Fluffy Doughnuts Recipe (The Best Fried Doughnuts Recipe) | MerryBoosters (2024)

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This Fluffy Doughnuts Recipe, will help you make the best fried yeast raised doughnuts that are soft, moist and absolutely delicious in the easiest and fastest method!

Soft and fluffy doughnuts are a beloved treat that offers a melt-in-your-mouth experience. Crafting these delectable pastries at home is a rewarding endeavor, as you have full control over their freshness and flavor.

The secret to their pillowy texture lies in a well-risen dough and a brief yet precise frying process. Whether enjoyed with a cup of coffee in the morning or as an indulgent dessert, soft and fluffy homemade doughnuts are sure to bring joy to your taste buds.

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Why You will love this Soft and Fluffy Doughnuts Recipe

  • This Quick and Easy Doughnuts Recipe will help you make soft and fluffy doughnuts in less than 2 hours!
  • To make this Easy Fried Doughnuts, You will need only seven basic ingredients
  • You don’t need any special equipments to make this doughnuts like a cookie cutter or doughnut cutter
  • The resulting Doughnuts are beautiful with super soft, moist, fluffy crumb with golden brown crust and tastes divine.

Ingredients for making Soft Doughnuts

For Doughnut Dough

  • All purpose flour/Bread flour:390g or 3 cups (loosely packed)
  • Milk/Water : 165 ml or 3/4 Cup-1 tbsp
  • Unsalted Butter (softened) : 50 g or 3.5 tbsp
  • 1 Egg(at Room Temperature)
  • Sugar:50 g or 1/4 cup
  • Salt :4.5 g or 3/4 tsp
  • Yeast (Instant /Active dried yeast) 3g or 1tsp
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For Glaze

  • Powdered sugar:112 g or 1 cup
  • Vanilla extract:4.5 g or 1 tsp
  • Milk or water :30 ml or 2 Tbsp

How to Make Fluffy Doughnuts

This Fluffy Doughnuts Recipe is so easy.We can make soft and fluffy fried donuts in FOUR SIMPLE STEPS.

  1. Prepare the dough
  2. Divide and Shape the doughnuts
  3. Proof the doughnuts
  4. Fry the doughnuts

If you want to skip frying and instead want to bake these doughnuts, you will love this quick and easy Baked Yeast Doughnuts Recipe

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1.Prepare the Dough

Into a bowl, add in the milk, sugar, salt, yeast, egg.

Give it a good mix.

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Then add in the softened unsalted butter and then the flour.Mix everything together ,until we get a shaggy mass of dough.

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Transfer the dough on to a clean work surface and we need to knead the dough.

This doughnut dough is not a very sticky dough and so you will find it easy to knead by hands.

After kneading the dough for about six minutes, we will get a soft and smooth dough.

But to make light and fluffy doughnuts we need a dough that is more soft and smooth.

So add a little more more water to the dough and knead it once again.

I added 1/2 tbsp water of extra water into the dough.

As the dough contain moisture, you will find the dough to be sticky in the beginning of kneading.

At the point, we may get tempted to add more flour into this.

But don’t do that.Just continue to knead and you will see all those extra moisture will get absorbed by the dough in about five minutes.

And our dough will turn more soft and smooth.

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Our doughnut dough should be well hydrated, soft and smooth; but at the same time should be able to hold the shape of donuts when shaped.

Now cover the dough with a bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes.

This will give some time for the gluten strands to relax and this will reduce it’s elasticity and the rebounding tendency of the dough.

HowshouldIknowif mydoughnut doughiskneadedwell?

We can test the doneness of donut dough.

If properly kneaded, the dough should stretch, without tearing or breaking, into a thin membrane that you can see through.

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If we are using bread flour it is easy to attain this stage of dough (it may take around 10 minutes of kneading).As bread dough contains more proteins than all purpose flour.

But if we are using all purpose flour,it may take longer to attain this stage of perfection.

Our doughnuts would still be good and soft even if our dough didn’t pass this window pane test.

But if the dough passes the window pane test ,and the 35-40 minutes proofing after the final shaping, then it is guaranteed that your doughnuts will be super soft and fluffy.

It will be so much easier if you are using a stand mixer to prepare the dough.In a stand mixer, just knead the dough for 8-10 minutes using the dough hook attachment.

2.Divide and Shape The Donut Dough

After 15 minutes of resting, our dough is ready for the next step.

Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces.

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For more precision,I weighed each of them and they were 59-60 g in weight.

Take each portion of the dough.

Degas the dough.Then tuck in the edges towards the centre and roll it into small round balls.

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Cover the dough balls with a kitchen towel and let them sit and rest for another 15 minutes.

Final Shaping of Doughnuts

After 15 minutes of rest, dough balls are ready for the final shaping.

Dust the surface of the balls with some flour, so that they will not stick to the hands while shaping.

Then press on top of the ball to flatten it a bit.

Gently Press in the middle of the dough ball with the tip of the thumb to form a small hole.

Then widen the hole using fingers to form the shape of a doughnut.

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Place the shaped doughnuts on to a parchment lined baking tray.

Dust the surface of the shaped doughnuts with some flour to prevent any chance of dough sticking to the cling film.

Then cover the tray with a cling film.

3. Proof The Doughnuts

Let the shaped doughnuts sit and rise in a warm environment for 35-40 minutes or until they are light and puffy.

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4. Fry The Raised Yeast Doughnuts

After 40 minutes, they have puffed up and they are ready for frying.

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How to Fry Yeast Doughnuts

Frying doughnuts perfectly requires attention to detail and a few key steps to achieve that coveted golden-brown exterior and soft, fluffy interior.

Heat the Oil: Pour enough vegetable oil into your pot or deep fryer to ensure that the doughnuts can float while frying. Heat the oil to a consistent temperature of 350°F (175°C). Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature, as maintaining a steady heat is crucial for even frying.

Fry in Batches: Carefully place a few doughnuts into the hot oil, ensuring you don’t overcrowd the pot. The number you can fry at once will depend on the size of your pot or fryer. Crowding can cause the temperature to drop and result in uneven frying.

I have also noticed that, when the doughnuts are very close to each other or close to the edges of the pan, the white rim that form around the center of doughnuts may also turn golden brown and that white rim may fade.We can prevent this from happen, if we don’t overcrowd the pan and also if we use shallow open pan for frying rather than deep pans like dutch oven or sauce pan.

Monitor and Flip: Fry the doughnuts for about 1.5 minutes on each side or until they turn a beautiful golden-brown color. Use a slotted spoon to gently flip them. Keep an eye on the temperature to maintain consistency.

Drain Excess Oil: Once they’re done, use the slotted spoon to lift the doughnuts out of the oil and onto a tray lined with paper towels. This will help absorb any excess oil and keep them from being greasy.

Cool and Glaze (Optional): Allow the fried doughnuts to cool slightly on the paper towels before glazing or adding toppings.

Glazing is optional but adds a delightful sweetness and flavor to your doughnuts.

You can coat the soft homemade doughnuts with superfine sugar or powdered sugar

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Or you can dip them in a glaze made of powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract.

How to make Glaze for Homemade Doughnuts

It’s so easy to make this glaze for doughnuts.

Into one cup of powdered sugar, add in 1 tsp of vanilla sugar.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of milk into this.

You can adjust the amount of milk according to how thin or thick you want your glaze to be.

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Place the glazed doughnuts on a wire rack or a tray to allow the glaze to set. It will take about 15-30 minutes for the glaze to harden, depending on the thickness.

Tip :To ensure a smooth and lump-free glaze, start by sifting the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. This step is essential to avoid any clumps in your glaze.

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Can I turn this Fluffy Doughnuts Recipe to Eggless Doughnut recipe

Yes,It is so easy to substitute egg in this fluffy doughnut recipe and make it into an eggless doughnut recipe.

As one egg is approximately 45 ml,just replace the same volume with milk or water.So you can add about 3 tablespoon of water or milk in place of one egg.

Can I turn this Fluffy Doughnuts Recipe to Dairy free Doughnut recipe

Yes, you can adjust and change the ingredients of this fluffy doughnuts recipe to make it dairy free.You can use equal amount of water for milk and equal volume of vegetable oil instead of butter.

How to make soft and fluffy Doughnuts Step by step Video

How to store Homemade Doughnuts at room temperature

Room Temperature : If you plan to consume the doughnuts within a day or two, you can store them at room temperature. Here’s how:

  • Place the doughnuts in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag.
  • Ensure they are completely cool before storing to prevent condensation inside the container.
  • Room-temperature storage is best for maintaining the doughnuts’ texture and flavor for a short period.

Refrigeration is suitable for storing doughnuts for a slightly longer period, up to 3-4 days. However, it can affect the texture, making them firmer.

How to store Homemade Doughnuts in freezer for long term storage

If you want to store doughnuts for an extended period, freezing is the best option. Properly frozen doughnuts can stay good for up to 2-3 months. Here’s how to freeze them:

  • Allow the doughnuts to cool completely at room temperature.
  • Individually wrap each doughnut in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. This prevents freezer burn and preserves freshness.
  • Place the individually wrapped doughnuts in an airtight container or resealable freezer bags.
  • Store the doughnuts in the freezer.

Fluffy Doughnuts Recipe (The Best Fried Doughnuts Recipe)

Bincy Chris

This Fluffy Doughnuts Recipe, will help you make the best fried doughnuts that are soft, moist and absolutely delicious in the easiest and fastest method!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 16 minutes mins

Cook Time 14 minutes mins

Resting and Proofing Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 Fluffy Doughnuts

Ingredients

For Doughnut Dough

  • 390 g All purpose flour/Bread flour or 3 cups (loosely packed)
  • 165 ml Milk/Water : 165 ml or 3/4 Cup-1 tbsp
  • 50 g Unsalted Butter (softened) or 3.5 tbsp
  • 1 Egg(at Room Temperature)
  • 50 g Sugar or 1/4 cup
  • 4.5 g Salt or 3/4 tsp
  • 3 g Yeast (Instant /Active dried yeast) or 1tsp

For Glaze

  • 112 g Powdered sugar 1 cup
  • 4.5 g Vanilla extract/Vanilla sugar 1 tsp
  • 30 ml Milk or Water 2 Tbsp

Instructions

Prepare the Dough

  • Into a bowl, add in the milk, sugar, salt, yeast, egg.

    Give it a good mix.

  • Then add in the softened unsalted butter and then the flour.Mix everything together ,until we get a shaggy mass of dough.

  • Transfer the dough on to a clean work surface and we need to knead the dough for about 10-12 minutes in total.

    Our dough should be well hydrated, soft and smooth; but at the same time should be able to hold the shape of donuts when shaped.

  • Now cover the dough with a bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Divide and Shape the doughnuts

  • After 15 minutes of resting, our easy doughnut dough is ready for the next step.

    Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces.

    For more precision,I weighed each of them and they were 59-60 g in weight.

  • Take each portion of the dough.

    Degas the dough.Then tuck in the edges towards the centre and roll it into small round balls.

  • Cover the dough balls with a kitchen towel and let them sit and rest for another 15 minutes.

  • Final Shaping of Doughnuts

    After 15 minutes of rest, dough balls are ready for the final shaping.

  • Dust the surface of the balls with some flour, so that they will not stick to the hands while shaping.

    Then press on top of the ball to flatten it a bit.

  • Gently Press in the middle of the dough ball with the tip of the thumb to form a small hole.

  • Then widen the hole using fingers to form the shape of a doughnut.

  • Place the shaped doughnuts on to a parchment lined baking tray.

  • Dust the surface of the shaped doughnuts with some flour to prevent any chance of dough sticking to the cling film.

    Then cover the tray with a cling film.

Proof the soft doughnuts

  • Let the shaped doughnuts sit and rise in a warm environment for 35-40 minutes or until they are light and puffy.

Fry the yeast raised doughnuts

  • After 40 minutes, they have puffed up and they are ready for frying.

  • Heat the Oil:Pour enough vegetable oil into your pot or deep fryer to ensure that the doughnuts can float while frying. Heat the oil to a consistent temperature of 350°F (175°C). Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature, as maintaining a steady heat is crucial for even frying.

    Fry in Batches:Carefully place a few doughnuts into the hot oil, ensuring you don’t overcrowd the pot. The number you can fry at once will depend on the size of your pot or fryer. Crowding can cause the temperature to drop and result in uneven frying.

    Monitor and Flip:Fry the doughnuts for about 1.5 minutes on each side or until they turn a beautiful golden-brown color. Use a slotted spoon to gently flip them. Keep an eye on the temperature to maintain consistency.

  • Once they’re done, use the slotted spoon to lift the doughnuts out of the oil and onto a tray lined with paper towels. This will help absorb any excess oil and keep them from being greasy.

  • Glazing is optional but adds a delightful sweetness and flavor to your doughnuts.

    Once the doughnuts are cool to touch, you can coat the soft homemade doughnuts with superfine sugar or powdered sugar

    Or you can dip them in a glaze made of powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract

  • Enjoy!

Video

Keyword easy doughnuts recipe, Fluffy doughnuts recipe, how to make fluffy doughnuts, Quick and Easy Doughnut Recipe, soft and fluffy doughnuts, soft doughnuts recipe

Related

Fluffy Doughnuts Recipe (The Best Fried Doughnuts Recipe) | MerryBoosters (2024)

FAQs

What makes doughnuts soft and fluffy? ›

What makes a doughnut soft and fluffy? Yeast. Raised doughnuts made with yeast are light, fluffy, and airy.

Why are my fried donuts not fluffy? ›

Underproofed – leads to stiffer (denser) donuts that don't puff up well when fried. Cracked donuts – this may have happened if you used a cutter and it wasn't sharp enough to cut through the dough cleanly. Or the dough is underproofed or too cold.

What is the best flour for donuts? ›

Use real cake flour – not DIY cake flour!

DIY substitutions don't really cut it, and AP flour will not create doughnuts with that same soft texture. Also, bleached cake flour will work best. Unbleached (like King Arthur Baking) won't absorb as much moisture, and you may end up with doughnuts that crumble while frying.

What makes Krispy Kreme donuts so fluffy? ›

A batch of original glazed starts with Krispy Kreme doughnut mix, water and yeast, the same single-cell fungi used to make bread rise. The yeast is what makes the original glazed so light -- it puffs the dough up with air, so it's not dense like a cake doughnut (more on this later).

How to keep homemade donuts soft? ›

Place your donuts in storage bags or airtight containers.

If you plan on eating your donuts within 1-2 days, you can just keep them at room temperature. Definitely put them in airtight bags or containers though so they stay fresh!

What temperature should you fry donuts at? ›

Fry at about 375° to 380° F (190.6° to 193.3° C). Donuts brown too rapidly and may have raw or doughy centers if fried in fat that is too hot. Donuts fried in colder shortening brown too slowly and absorb excessive frying shortening.

How long should I let donut dough rise? ›

Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn it over to coat the top, cover, and let it rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in bulk. To shape the doughnuts: Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll it 1/4" thick, and cut out doughnuts with a 2 1/2" to 3" round cutter.

How much oil for frying donuts? ›

In the fryer heat approximately two to three inches of CANOLA oil to 360 degrees F. I emphasize canola oil because it will give the donuts a great texture and won't leave you with an oily tasting donut.

Is it better to fry donuts in oil or shortening? ›

Frying oils that are solid at room temperature (i.e., shortenings) have a higher level of saturated fats, which aid in the oil setting up on the donut and provide a firm surface that will accommodate glazes and toppings.

What does Krispy Kreme use to fry donuts? ›

We use vegetable shortening (palm, soybean, and/or cottonseed and canola oil) for zero gram of trans fat per one serving of doughnut. All monoglycerides and diglycerides are vegetable based. Enzymes are also present. The lecithin we use is soy-based.

Is it better to bake or fry Doughnuts? ›

Baked doughnuts are smaller, baking powder driven and more compact. A typical fried glazed donut will be around 269 calories, while a baked donut will have much fewer. The difference is the fact that you won't be dealing with any extra fat from the oil from frying when you bake.

What is the best oil to use for doughnuts? ›

What kind of oil is best for cooking donuts? The best oil is the one with the least flavour. Vegetable oil and canola oil are both very good in this respect. The most important thing is to use the same oil for the same kinds of foods, since oil readily absorbs flavours and aromas.

What makes a perfect donut? ›

Freshness is a prerequisite for the remaining qualities — without it, all hope of a perfect doughnut is lost. If effort is required to bite into a doughnut and remove the bite from the remainder of the pastry, then a problem has occurred. If icing falls off in a mess of dried flakes, then a problem has occurred.

Is cake flour or all purpose flour better for donuts? ›

Here are her best tips for the tenderest cake doughnuts your fryer's ever seen. For the tenderest results, we make these doughnuts with cake flour. It has less gluten than all-purpose flour, which yields a doughnut that's got chew without being tough. (Read more on why this matters in our guide to flour.)

How do you soften doughnuts? ›

So, what if you didn't prepare and now have a stale donut on your hands? We've got a solution for that, too. Pop it into the microwave for approximately 15 seconds until it softens. It might not be perfect, but it should still be a delicious treat.

Why are my homemade donuts so dense? ›

Stiff/Dense Donuts: Under proofed dough. Poke the dough, if it springs back too quickly they are under proofed and need more time. Cracked Donuts: The donuts could be under-proofed, you didn't get a clean cut on the donuts when cutting them out, or the dough was too cold.

Why are my baked donuts hard? ›

Overmixing will make the donuts tough. Bake the donuts until they are golden brown. Be careful to not overbake. Let the donuts cool completely before glazing them.

Why is my doughnut rough? ›

If the dough is too stiff, it results in thick crust, rough, broken surface on one side and excessive absorption of oil in cracks. Mixing times depend on the richness of the dough, type of flour, and temperature of the dough. An undermixed dough will result in excessive absorption, coarse texture and irregular shape.

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