Ingredients & Equipment
TANGZHONG
35g AP Flour
118ml Water
DONUT GLAZE
4 Cups 6x Powdered Sugar
1 TBSP Melted Butter
1 TSP Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Warmed Milk
RECIPE
5g Active Dry Yeast
25g Sugar
60ml warm milk (105F-110F)
400g AP Flour
75g Cane Sugar
75g Butter (melted & cooled)
100g Eggs (about 2 whole eggs)
5g salt
75ml water
Instructions
Activate Yeast: Warm 60ml of milk up to 105F-110F. Pour into a small bowl and add 25g sugar. Mix well to combine. Once combined, sprinkle 5g of active yeast into the bowl and give it a quick stir. Allow to sit for 10 minutes until the yeast mixture is foamy and active.
Prepare Tangzhong: While your yeast activates, let’s make the tangzhong. A tangzhong (or “water roux”) is a method that is used to create more hydration and a fluffier crumb. In a saucepan, combine 118ml water and 35g flour and mix well. Transfer the pan to the stove and cook on medium heat, continuously stirring, until it forms a thickened paste. It should look like super thickened glue. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Melt Butter: Add 75g of butter to a small saucepan and melt on low heat. Remove from heat and allow the butter to cool to room temperature.
Make the Dough: In the bowl of a stand-mixer with the dough-hook attachment, add the yeast mixture, tangzhong, 75g melted butter, eggs, and 75ml warmed water. Mix well until combined. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: 400g flour, 75g sugar, 5g salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the stand-mixer and mix on medium speed until combined. Once a shaggy dough forms, knead the dough on medium-high for 10 minutes. NOTE: This is is a very wet and sticky dough. I do not recommend hand kneading unless you are very familiar working with high-hydration doughs.
First Rise: Pour the sticky dough into a large, well-greased bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or cling-film and place in a warm spot to rise for about 1 hour. An oven with the light turned on is usually a good place for this.
Cold Proof: Once the dough has almost doubled in size, transfer the bowl to the refrigerator to proof for at least 2-3 hours. Chilling the sticky dough will make it much easier to work with. Do not skip this step.
Roll & Cut Donuts: Take a large cookie sheet and line with a sheet of parchment. Set aside. Remove the dough from the fridge and punch it down to remove the air. Pour the dough out onto a well-floured surface and dust a little flour on-top. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until its about 1/2 inch thick. Grab a 3″ and 1″ wide circle cutters and cut out the donuts and donut holes. I highly suggest dipping the cutters into a bowl of flour before cutting each donut (otherwise, they can and will stick to the dough). Once you’ve cut out all of the donuts, place the donut rings and donut holes separately onto the parchment-lined cookie sheet. Gently knead and reroll any left over dough and cut another round of donuts and donut holes and place on the parchment sheet.
Cut & Second Rise: Using a sharp knife or box cutter, cut the parchment paper around each donut so that each donut is on an individual square of parchment. You will be frying each donut individually on its own small square of parchment. Once cut, cover the cookie sheet with a kitchen towel or cling-wrap and allow to rise again in a warm spot for another 45mins to 1 hour. The donuts should be tall and puffy. To test, gently poke the dough with your finger. If your indent stays, the dough is ready. If the indent springs back, allow to rise a little longer.
Make the Glaze: While the donuts are rising, prepare the glaze. Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl. Add the warmed milk, melted butter, and vanilla to the bowl. Mix thoroughly with a whisk until completely smooth and combined. Cover the bowl with cling-film and set aside.
Prep The Fryer: I do not recommend frying these donuts without a deep-fryer that has a temperature control setting. To get the perfect “melt in your mouth” consistency, the temperature of the oil must be between 330F and 340F. You can attempt to use the stove-top, but you must pay close attention to the oil temperature. Anyway, set your deep-fryer to 335F.
Fry the Donuts: Grab a donut on a parchment square and gently place into the deep fryer basket. By picking up the donut using the parchment paper, you will avoid deflating the proofed donut and messing up its shape. If you are using the stove-top, fry one donut at a time. If using a deep-fryer, gently place 3-4 donuts (parchment paper down) into the fryer basket and gently lower into the hot oil. Once in the oil, use a pair of tongs to gently remove the parchment from the bottom of the donuts. Fry each donut for about 30-45 secs on each side. I personally prefer to watch the donuts and flip them once each side is a light golden brown. You don’t want the donuts to form a crunchy crust! Place the fried donuts onto a cooling rack.
Glaze the Donuts: As soon as each round of donuts are removed from the fryer, use a spoon and coat each donut with a heaping spoonful of glaze. Glazing while hot is the trick to getting a perfectly coated donut.
Eat Hot Now!: Nothing is better than a fresh, hot, glazed donut. Serve these donuts right away!
Additional tips
- Sticky Dough: If you feel that the dough is too sticky, go ahead and add up to 1/4 cup of additional flour while it is in the mixer. This won’t make a huge difference, but it might make you feel better.
- Frying Oil: My deep fryer is loaded with grass-fed beef tallow. I personally don’t enjoy the flavor of avocado oil, so I would not suggest it for this recipe.
- Storage: I’m sorry, these donuts have never lasted more than a few minutes out of the fryer; thus, the concept of “storing for later” does not make sense to me. You’re on your own for this one.
