(This post has been updated from the original July 2014 version to provide a better experience for you)
When it comes to homemade doughnuts, this right here is that Daddy of all recipes. Light, moist and altogether more easy to make than you’d ever think – these doughnuts are pure perfection! Making dough may seem like a slow process but, just like my danish pastries (remember those?! YUM!), some things really are worth waiting for.
I remember on an episode of The Great British Bake off where the contestants had to make doughnuts for the technical challenge. The one thing that stuck in my mind was Paul Hollywood saying, “The main thing I’m looking for is a white ring around the middle. It’s the sign of a good doughnut.”
I was aiming for that elusive white ring… and guess what? I got it! Actually incredibly proud of myself – they came out far better than I’d hoped! It also turns out – they’re not really that difficult to make. Win!
Oh and, just like my EPIC fluffy vegan pancakes, they’re greatly superior to any that you can buy in the shops. Let me say that again – you cannot buy doughnuts this good. Trust me here. You absolutely need to give these a go!
If you’ve not made doughnuts before, don’t worry! I’ve got you covered with some helpful tips…
Here is what you will need to make 12 large doughnuts.
(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)
Topping Options
Or for an Iced Glaze:
Essential Equipment
In a large bowl, briefly rub together the flour (500g | 3 + 1/4 Cups), caster sugar (50g | 1/4 Cup), yeast (7g | 2 tsp) & salt (10g | 1 + 3/4 tsp). Put the yeast & salt on opposite sides of the bowl.
Using the tips of your fingers & thumbs – rub in the butter (50g | 1/4 Cup) until you get a breadcrumb like consistency.
Make a well in the centre and add the milk (275g | 1 + 1/4 Cup) & eggs (2 Large). Mix with a fork (or your hands) until there is no more flour visible and everything has been incorporated. Yes, this is a very wet dough.
Cover with cling film & leave to rest for 30 minutes. It should look a little more plump than before.
Tip out onto a work surface & knead (with the help of a dough scraper) for about 10-20 minutes. It depends on your technique as to how long it will actually take but you’re aiming for a soft dough that will pass the windowpane test. I know it’s wet and it seems like it will never improve but it will, trust me. Do your best to not add any extra flour if you can help it.
When it’s ready, place the dough back into the bowl and allow to prove for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (Until about doubled in size.)
At this point you can put it in the fridge overnight which actually helps to develop a much better flavour. If you do this, allow it to sit at room temperature before using as the cold will slow down the next process. Alternatively, you could just go ahead and use it straight away.
Prepare 1 or 2 large baking trays by covering in cling film & greasing with oil.
Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a ‘sausage’. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions & shape into balls. (James Morton’s book Brilliant Bread
has an excellent guide to shaping breads.)
Then poke a hole in the middle of each one and stretch out by rotating your hands. (A bit like if you were starting the Saturday Night Fever dance.)
Place them onto the prepared baking sheets, cover with a slightly damp tea towel and allow to prove for another hour.
Meanwhile, get your oil ready.
If you have a deep fat fryer – great. If not, it doesn’t matter. I used a large, heavy based saucepan and it worked just as well.
Heat the oil to 170°C. Once it has reached this temperature, turn the heat down to stop it from climbing any further. Then regularly check with a thermometer to ensure the temperature is holding steady. (If using a deep fat fryer, it should hold the temperature for you without having to change any settings or check with a thermometer.)
Your doughnuts are ready to be fried when you can poke it lightly and the dough springs back all the way.
Fry each doughnut for approx 2 minutes on each side. Then, using a slotted spoon, to transfer to a plate covered in kitchen roll to absorb any excess oil.
At this point you can do either one of the following options:
For both options – allow to cool before eating.
And that’s it! You have your very own unbelievably delicious homemade doughnuts ready to devour…
I know I’ve said it before but these doughnuts are honestly SOOOO much better than the ones you can buy. They’re so light & fluffy on the inside and beautifully golden and inviting on the outside. One of the best home made breads you can attempt in my opinion!
Got the bread making flavour and want more? Why not try making hot cross buns next?
I LOVE it when you share what you’ve made! You can get in touch by leaving a comment below, tagging me on social media or sending me an email. I don’t mind how, I just love hearing from you!
Make the most PERFECT homemade doughnuts with that elusive 'white ring' using this easy step by step recipe!
Theses are best eaten on the day for best flavour and texture.
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Nutritional information on kitchenmason.com should only be used as a general guideline, I am not a certified nutritionist. Please always check labels for allergens where applicable.
As featured on Julia’s Simply Southern Meal Plan Monday #225
Tags: Vegetarian
Hi, I’m Emma. Let me help you impress with delicious dishes using my easy recipes, step by step pics, tips & videos.
Hi,
I’m in the processing of making these donuts – I’m an American in Mexico right now so maybe it’s the humidity? I also halved the recipe. My dough was very wet even up until turning the dough into a sausage. I couldn’t get any of it off my hands. It was a mess. Both my hands had dough on it and I added some more flour to get some sort of structure to turn it into a ball. My bag of flour has dough stuck to it haha. Was it supposed to be this wet? It had no structure.
I added more flour to the dough and then also added flour to my hands to shape it but now there might be too much flour that’ll make them crispy on the outside *cries* haha.
Have an idea of what could have went wrong?
Hi Felicia. I’m sorry you’re having trouble making these! Humidity can definitely play a part in baking, also every flour has slightly different levels of absorbency. It definitely should be a wet dough to start with but it should be manageable by the time you shape. I know dough is largely judged by how it feels but maybe use my step by step pictures next time to make sure your dough looks the same as mine at each step? Emma x
Hi
I made this recipe twice. Both times I got good results but the batch that I left in the fridge overnight were fantastic: better flavour and much lighter and fluffier – made 24 normal size doughnuts. Also I found 170c way too high. Better results at 165c or a little lower.
That’s good to know, thank you so much for sharing this knowledge with me! The beauty of cooking is that we are always learning 🙂 Emma x
Hey I tried the recipe but I think I messed up with the flour as my dough was not sticky 🙈, dough is rising. Will it still come out okay? Or she I just disgard it 😢
Hi Zayhaann. You’re right, to get a good doughnut the dough should be sticky. That being said I definitely wouldn’t throw it away! It could still make very delicious doughnuts. Keep going and see how they turn out 🙂 Emma x
Perfect recipe! You can never go wrong
Aww thank you so much! Emma x
I have tried a similar recipe as yours but with 1 cup milk and found the amount of liquid is too much making the donuts misshapen. I then reduced the liquid to 200ml and the dough is less sticky, easier to handle and donut shapes are better. Is it because I am in a tropical climate and there’s much humidity? I an wondering how you are able to shape the donuts with 275g milk.
Hi Missora! I think you might be right about the tropical climate affecting your dough. I live in the UK and we definitely do not have a humid climate here! I’m so glad you managed to figure out a work around so that you could still enjoy some delicious homemade doughnuts 🙂 Emma x
can these doughnuts be cooked in an air fryer?
Hi Connie. I’ve never tried it and I’ve honestly got no idea! I’m so sorry I can’t help 🙁 Emma x
Thank u so much for this awesome recipe. I finally got that white ring. I have a question! Is it possible to keep the dough in the fridge more than overnight for about 16 hours without freezing?
Hi Mary. Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I’m super happy my recipe worked so well for you 🙂 As for proving in the fridge for longer than overnight – I’m honestly not sure as I’ve never tried it myself. I would definitely give it a go and see though – no harm in trying right? Emma x
hello. can I use the mixer for kneading the doughnuts to attain the window pane? thank you and best regards.
Hi Annaleah. Yes! You absolutely can. Just be sure to keep an eye on it as a machine will achieve the results much quicker than by hand. Emma x
Emma thanks for the recepie!!! I have years looking for it and now I’m ready to take the risk. But I have only one question: the fast action yeast is like we also call quimical yeast (Royal) or is a dry yeast or fresh yeast? Thank you again.
Hi Gabby. I’ve never heard of quimical yeast before. I love how we always learn new things in cooking! The yeast I used is dried if that helps? Emma x
Hi Emma. Thanks for answering so fast. I’m sorry but I still have my big doubt :'(.
I’ve heard about a dried yeast that you can used straight to the flour and another dried yeast that needs to be reconstituted in water or milk first and wait for the bubbles before add to the flour.
Yours is more like a powder? Is it the same you use in a cake recepie ?
Sorry for so many questions!
Hi Gabby! That’s ok – ask away 🙂 The dried yeast I use is the kind you can add straight into the flour. No need to reconstitute it in water. Hope that helps! Emma x
I think I figured out my problem! Your conversions to cups for flour and milk are both wrong. I was able to borrow a scale from a neighbor today and tried the recipe again. For white all-purpose flour in the States, 500g is about 3+1/4 cups, not 4 cups. 275g of milk is 1+1/4cups milk, not the 2/3c + 1tbsp listed above. The dough is beautiful and rising perfectly! Just the right texture. So excited for these fluffy light doughnuts! xoxo
Hi Sherilyn. I’m SO glad you figured it out! I’ve amended my recipe accordingly, thank you very much for that information. You’ll have to let me know how the final result turns out 🙂 Emma x
I’m making this recipe now (can’t wait to eat it!!), but the dough isn’t sticky at all. I measured the ingredients according to the American notes (cups, tbs, etc)- is it possible those are off? The dough is very heavy and I can knead it without any flour on the surface. I’m struggling to get the windowpane effect. Do you have any suggestions? Will they still turn out ok or do I need to scrap it and start over?
Thanks! xoxo
Hey! Glad you like my recipe and sorry you’re having a little trouble. Not sure off hand if there’s a miscalculation on my part with the cups conversions – I’m out at the moment but will check as soon as I get a chance! The dough should definitely be wet and sticky to start with though, I’d maybe try and add a little water to it gradually then knead for a while longer? Hope that helps. Emma x
Thank you so much!
You’re welcome 🙂 Emma x
What a mess, am also making the donuts now and they’re a heavy brick. Please tell me what you ended up doing? Did you toss the whole thing away?
Hi Tina, sorry to hear it hasn’t worked well for you. It’s difficult for me to know what went wrong as I’m not there with you. Did you follow the step by step picture recipe and check your dough looked the same as mine at each step? To start with, the dough should be quite wet and sticky. This helps the doughnuts become light in the end result. There’s a chance your oil may have been to hot or you may have cooked them for slightly too long? Emma x
Is it possible to keep most of the dough in the frig for longer than over night? I really don’t want to make a dozen doughnuts that need to be eaten immediately, because I would have to eat 11 of them…not that I couldn’t, but I really don’t want to gain the weight!! If I could just make 2-3 a day, then maybe I wouldn’t pack on the pounds!! (At least not quite so fast!)
Hi Susan. I feel your pain with not wanting to make so many! I found this info on Epicurious – “You can easily freeze yeast doughnut dough. Make the dough, cut it into doughnut rings, and let it proof, then freeze the doughnuts, in a single layer, until solid. Wrap each doughnut in a double layer of plastic wrap or place a bunch of them in a plastic freezer bag. Be sure to fully defrost frozen doughnuts at room temperature before frying or baking.” It’s not something that I’ve personally tested but it might be worth a try? Emma x
Oh, gosh, your doughnuts look fantastic. So fluffy! I found your post because I’m still trying to get that elusive white ring myself but to no avail so far. Even with heating my oil (canola) to 170 and frying for two minutes, I’m getting doughnuts much darker than your beauties. Must do some troubleshooting.
Thanks for the great post on doughnuts!
Aww thank you! Hope you get that white ring soon 🙂
Those are the most perfect homemade doughnuts I have seen. They look great!!
Thank you so much! That’s very sweet of you to say x
i love doughnuts. they look great!
Aww thank you! X
yummy 🙂
Thanks! X
awesome
Thank you! X