Easy and Crispy Doughnut Recipe
A doughnut or donut (the latter spelling often seen in American English) is a type of fried dough confection or dessert food. The doughnut is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franchised specialty vendors.
Doughnuts are usually deep fried from a flour dough, and typically either ring-shaped or a number of shapes without a hole, and often filled, but can also be ball-shaped (“doughnut holes”). Other types of batters can also be used, and various toppings and flavorings are used for different types, such as sugar, chocolate, or maple glazing. Doughnuts may also include water, leavening, eggs, milk, sugar, oil, shortening, and natural or artificial flavors.
Ingredients
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup whole milk, lukewarm
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons granulated sugar, for coating
- 4 cups canola or vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
Step 1
Make the dough: In the bowl of a standing mixer, mix flour, sugar, and yeast. Fit mixer with the dough hook, and add egg, milk, butter, zest, vanilla extract, and brandy to the flour mixture. Mix on low-medium speed until a soft ball of dough starts to form, about 3 minutes.
Add in salt. Keep mixing for 8 minutes, until dough is soft and elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Step 2
Gently punch the dough to remove air. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into 1 cm thickness. Cut into doughnuts using a doughnut cutter or with a 7 cm round cutter and with a 2 cm round cutter for the holes.
Re-roll scraps and repeat. Place doughnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest to rise for about 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Step 3
Make the cinnamon sugar mixture: Place 8 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon in a small bowl and toss to combine. Set aside.
Step 4
Frying: In a large, deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 2 in/5 cm of oil until a thermometer inserted into the oil reaches 300F. If you don’t have a thermometer to test, insert a wooden spoon into the oil; it’s ready for frying when tiny bubbles appear around the stick. If it bubbles vigorously, it’s too hot. Carefully add doughnuts, a few at a time, depending on how large the saucepan is. Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain doughnuts on a paper towel-lined plate. While doughnuts are still warm, dip them in cinnamon sugar mixture and coat from all sides.
Step 5
Doughnuts are best the same day they are made.
reference: yummynotes