredients .
How thick should my dough be rolled out ?
1/2 inch is what I’d say would be perfect for fluffy donuts like in your photos.
Can I make the dough ahead ?
You can refrigerate the dough after its first rise, shape and proof it before the frying next day .
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Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
