Homemade Glazed donuts are light, fluffy, and melt in your mouth delicious. Making donuts is easier than you may think, and the simple vanilla icing is delicious.
Ingredients
Dough for Donuts:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (distributed), with a bit of extra for dusting
a quarter cup of granulated sugar
a quarter teaspoon of salt
1 packet quick-acting or rapid-rise instant yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoon)
2/3 cup scalded milk, chilled to 115 degrees F
1/4 cup olive oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil, light
2 room temperature egg yolks
a half teaspoon of vanilla extract
Glaze for donuts:
1 pound of powdered sugar (4 cups)
5–6 tablespoons of water
1 tbsp extract de Vanille
oil, such as peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
Scald the milk by pouring it into a small pot over medium/low heat and frequently swirling to prevent a film from developing. Remove from heat when the milk reaches 180°F or steaming, and pour to a measuring cup to cool to 115°F on a thermometer.
To proof the dough, whisk together 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 package of yeast, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large mixing basin. Whisk together 2/3 cup warm milk, 1/4 cup oil, 2 egg yolks, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 10-15 minutes at room temperature, or until bubbles appear on the top (this indicates your yeast is active).
Knead in the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour with a firm spatula, adding just enough flour until the dough stays together and no longer adheres to the edges of the bowl. Hand-knead the dough for 5 minutes in the bowl. If the dough sticks to your hands, gently coat them with flour and continue kneading. Soft and slightly sticky dough is ideal.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a heated 100°F oven for 45 minutes, or at room temperature for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
Turn dough out onto a floured board to roll and cut doughnuts. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4″ to 1/3″ and cut out 11-12 doughnuts and donut holes with a donut cutter. If desired, gently press pieces together and re-roll to make another doughnut.
Et doughnuts rise: Arrange donuts and donut holes on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving enough space between them, so they don’t touch. Cover with a tea towel and allow doughnuts to rise for 20 minutes in a warm location or 45 minutes at room temperature until puffed.
To make the glaze, whisk together all of the glaze ingredients in a mixing dish until the sugar is dissolved, then put aside.
Fry Donuts: Preheat oil to 375°F in a dutch oven with a clip-on thermometer or in a deep fryer. Once the donuts have swelled up, fried 2 donuts for 45 to 60 seconds on each side, turning once, until brown on both sides.
Remove donuts from the oil one at a time and immediately dip both sides in the glaze before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Donut holes should be fried and glazed in two batches. As soon as the glaze is set, serve the doughnuts.
