Making Easy Classic Donuts At Home

Is it donuts or doughnuts? Either way Joshua Weissman makes yeasted and sour cream old fashioned donuts better than your local donut shop.

Prep
1 hour, 30 minutes
Cook
30 minutes
Total
2 hours
Serves
15
people
Making Easy Classic Donuts At Home
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Ingredients

Traditional Yeasted Donuts:

  • 1 cup (237) whole milk
  • 2.5 tsp (7g) instant yeast
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted cooled
  • 3 Tbsp (40g) granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp (16g) light brown
  • 1.5 tsp (6g) fine sea salt
  • 4 cups (560g) all purpose flour
  • High heat neutral oil for frying. 2 - 3 qts  

Chocolate glaze: 

  • 1 ⅓ cup (175g) powdered sugar
  • 3 heaping tbsp  (26g) cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 2 Tbsp water 

Sour Cream Donuts:

  • 2.5 cups (350g) cake flour
  • 2 tsp (10g) baking powder
  • 2 tsp (8g) kosher salt
  • ½ cup (105g) granulated sugar
  • 2 Tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, room temp
  • 3/4 cup (175g) sour cream
  • 2 -3 egg yolks 

Glaze:

  • 2.5 cups (360g) powdered sugar 
  • ¼ cup (60ml) whole milk
  • ½ vanilla bean pod

Directions

Traditional:

  1. Start by mixing milk and instant yeast and set to the side for 10 minutes.
  2. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add and combine all dry ingredients until incorporated. Pour half the mixture into a separate bowl.
  3. Crack and whisk the eggs into a small bowl.
  4. Add the beaten eggs, instant yeast mixture, and melted butter to the dry ingredients while whisking on medium-low speed.
  5. Mix until homogeneous before adding the rest of the flour mixture. Continue mixing until a dough forms.
  6. Knead dough on a countertop surface for a minute until smooth and form into a taut ball.
  7. Place in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
  8. On a lightly floured surface, flour the dough and roll out until ½’ thick and cut out as many pieces as possible using a biscuit cutter.
  9. In the center of each piece, cut out using a 1” biscuit cutter.
  10. Place onto a lightly floured baking sheet, cover with a damp towel and let rise for 45-60 minutes.
  11. Preheat frying oil to 350F in a heavy bottom pot. Fry each side for 2-3 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
  12. Dunk donut into the desired icing and let drip dry on a wire rack.

Sour Cream:

  1. Start by combining cake flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Whisk together.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in unsalted butter and while whisking vigorously add in granulated sugar.
  3. Using the paddle attachment, whisk on medium-low speed. Add in egg yolks one at a time until smooth.
  4. Add in the sour cream along with the flour mixture in batches. Mix until smooth.
  5. Dump into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  6. On a lightly floured surface, dump out the flour and roll out to a  ½” thickness and cut out as many pieces using a biscuit cutter.
  7. In the center of each piece, cut out using a 1” biscuit cutter.
  8. Place onto a lightly floured baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and fridge to chill just before frying.
  9. Preheat frying oil to 350℉ in a heavy bottom pot. Fry each side for 2 - 3 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
  10. Dunk donut into the desired icing and let drip dry on a wire rack.

Glaze:

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Add water little by little until it forms into a nice consistency.
  2. In a separate bowl, add and combine powdered sugar with milk. Whisk to combine. Optionally whisk in vanilla pod beans with a pinch of salt.

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