Donuts

Irresistible little mini ring donuts, made with our ultimate doughnut recipe, which can be used for any kind of doughnut.

Who doesn’t love a donut? Fresh from the fryer, coated in sugar, glazed to perfection or filled with something sweet. The options are endless and oh-so delicious!

One of the great things about homemade donuts (aside from them tasting so much better than shop-bought ones) is just how easy they are to make. They are a little time-consuming in terms of allowing the dough to rise, but as long as you’ve got a few hours and things to do, the preparation and cooking are simple.

Despite the fact that the doughnuts I’ve made and photographed are mini-ring doughnuts, this recipe can be used for any doughnut of your choice. Larger sugared-ring donuts, glazed donuts, iced-ring donuts, or filled with jam, custard, Nutella…whatever your favourite may be! This recipe can work for them all.

Mmm…donuts!

Ingredients for homemade Donuts:

Milk
As donuts use a rich dough, you will need a little milk, butter/margarine, sugar and egg. Full-fat milk is preferable, but it’s entirely up to you what kind you use. Dairy and soya are both good choices that I have had success with.

Butter or Block Margarine
Butter will give the richest flavour to your doughnuts, but margarine is actually what is used in most store-bought doughnuts, purely due to it being a cheaper ingredient. If using margarine, just be sure to opt for a block margarine, as opposed to a soft spread.

Strong Plain Flour
Like many yeast-dough recipes, these jam donuts call for a strong flour. Strong flours give a slightly higher concentration of gluten, meaning they bake with a stronger structure, which is perfect for catching the gas bubbles created from the yeast. A little bit of science in baking!
A regular plain flour can be used in a pinch, but you will need to knead it a lot more to help make the most of the lesser amount of gluten.

Caster Sugar
Again, with a rich dough, a little bit of sugar is a must. And doughnuts are a sweet treat, so let’s make that dough extra indulgent! Caster sugar is preferable, as it has a finer texture that mixes well with the other ingredients.

Instant Yeast
There was a time when you could buy various types of yeast, but nowadays, Instant Yeast is the most accessible. It also works brilliantly in many recipes, but especially in Donuts, as no extra measuring or preparation is required to activate it.

Free-range Egg
An egg adds the final bit of richness you want in a squidgy little donut. The size of the egg is not crucial; just be sure to use free-range.

Donuts

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 120 ml Milk
• 60 g Block Margarine or Butter (softened)
• 7 g Easy Bake Instant Yeast (Fast-action Yeast) (usually one sachet)
• 275 g Strong White Flour (Bread Flour)
• 40 g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
• 1 Free-range Egg

Metric (UK) | Cups (US)

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a small saucepan, add the milk and butter/margarine. Warm over a low heat until the butter/margarine starts to melt. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little – you don't want it to be too hot before adding to the other ingredients.
• In a large bowl, sift in the flour and sugar. Add the yeast and gently mix to combine. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients then add the milk mixture and egg. Mix together to create a soft, slightly sticky dough – you may need to use your hands!
• Once the dough has come together, tip it onto a well-floured surface and begin to knead with floured hands, adding more flour as/when needed. Knead for around 10 minutes, until you have a smooth, stretchy dough.
• Place the dough into a oiled bowl (to prevent it from sticking) and cover with an oiled piece of cling film, or a damp tea towel. Leave to rise in a draught-free location for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size.
• Once the dough has risen, knock it back and knead it lightly on a floured surface. For ring donuts, roll the dough to about 1cm thickness before cutting to your desired size, either with a donut cutter or two round cutters (one smaller and one larger). Place your dough balls onto individual squares of greaseproof paper with a bit of space between them – preferably on a tray or board – and cover again with a piece of oiled cling film or a damp tea towel. Leave in a draught-free place for about an hour, until they have puffed up to about double their size.
• In a large pan, heat your oil to 180°c/350°F (use a thermometer for accuracy). You want your oil to be deep enough for your doughnuts to fry comfortably, without sticking to the bottom. Depending on your pan size, you may need to use more/less oil.
• Using the greaseproof paper square, lift your doughnut to the oil, and gently drop it in, exercising extreme caution. Allow the donut to fry for about 90 seconds before flipping it over, allowing the underside to fry for about 90 seconds too. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to fry the donuts in small batches; just be careful not to overcrowd your pan, or you risk the doughnuts sticking together and the oil dropping in temperature too quickly.
• When your doughnuts are golden brown on both sides, use a slotted spoon to remove them, holding them above the oil for about 10 seconds (to allow the oil to drip sufficiently) before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Continue until all your doughnuts are cooked, whilst continuing to monitor your oil temperature and adjusting the heat as needed. If you are wanting sugar coated donuts, flip them in some sugar while still warm – alternatively, if you plan to glaze them, yo also u can do this while warm, or allow them to cool completely if you plan to add an icing topping.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.

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