There's nothing like hot fresh homemade doughnuts! So here is how to make soft, fluffy, and light Sugar Coated Donuts. These yeasted doughnuts have unbeatable flavor thanks to the yeast and they are so easy to make. Serve them alongside some hot tea, hot chocolate, or coffee!
4-5cupsVegetable oil, for fryingCanola oil, vegetable oil, corn oil, or peanut oil all work
For Coating the Doughnuts
⅓cupgranulated sugar
Instructions
Proof the yeast: Set a small pot on medium heat. Add the milk and warm it to about 115 ℉ (46℃). Add the milk to the bowl of a stand mixer or if mixing by hand, add the milk to a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and 1 Tablespoon of the granulated sugar. Stir to combine and let it sit for about 5 minutes. The mixture will turn creamy and bubbles will form on top, showing that the yeast is active.
Make the dough: Add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar, salt, melted butter, egg, and all-purpose flour. Mix to form a dough with the stand-mixer set on low to medium speed.
Add the butter: Once all the ingredients for the dough come together, you'll find the dough slightly sticky. Add one Tablespoon of softened butter and knead on low speed for about 3-5 minutes until the butter is well incorporated and the dough doesn't stick to the bowl.
Let it rise: Remove the dough from the bowl and brush the bowl with olive oil or spray with cooking spray. Add back the dough to the bowl and turn the dough around to ensure the oil completely coats the dough. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and set in a warm place to rise for one hour or until doubled in size. To create a warm space, turn on the oven lights and place the dough in the oven to rise (the oven should be turned off).
While the dough rises, cut out twenty 5 by 5-inch squares of parchment paper.
Cut out doughnuts: Punch the risen dough to remove the excess air bubbles. Lightly flour a clean working surface, then place the dough on the working surface and roll it out to be half an inch thick. Cut out doughnuts and doughnut holes with a 3-inch doughnut round cutter. Place each doughnut on a 5 by 5-inch square of parchment paper and place the doughnut holes on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Gather the rest of the dough into a ball, then roll out and cut out more doughnuts. Repeat the re-rolling and cutting process with the rest of the dough.
Fry: While the doughnuts rest, fill a heavy pot (cast iron) with neutral oil ( for example, vegetable or canola oil) up to 2 inches. Heat the oil to 350℉ (176℃). Gently lower the doughnuts into the oil, starting with the doughnuts that were cut out first. Fry not more than six doughnuts at a time for about 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer the cooked doughnuts to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to absorb the excess oil.
Coat with sugar: Using kitchen tongs, transfer the hot donuts to a grocery paper bag, then sprinkle on one tablespoon of the sugar for coating. Shake well to ensure the sugar coats the doughnuts. Repeat the frying and coating process with the rest of the doughnuts and finally fry the doughnut holes.
Serve doughnuts warm for with tea, hot chocolate, or coffee. Store completely cooled doughnuts in an airtight bag in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat a doughnut in the microwave for 30 seconds or in the oven at 300℉(148℃) for 10 minutes.
Notes
1. Do not overheat the milk, or this will kill the yeast. Test the temperature of the milk using a meat or kitchen thermometer. If you do not have a kitchen thermometer, warm the milk to be lukewarm/slightly warm to the touch. 2. If you do not have a doughnut cutter, cut out the doughnuts using the rim of the glass dipped in flour. If you follow this method, note that the doughnuts will take longer to cook through.3. Make sure you coat the doughnuts with sugar while they are still hot so the sugar can stick to them. 4. Variations: For cinnamon sugar doughnuts, add 2 teaspoons of cinnamon powder to the granulated sugar before coating the doughnuts. For lemon sugar doughnuts, add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest to the granulated sugar before coating the doughnuts.