Glazed Donuts

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These homemade glazed donuts rival those from a bakery or donut shop! If you loved my baked apple cider donuts or colorful rainbow donuts, you’ll want to make these too!

You’ll be surprised at how little work is actually required to make this easy donut recipe. I’ll take you through the process step-by-step, with clear instructions, plenty of photos, and helpful expert tips!

PIN GLAZED DONUTS NOW TO MAKE THEM LATER!

BEST GLAZED DONUTS

My family is crazy about homemade donuts! Especially my father. He enjoys them with his morning coffee. They’re a great way to start the day!

You’ll love that each glazed donut is perfectly golden, tender and fluffy! The donut glaze recipe is lightly-sweet and very tasty. As a bonus, this recipe also yields a small pile of delicious glazed donut holes perfect for snacking.

GLAZED DONUT INGREDIENTS

With a few simple ingredients you’ll be ready to make this easy donut recipe. Conveniently, everything you need are common refrigerator and pantry items. 

These are the ingredients for the best glazed donuts:

DONUT DOUGH

• Milk
• Active dry yeast
• Granulated sugar
• Butter
• Vanilla extract
• Large eggs
• Sea salt
• Mace or nutmeg
• All-purpose flour
• Vegetable oil for frying

DONUT GLAZE

• Powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
• Butter
• Milk
• Vanilla extract

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BEST DESSERT RECIPES

If you love this tutorial for how to make donuts from from scratch, you’ll also enjoy making these yummy desserts!

• WHOOPIE PIES
• BLUEBERRY COBBLER
• LEMON BLUEBERRY SCONES
• CHOCOLATE PUDDING DESSERT
• TRIPLE BERRY TRIFLE

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YEAST DONUT RECIPE

You may have experienced recipes that require refrigerating the dough overnight. Happily, this yeast donut recipe does not require that extra step. Because who has patience for that? Enjoy delicious glazed donuts the same day!

Here’s how to prepare the dough:

• STEP 1: In a microwave-safe bowl, heat milk to warm (105°F – 115°F), not hot. Add 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and yeast to the bowl. Stir briefly. Allow yeast to sit undisturbed for about 5 minutes, until it wakes up (reactivates) and becomes foamy.
• STEP 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, salt, eggs, vanilla, and yeast mixture.
• STEP 3: Add in half the flour. Mix until blended.
• STEP 4: Swap the dough hook for paddle attachment. Add remaining flour to the bowl. Mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky and wet, add more flour, one tablespoon at a time.

HOW TO MAKE DONUTS FROM SCRATCH

Making glazed donuts is easy. Most of the recipe time is actually spent unattended, allowing the dough to rise twice! If you’re like me, you’ll use the downtime to clean kitchen counters, load the dishwasher, and perform other household tasks during the rising process.

RECIPE PREP: Grease a large mixing bowl with a neutral (flavorless) oil.

• STEP 1: Transfer dough from stand mixer to a floured work surface. Gently and briefly, knead until smooth.
• STEP 2: Place ball of dough into prepared mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean dry cloth.
• STEP 3: Allow the dough to rise undisturbed at warm room temperature for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
• STEP 4: Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Roll it out to a thickness of 1/2 inch.

FRIED DONUT RECIPE

After the final rise, we’ll be on our way to frying up and icing these homemade donuts. Are you anticipating munching down one or two? We’re almost there!

This recipe makes 14 glazed donuts plus 14 donut holes, or 16 donuts with no donut holes.

RECIPE PREP: Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Place two cooling racks over strips of paper towels.

• STEP 1: After the dough has been rolled to 1/2-inch thick, cut out donuts and donut holes. Gather the leftover scraps of dough. Gently, briefly knead them together. Do not overwork the dough! Allow it to rest for a few minutes before cutting out more donuts.
• STEP 2: Transfer donuts and donut holes to lined baking trays. Leave a space between pieces. Cover each tray with a clean dry cloth.
• STEP 3: Allow donuts to rise undisturbed at warm room temperature for 45 minutes. The doughnuts will rise lightly and become very delicate. With kitchen shears, slice the parchment paper so each donut is on a separate piece. This will help you lift and handle the donuts without deflating them.
• STEP 4: Just before the donuts have finished rising, heat oil to 320°F – 340°F in a heavy pot. Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature. There should be enough oil so the donuts can float freely, but are not submerged. 

HOW TO FRY DONUTS: Carefully slide two donuts into the pot. Allow them to fry on the first side until beautifully golden. Flip them over with a slotted spoon. Allow the second side to fry until golden. This is a quick process! Transfer fried donuts to cooling racks.

Repeat with remaining donuts and donut holes. Keep an eye on the oil temp. If it rises above 340°F, turn down the heat and wait until the temperature has lowered into the 320°F – 340°F range.

DONUT GLAZE RECIPE

This donut glaze recipe has the perfect consistency. It’s thin enough to lightly cover each donut without weighing it down. But it’s thick enough to satisfy your glazed donut craving!

This icing recipe includes melted butter. It’s the secret for taking these beautiful treats to the next level. They’re mouthwateringly delicious! Here’s how to make donut glaze:

• STEP 1: Take out  a medium bowl and a whisk. Gather together the ingredients for this donut glaze recipe. 
• STEP 2: Melt the butter. Allow it to cool off a bit before continuing. Add all ingredients to the bowl. Whisk until the icing is smooth.
• STEP 3: With a slotted spoon dunk a fried donut into the bowl of icing. Turn the donut so both sides are covered in glaze. Transfer glazed donuts back to the cooling racks, where excess icing can drip down onto strips of paper towels.
• STEP 4: Transfer glazed donuts to a serving platter. Enjoy them while they’re fresh!

MAPLE GLAZED DONUTS AND CHOCOLATE GLAZED DONUTS: Are you craving the taste of maple glazed donuts? How about chocolate glazed donuts? See the “Expert Tips” section for these easy donut glaze recipes!

EXPERT TIPS FOR THIS DONUT RECIPE

• HOW TO PROOF YEAST: Waking up yeast it is called “proofing.” Activate yeast by adding it to warm liquid (105°F – 115°F) with a bit of sugar stirred in. If the liquid is above 120°F, the yeast will die off. So the water should not be hot! I use a Thermapen instant-read thermometer to check the temperature. Allow the yeast to sit for 5-6 minutes. During this time it will dissolve in the liquid, and start munching on the sugar and growing. You’ll see signs of life when it begins to expand and foam. If nothing happens, the yeast is not viable. It’s either too old, or the liquid was not at the ideal temperature.
• TIP FOR WARM UNDISTURBED SPACE FOR DOUGH TO RISE: Before staring this recipe, heat your oven to 200°F, then turn the oven off. Open the oven door and allow the heat to disburse. Once the dough is ready for it’s first rise, place the covered tray into the oven. Leave the oven door ajar.
• WHAT IS MACE? It’s a bakery secret! It’s the primary flavor in classic donuts. If you don’t have this spice on hand, nutmeg is an ideal substitute.
• NO DONUT CUTTER? NO PROBLEM. Use two biscuit cutters: one large and one tiny. You can also use a drinking glass and a soda pop lid, or a beer glass and a small shot glass.
• BEST OIL FOR FRYING DONUTS: A neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point. These include peanut oil, corn oil, canola oil, safflower oil, and vegetable oil.
• HOW TO USE LESS OIL WHEN FRYING DONUTS: Select a small pot. This will allow you to use less oil for frying. It’s quick and easy to cook donuts one at a time. Because they’re flipped half way through cooking, they don’t need to be completely submerged in oil. But there should be enough room for the donuts to freely float while cooking.
• WHAT IS THE BEST TEMPERATURE FOR FRYING DONUTS? For soft golden treats, the ideal temperature for frying donuts is between 320°F – 340°F. Any hotter than that, the donuts are at risk of becoming quickly overly browned while the interior is undercooked.
• MAPLE DONUT GLAZE RECIPE: In a small saucepan on the stovetop, melt 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup pure maple syrup. Whisk occasionally. Remove pan from heat. Whisk in 1 cup powdered sugar. Allow the donut glaze to cool and thicken.
• CHOCOLATE DONUT GLAZE RECIPE: Add 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons cocoa powder to a medium bowl. Slowly stir in 2-3 tablespoons milk, and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. This makes a delicious chocolate glaze that dries great with a nice shine!
• CAN DONUTS BE FROZEN? Yes they can! Freshly-made donuts have a shelf life of just one day, so it’s best to freeze any donuts that will not be enjoyed immediately. Place donuts in a gallon-size freezer bag, leaving room between the pieces. Gently press out excess air, and seal tightly. Freeze for up to 3 weeks.

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GLAZED DONUTS > RATE THIS RECIPE! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

These fluffy homemade donuts are crazy good! At a brunch I hosted last spring, friends and family raved this was the best glazed donut recipe! If you agree, give it a 5-star rating in the comments.

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