Picture a doughnut. Did you imagine something "O" shaped? There's a pretty good chance you did, but round doughnuts are only one type in a very diverse group of pastries. There are even two commonly accepted spellings—"doughnut" and "donut." But in its most basic form, a doughnut is simply that delightful combination of flour, fat, and sugar that seems to push a certain satisfaction button on our tongues and in our bellies.
In addition to the classic pillowlike rounds, doughnuts can be puffy rectangles (sopaipillas), long crunchy sticks (churros), or bite-size balls (doughnut holes).Raised doughnutsare puffed with yeast, whilecake doughnutsrely on the leavening power of baking powder or baking soda. And some doughnuts, likeFrench crullers, get their rise through the magic of beaten eggs. Most doughnuts are fried, but others can bebaked. And there's a practically endless assortment of doughnut flavors, fillings, and toppings. They're all doughnuts, and all are at their peak within their first hour, so homemade is best.
Making doughnuts at home is probably a lot easier than you think, and it requires almost no special ingredients or equipment. Yes, you can use a countertop deep fryer, but a heavy-bottomed pot is all you really need. And if you don't want to spring for doughnut cutters, improvise with cookie cutters or even juice glasses.
Read on for everything you need to know to make doughnuts at home, including classic recipes, safe and easy deep-frying techniques, tips for glazing and storing doughnuts, and an overview of ingredients and equipment.
Ingredients
Doughnuts are made using the simplest of pantry staples, including flour, yeast, baking powder or baking soda, sugar, butter, and oil for deep-frying. Here's a quick overview of essential doughnut-making ingredients.
Yeast or raised doughnuts benefit from higher-protein bread flour, which gives the dough a bit more elasticity, so it can trap more air pockets and create the lightest of pastries. All-purpose flour is better for cake doughnuts, which don't need the same gluten development, and are prone to getting a bit tough with bread flour.
Active-dry yeast is typically used in raised doughnut recipes, but you can use instant yeast, in the same quantities, if you prefer. (Note that while active-dry and instant yeast aren't always interchangeable, in the particular case of doughnuts, you can safely swap one for the other.) If you're an active baker, skip the little envelopes, which are costly and produce more waste, and buy your yeast in a larger bag—bulk yeast is sometimes kept in the baking aisle but can also be found in the refrigerator case (usually near the eggs). Regardless of the type of yeast you use, store it in the refrigerator to keep it active for up to six months.
Baking powder and baking soda are used to leaven or create rise in cake doughnuts. Baking soda is four times stronger than baking powder, but requires an acid to activate it, so recipes that use baking soda will also call for ingredients such as sour cream, buttermilk, or even cocoa powder to make those doughnuts puff up.
虽然您可以使用普通砂糖doughnut recipes, superfine sugar mixes more easily into dry ingredients, and also works as a great doughnut-coating alternative to glazes. Less processed sugars are prone to over-browning in fried doughnuts, so save the darker sugars, such as muscovado or light or dark brown sugar, for baked doughnuts.
In addition to any oil used for deep-frying, doughnuts need a bit of fat in their dough or batter to ensure tenderness. Solid fats like butter, coconut oil, or lard tend to work better than liquid oils.
When frying doughnuts, chose oil with a high smoking point, such as safflower or peanut oil. Canola oil is an option, but it has a stronger flavor than other oils. Avoid oils that are simply labeled "vegetable oil," or any oil with a low smoke point, which will start to burn at higher temperatures.
When you're done frying, save your oil and reuse it up to five times. Let the oil cool completely in the pot or the deep fryer and then pour it through a paper towel–lined strainer to remove any particles. Transfer used oil to a disposable container, such as a clean milk carton or the original bottle, and store it in a dark location.
When oil has been used about five times, or has darkened, it's time to throw it out. Don't dump it down the drain though—either pour the cooled oil into a disposable container and discard, or better,look for oil recycling centers in your area.
Tools
At-home doughnut making doesn't require a countertop deep fryer, and most cooks likely already own the few tools required. In addition to the more basic kitchen items, such as a rolling pin for rolling out yeast doughnuts or a slotted spoon for removing doughnuts from the hot oil, you'll want to have the following items out and ready before you get started.
While not essential, a kitchen scale makes it super-simple to measure flour and sugar consistently time after time. Flour, in particular, tends to compress when measured in cups, leading to excess flour being incorporated into dough. A scale also makes it very easy to double or halve a recipe. If you are a frequent baker, a kitchen scale is a must-have.
Although you can certainly make cake or raised doughnuts without one, a stand mixer with a dough hook takes the work out of kneading the dough to activate the gluten. It also reduces the likelihood of adding too much flour to the dough, which can make doughnuts tough. If a stand mixer isn't an option, cake doughnuts can be made with a hand mixer, but raised doughnuts are better worked with a wooden spoon and then kneaded by hand.
A pastry or piping bag fitted with a ½-inch circular tip is used to create round-bottomed cake doughnuts. You can also use a star-shaped tip to create ridged crullers. Lost your pastry bag? The cut corner of a resealable plastic bag can be used in a pinch.
A doughnut cutter makes quick work of punching out a dozen raised doughnuts. Look for one made of stiff metal and with a removable center punch for easier cleaning. If you don't have a doughnut cutter, use a small glass to cut large rounds and punch a hole in the center with your finger, then gently stretch the hole into a 1½-inch-diameter circle.
When proofing raised doughnuts, a well-floured non-terry towel keeps the dough from sticking and stretching when you pick the doughnuts up to fry. Any non-terry towel is good, but flour sack–type linens work the best.
You can use a deep fryer to make doughnuts, but it's not required. Instead, use a heavy-bottomed pot large enough to hold about 1 1/2 liters of oil. You want the oil to be about 2 inches deep and for there to be 2 inches between the surface of the oil and the top of the pot. It's also essential that the pot is heavy-duty; enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens are prefect and do a wonderful job of maintaining consistent oil temperature. A deep fryer offers the advantage of consistent oil temperature, but keep in mind that it requires about twice as much oil as the pot method.
Also known as a candy thermometer, a deep-fry thermometer is essential for measuring and maintaining a constant oil temperature. Look for one that measures up to 400°F, and has a clip for attaching to the side of the pot. If you use a deep fryer, you won't need a separate thermometer.
如果你想做烤蛋糕甜甜圈,你会的need to invest in a special doughnut pan to create classic round-bottomed pastries. Doughnut pans can be made of metal or silicone, and both work well. In a pinch, you can substitute a mini-muffin pan, but the doughnuts won't have that characteristic rounded shape.
While far from essential, a doughnut machine offers another way to make cake doughnuts at home. It's similar to a waffle-maker and cooks the whole doughnut with contact heat, so the top and bottom have the same crust texture. If you do invest in a doughnut machine, it's best to use batters that are designed for baking rather than frying.
Making Cake Doughnuts
Cake doughnuts, also known as old-fashioned doughnuts, are leavened with baking powder or baking soda and have a fluffy crumb and a lightly crisp crust. They're made from a thick batter that comes together quickly (no mixer required), and the doughnuts only need a short rest period before they can be fried or baked.
Doughnut shops typically fry cake doughnuts and use special doughnut droppers that extrude the batter directly into the hot oil. To mimic this action at home, use a pastry bag to pipe circles of batter onto parchment paper squares, then use the parchment to carefully flip the doughnuts into the hot oil, gently pulling the parchment off the top. Once they're in the hot oil, cake doughnuts will submerge for a few seconds before floating to the surface. Fry them for one to two minutes until the submerged half is golden brown. As the bottom fries, some splitting may occur along the top, but this is nothing to worry about. Once you see the golden brown color along the center of the doughnut, where it hits the oil, gently flip it over with a large slotted spoon—or a chopstick—and continue frying for another one to two minutes until evenly golden brown all over.
Prefer not to deep-fry?Cake doughnuts are ideal for baking, as long as you follow a recipe specifically designed for the oven. There are baked and fried versions of both cake and yeast doughnuts, but sticking to your recipe's cooking method is important. In other words, avoid frying a baked doughnut recipe and avoid baking a fried doughnut recipe.
Baked cake doughnut recipes tend to have slightly more oil in them to create a rich pastry, but since they're not fried, there's no messy oil cleanup at the end. It's possible to bake cake doughnuts in a mini-muffin pan, but they will be flat on the bottom rather than rounded like a classic doughnut-shop doughnut. To achieve the iconic doughnut shape, you will need to use a special doughnut pan, with rounded wells.
Cake doughnuts are more dense than their yeast-risen siblings, so they benefit from a central hole and aren't ideal for filling. But whether baked or fried, cake doughnuts work great with mix-ins! Try using finely chopped nuts, dried fruits, fresh berries (drained of any excess juices), or mini chocolate chips, or raid your spice cabinet. Whatever you choose to add, just stir it in before you let the batter rest.
You can get a jump start on doughnut making by freezing the uncooked batter. Prepare the batter and pipe rings onto parchment paper squares, arranged in a single layer, on a baking sheet. Freeze the rings until solid and then wrap each frozen doughnut (on its parchment square) in a double layer of plastic wrap, or place a bunch of doughnuts in a plastic freezer bag. Let frozen doughnuts come to room temperature before frying or baking.
Making Yeast Doughnuts
Yeast, or raised, doughnutsaren't quite as quick to make as cake doughnuts, but their airy lightness is well worth the trouble. Plus, the process is really less about work than just waiting for the dough to rise.
Unlike the thick batter used to make cake doughnuts, yeast doughnuts are made from moist but rollable dough. It's similar to brioche dough and is lightly sweet, with some fat to keep the doughnuts tender. To make successful yeast doughnuts, it's essential to develop the gluten in the dough by kneading (ideally with a dough hook on a stand mixer) and to proof (or rise) the dough to help create the right size and number of air pockets. Not proofed enough, and your doughnuts will be heavy; too much, and you'll just end up with a hollow shell that collapses when taken out of the oil.
When fried, a perfect yeast doughnut will have a light ring around the center that's known as the "proof line." It happens because the air in the dough causes the doughnut to float just above the mid-point, so the top and bottom of the doughnut fry in the oil, while a ring around the middle sits just above. Raised doughnuts with a dark ring around the center haven't proofed quite enough or may have been made with yeast that is past its expiration date. The doughnut hangs lower in the oil, so the center cooks more than the top and bottom. They'll still be delicious, but they won't be as light as properly proofed doughnuts.
You can also bake yeast doughnuts, but they won't be the same pillowy bites as the fried version, and are closer in texture to fluffy dinner rolls. Like baked cake doughnuts, baked raised doughnuts require a little more fat in their recipe. They're at their best warm out of the oven and brushed with melted butter.
Yeast doughnuts are lighter than cake doughnuts, so adding mix-ins tends to weigh them down. Cutting a center hole does help them cook evenly, but yeast doughnuts puff up with lots of air pockets, making them prime for a jam, cream, or chocolate filling.
Use a chopstick to pierce the doughnut's crust, and wiggle it to create space for your filling. Then, using a pastry bag fitted with a long, pointed tip, inject each doughnut with filling. In addition to being turned into rings and filled doughnuts, yeast dough is great for shaping into bars and twists, or even for mixing in fruit to make homemade fritters.
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.
Safe, Easy Deep-Frying
While most people are a bit shy about dealing with a big pot of hot oil, it's easier and less dangerous than it appears.
Deep fryers take a lot of the guesswork out of maintaining a consistent oil temperature, which is one of the keys to deep-frying. Simply plug it in, add the oil, and set your temperature, and the countertop appliance handles the rest. However, you may not want to spend the money—or sacrifice the precious counter space—required for a deep fryer, and even smaller models require about twice as much oil as deep-frying in a pot on the stove.
If you stick to the pot method, be sure to use a pot large enough to hold at least 2 inches of oil, with at least 2 inches of space between the surface of the oil and the top of the pot. It's best to use a heavy-bottomed pot, such as an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven, that retains heat more consistently than a thin metal pot.
With a thermometer attached to the side of the pot, bring the oil up to temperature over moderately high heat, keeping a close eye on it, so that it doesn't exceed the oil's smoking point (usually somewhere around 400°F). When the oil is hot enough (doughnut recipes typically call for 350°F to 360°F), reduce the heat to low and continue to monitor the temperature throughout frying. If the oil doesnt return to the desired temperature between doughnut batches, increase the heat slightly before adding more batter.
Whether you use a deep fryer or a large pot, when it comes to hot oil, water is the enemy, as it causes dangerous splatters. Make sure that your pot and utensils (or your deep fryer) are completely clean and dry before they come into contact with any oil.
Glazing and Topping Doughnuts
The beauty of doughnuts is that with just one humble dough you can make dozens of enticing flavors! Just change the topping or filling, and you have an entirely new creation.
Glazes are the most common way to finish doughnuts. Thinner than a frosting, a glaze coats the doughnut in a sheer film of sweet goodness. The simplest glaze is a mixture of powdered sugar and water. Using milk instead of water lends a slightly opaque look. Honey, maple syrup, fruit juices, or other liquid sweeteners can also be used in place of the water to add a subtle hint of flavor. To make a chocolate glaze, add cocoa powder to the standard sugar version.
To glaze doughnuts, place the glaze in a bowl that is slightly larger than your doughnuts and then give each doughnut a quick dip. You can glaze the entire doughnut or just the top. Place glazed doughnuts on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and let them set for a couple of minutes.
Thicker and more flavorful frostings can also be used—just about any frosting that works on a cake or cupcake will also work on doughnuts. Use a butter knife or small offset spatula to apply frosting, spreading it a little thinner than you would on a cake or cupcake.
Crushed nuts, sprinkles, crumbled cookies, shredded coconut, small slices of bacon, or even your favorite cereal make fun additions to glazed or frosted doughnuts. Arrange your topping in a shallow bowl or on a plate, and before the glaze or frosting sets, dip doughnuts into the topping. You can cover the whole doughnut, just the top, or even one side. Alternatively, sprinkle your topping over the top of the doughnut.
In lieu of glaze or frosting, try coating doughnuts in powdered sugar, superfine sugar, or a mixture of superfine sugar and spices. Just place the sugar or other coating in a shallow bowl, and gently roll the doughnut in the sugar, making sure to cover as much surface area as possible.
As tempting as it is to just dive in when your doughnuts are still warm, it's best to wait for your doughnuts to cool completely before applying any finishing touches. Otherwise, the topping will melt instead of setting.
Storing Doughnuts
Homemade doughnuts are really best the day—and hour—you make them, but they can be stored in a sealed paper pastry box or bag for one day. Avoid storing doughnuts in plastic, as they'll just get soggy.
你也可以冻结冷却,未上釉的甜甜圈several months. Arrange the doughnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for at least four hours until solid. Transfer the frozen doughnuts to a freezer bag and return them to the freezer. To defrost: Place a doughnut on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 15 to 20 seconds, checking for doneness after the first 10 seconds. You can also defrost doughnuts set out at room temperature on the kitchen counter overnight.
