Glazed Donut
intro
Soft, pillowy yeast-raised donuts coated in a shiny, crackly vanilla glaze—this nostalgic homemade treat matches your favorite bakery’s signature flavor.
Ingredients
Steps
Mix the donut dough
In a large stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine warmed 240ml whole milk (38°C/100°F), 7g instant yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar; let rest 5 minutes until foamy. Add remaining granulated sugar, 2 beaten eggs, 57g melted cooled butter, 5g salt, and 500g all-purpose flour. Knead on medium-low speed for 8 minutes until the dough is smooth, soft, and pulls away from the bowl sides (it will be slightly tacky, not sticky).
Let dough rise
Coat the inside of a large clean bowl with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, form the dough into a tight ball, and place it in the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot (24°C/75°F) for 1 to 1.5 hours, until the dough doubles in size and leaves a lasting indent when pressed with a floured finger.
Cut donut shapes
Punch the risen dough down to release trapped air, then roll it out on a lightly floured surface to an even 1.25cm (1/2 inch) thickness. Use a 9cm (3.5 inch) round donut cutter to cut circles, and a 2.5cm (1 inch) cutter to punch out the center holes. Gather dough scraps, re-roll once, and cut remaining donuts for a total of 12 donuts and holes. Place cut donuts on parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced 5cm (2 inches) apart.
Proof donuts, heat oil
Cover the cut donuts loosely with a damp towel, and let them rise a second time for 30 to 40 minutes in the same warm spot, until they are puffy and jiggle slightly when the tray is tapped. While donuts proof, pour 1.5L vegetable oil into a large heavy-bottomed pot, and heat the oil over medium heat to 175°C/350°F, using a candy thermometer to monitor temperature closely.
Fry donuts evenly
Carefully lower 2 to 3 donuts at a time into the hot oil, taking care not to overcrowd the pot. Fry for 1 minute on the first side until deep golden brown, then flip with a slotted metal spoon and fry 45 seconds to 1 minute on the second side. Transfer fried donuts to a wire rack set over a baking sheet to drain excess oil, and repeat with remaining donuts, letting oil return to 175°C/350°F between batches.
Mix vanilla glaze
While fried donuts cool for 5 minutes (they should be warm, not piping hot), make the glaze: whisk 360g powdered sugar, 60ml whole milk, and 5ml vanilla extract in a shallow wide bowl until completely smooth, with no lumps. The glaze should be thick but pourable, similar to heavy cream consistency; add 1 teaspoon more milk if too thick, or 2 tablespoons more powdered sugar if too thin.
Coat donuts in glaze
Dip one side of each warm donut fully into the glaze, then flip to coat the other side completely. Lift the donut out, let excess glaze drip back into the bowl for 10 seconds, then place it back on the wire rack, glazed side up. Let the glaze set for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature, until it forms a thin, slightly crisp, shiny coating, then serve.
Tips
2.Only re-roll dough scraps one time: repeated rolling and handling overworks gluten, resulting in tough, dense donuts instead of light, fluffy ones.
3.Glaze donuts while they are still slightly warm (about 5 minutes after frying): this helps the glaze adhere evenly and form the classic thin, crackly sugary coating instead of sliding off cold donuts.
OMG these turned out SO good! I was super nervous about the yeast proofing step since I always manage to kill the yeast in bread recipes, but I followed the directions to a T and they came out pillowy soft, exactly like the glazed donuts from our favorite local donut shop. My kids loved them — they devoured three each before I even finished glazing the last batch! Total game changer for our lazy Saturday morning breakfasts, no more rushing out to the donut store right when they open.
Really solid donut recipe, though I wish there was a heads up about how long you need to let the glaze set! I grabbed one right after dipping it and half the glaze slid right off onto my work shirt, oops. The flavor was spot on though — not cloyingly sweet, and the donut itself had that perfect chewy, tender crumb I was chasing. I’ll definitely make these again, I’m just gonna give the glaze a solid 10 minutes to set next time before I dig in.
Brought a double batch of these to our neighborhood block party potluck last weekend and they were gone in literally 10 minutes flat! I lost count of how many neighbors came up to ask for the recipe, I told them I found it right here. I did add a tiny pinch of ground cinnamon to the glaze and it gave it such a nice subtle warm kick — no one could put their finger on what made it extra tasty, but everyone was raving. 10/10, will be making these for every get together from now on.