There’s something really special about a bakery style yeast doughnut. And if you can’t get to the bakery, you can make these Vanilla Glazed Doughnuts at home! There is a bit of work involved, but the reward is enjoying your sweet glazed doughnut with a hot cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk. These two rise yeast doughnuts are great for weekend baking when you have more time on your hands.
“Let’s make doughnuts”, the kids said last night. Sure!
So, I spent the next one and a half hours looking at pictures and reading recipes of the how tos of doughnut making. I have made doughnuts before, but a very basic type with bought dough. So, it kinda doesn’t count.
Moving on to all the recipes I found. Some very basic types with bought dough and some more intensive stuff taking up to 12 hours. Okay, so I am not that committed. In the end I went to trusty ol’ Epicurious. That site has been like a God send to me over the years. I have been using it since 2002 and have learnt so much through their food writers and articles. This doughnut recipe came from there and I made it exactly as stated. Here on my blog, it is written out in my own words but that is where the creativity stops.
Let’s take a look!
Notes About The Vanilla Glazed Doughnuts
- A stand mixer with a dough hook can be used OR you can knead the dough by hand. I kneaded it by hand as you will see in the Recipe Card below.
- I don’t have a doughnut cutter, so I used a drinking glass and it worked just fine.
These are Double Rise Doughnuts
So, what exactly does that mean? It means that the dough has TWO rises.
- The first initial rise is after you knead the dough. Then you let it rest for at least an hour or until it doubles in size.
- The second rise is after they have been shaped and again, you leave them for about an hour or they have puffed up and have at least doubled in size.
Doughnuts are not difficult to make, they just take a little time. Like all things yeast, you just need to hang in their. Much like my Garlic Knots, these are worth the effort!
Well, friends i hope you get a chance to make them sometime. Let me know in the comments below if you do and what you think. Until next time, Happy Baking!
If you Love These Doughnuts, Here’s Some More Great Recipes To Check Out
Get the recipe!
Vanilla Glazed Doughnuts
Ingredients
For The Doughnuts
- 2 1/2 Cups bread flour
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dry yeast
- 1 Cup whole milk
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons butter at room temperature
- Vegetable oil for frying
For The Glaze
- 1 1/2 Cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons milk
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over low heat, heat 3/4 cup/180 ml of the milk until it is warm to touch. Remove from heat and add one tablespoon of yeast. Stir until it dissolves and add 3/4 cup of flour. Stir until it is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl add 1 teaspoon of yeast with the remaining milk. Stir to combine. Add the rested flour mixture, the vanilla and egg yolks. Mix with a whisk until the ingredients are incorporated and the dough is smooth. This will only take less than a minute. Next, add 1 Cup of flour, sugar and salt. Mix now with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together. Add the softened butter in small pieces and mix until it is combined. You should have a smooth dough right about now.
- With the remaining flour, start adding it in about 1/4 cup at a time. You are looking for a dough that is not sticky and pulls away from the sides of the pan. It should be quite soft. You may not need to use all of the flour. When I made them, I used all of the flour. When your dough has the right consistency, cover it and leave it in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
- Once the time is up, punch the dough, cover and refrigerate it for at least an hour. At this stage, you can leave your dough in the fridge until later or even the next morning.
- When you are ready to cut out your doughnuts, remove the dough from the fridge and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thick. Using a 3 inch circle cutter of your choice, cut out your doughnuts. If you have a one inch circle cutter, cut out the middles. If not, improvise with whatever you have on hand. Place them on a floured baking tray and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Leave them to rise in a warm place. This will take about 30-40 minutes. After this time, they should have doubled in size. The dough will lightly spring back when touched when it is ready.
- Heat your oil in a large deep sided skillet. Once the oil is up to temperature, start frying the doughnuts in batches. Cook them for about 1-2 minutes per side. When done, transfer them to a wire rack to drain and cool. Continue for remaining doughnuts.
- Make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Dip in each doughnut face down (so to speak) and put it back on the rack to set. Ready to enjoy!
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
