And if they happen to be filled with jam, so much the better! Homemade yeast doughnuts are so light they practically float on air, which makes it possible for me to inhale about half a dozen on a good day. Don’t try that at home, kids. I’m a professional.
Good yeast doughnuts start with a sponge, made the day before and rested overnight for flavor development. The complete recipe is here. On doughnut-making day, this is what your sponge should look like:
Combine that with all other ingredients save for the butter and mix for 10 minutes, scraping every three minutes or so, until a very sticky dough forms, about like so:
Now add the butter about a tablespoon at a time as the mixer runs. Scrape every so often to make sure all the butter is incorporated.
Nice thumb, moron! Put the dough into a greased bowl…
…and let rise about an hour, until doubled. About like so:
Transfer the dough to a board that’s been lightly dusted with flour…
…then roll your dough out into a 1/4″ sheet.
Using a 3 1/2″ cutter, cut the dough into rounds, wadding up the scraps and re-rolling until all the dough is used. You should have 12-14 rounds. If you’re making regular ring-shaped doughnuts, use a smaller cutter to punch out the holes.
Lay the rounds back onto the towel-lined sheet pan…
…and cover with greased plastic wrap.
Proof for about an hour until the rounds are puffy, but not overly so, about like this:
Fry them in 375-degree oil for about 45 seconds on a side. While they’re still warm, roll them in extra fine sugar to coat.
And fill them with the jam of your choice by squirting about two teaspoons into them with a pastry bag fitted with a Bismarck (#230) tip. Don’t get carried away with this step. A little jam goes a good long way. Squeeze until you can feel the doughnut get slightly heavier, then stop.
These are amazing eaten warm, but will keep just fine in a box at room temperature for up to 24 hours.
Yes indeed. I’m making these today. well. Tomorrow. Coz of the sponge… another great recipe, Joe!
PS glad to hear you’re back on deck, these tiny bugs sure can knock us so called “advanced” species around
Can’t they just? Just being back to normal is making me feel like Superman! Let me know how the doughnuts turn out!
Hi Joe, thought I wld let you know that I used unbleached plain flour (I live in the UK where bleached flour is a no no) in your raised doughnut recipe. I was pleasantly surprised how soft and fluffy and delicious the finished product came out – and I didn’t even overnight the starter. Does that mean that it will taste even better if I followed your recipte to a T?!
Bleached flour will just give you a doughnut that’s a bit more light and fluffy. Nothing wrong with what you’re doing. So glad they worked! But the sponge will definitely improve them!
Thanks for he email!
- Joe
I made these today (the sponge last night) and they are wonderful. I’ve been a social, good sport, doughnut imbiber, but I never really liked them. They are usually so cloyingly sweet and so greasy that they made me really queasy. But this past weekend I had the worst doughnuts I’d ever, EVER, eaten and decided I’d had enough, I would make them myself. And…thanks to you, I did. These were excellent. Of course being a novice to doughnut making, several were a little misshapen, but they were still light and fluffy and I swear, I could not taste any oil..at all. I’m so impressed with this recipe. It’s a brioche type dough, isn’t it? Whatever..it’s delicious.
I got 8 doughnuts and 6 (raspberry) jelly doughnuts from the recipe. I found a glaze recipe from Betty Crocker, and dunked them all in chocolate glaze. It’s really good with the raspberry.
I may not make them every 2nd weekend..but I will make them again and at least now I know they don’t all have to taste like bakery doughnuts!
Hello Susan!
So glad these worked for you. They are a brioche variant, but then pretty much all yeast-raised doughnuts are part of the brioche family. As you can probably tell, doughnuts are important to me. I worked very hard on the recipes and I’m always delighted when I hear that they’ve worked so well. May you have a long and fruitful doughnut-making career!
Cheers,
- Joe
I just discovered your site and I have to say: OMG YOU ARE AMAZING! I can’t wait to try these donuts. They look gorgeous.
Let me know how they go, because I love, love, love doughnuts!
Cheers,
- Joe
Hi Joe! I just made these, they were delicious. I’m wondering why most of mine turned out hollow inside. Was it because my dough needed more resting time, or it rested for too long? I would love to perfect these! Thank you for the recipe!
Hey Julisa!
Great news on the doughnuts! If they have bigger holes than you want, then too much proofing time is definitely the culprit. Cut down the duration of the final rise before frying and you should get the result you’re after!
Cheerio,
- Joe
Oh, yeah! I only wish I had seen this sooner. I would be inhaling my own half dozen right now. Just kidding. I have seriously been thinking about making raised doughnuts for quite sometime, and just haven’t settled on a recipe to try. Until now. Thanks!
Let me know how they go, Laurel!
- Joe
Hi Joe, not for nuttin but did i miss something, i see the pictures and all but i cant find the recipe, please let me know if you posted it somewhere as i think they are the best ones i have seen yet and really want to make them.
Thanks
Tony.
Hey Tony!
You must have arrived via google search. I added a link to the recipe in the post, go back and have a look!
Cheers,
- Joe
Joe, any possibility of a yeast-raised baked donut that doesn’t need a special pan?
Hey Ted!
You can try baking them as they are. The yeast doughnuts should puff up pretty well in the oven. Just paint on a little egg wash for some shine!
- Joe
Mr joe,your doughnut is really amazing but can’t find your recipe please.
Hi Doris! You must have arrived via google search. Head back to the post and you’ll find a text link in the first couple of paragraphs that I just added. All my recipes are indexed in the menus on the left side with the recipes at the bottom.
Have fun!
- Joe