Recipe Background
These homemade donuts are inspired by a rainy birthday surprise, perfect for a warm treat.
I can still remember the first time I surprised my grandma on her birthday with homemade donuts. It was one of those stormy days where the thunder seemed to be clapping in approval as I nervously prepared in the tiny kitchen of my college apartment. As someone who had only just begun to respect the nuances of yeast, I relied on a can of evaporated milk that I’d fortuitously stocked up on during my last grocery trip. My grandma had a weakness for anything sweet and fluffy, and the thought of making these copycat Krispy Kreme® donuts felt like an unexpected fusion of nostalgia and adventure.
The challenge lay in achieving that perfect, pillowy texture, and I figured out the secret was letting the dough rest until it doubled in size. Pulling out my trusty stand mixer, I whisked together the yeast and warm water. I remember the warmth that enveloped the kitchen, coaxing the yeast into a frothy bloom. With just the right touch of vanilla extract, the aroma filled the room, making me fall just a little bit more in love with baking and with that moment.
When it came time to fry the donuts, my nerves were all over the place. Keeping the shortening at precisely 360 degrees was an exercise in patience and focus, but capturing that first visual of a golden-brown donut bobbing up to the surface made it entirely worth it. My grandma’s eyes lit up when she took her first bite, the glaze adding just the perfect hint of sweetness. We sat there, indulging in those warm, freshly made donuts, the rain steadily pattering away outside, and all seemed right in our little world.
Ingredients
For the donuts:
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water warmed to 110 degrees F
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar divided
- 1/4 cup evaporated milk warmed to 110 degrees F
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, plus more, to taste, for dusting a work surface
- 4 cups vegetable shortening
For the glaze:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
- salt to taste
- 2 teaspoons evaporated milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- hot water to taste
Directions
- Using a mixing machine or stand mixer, whisk together the yeast, 1/2 cup of the warm water, and 1/2 teaspoons of the sugar.
- Let the yeast mixture rest for 10 minutes.
- Add the 1/4 cup of the warm evaporated milk, the remaining granulated sugar, the salt, 1/4 cup of the room temperature vegetable shortening, the egg, the egg yolk, and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla, stirring to combine.
- In the same mixing bowl, add 1/2 of the flour, combining until smooth.
- Switch the mixer to the hook attachment.
- Slowly add the remaining flour while the machine is running on low speed.
- Let the machine knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 4-5 minutes.
- When the dough is finished mixing, lightly grease a large bowl and transfer the dough to it.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
- After the dough has risen, using the extra flour, lightly dust a work surface.
- Turn the dough out onto the floured work surface and punch the dough down.
- Roll the dough out to slightly less than 1/2-inch thickness.
- Cut the dough into doughnut shapes using a doughnut cutter or two round circle cutters. A big circle cutter and a small circle cutter will work.
- Once the doughnut shapes are formed, remove the excess dough, combining and rolling it out to make more doughnut shapes until none of the dough remains.
- Cover the donuts and let them double in size, about 35-45 minutes.
- In a large Dutch oven, heat the remaining shortening to 360 degrees F. Do not overheat, and continue to monitor the temperature.
- As the oil is heating, mix together the unsalted butter, the powdered sugar, the salt, the remaining evaporated milk, the remaining vanilla extract, and the remaining hot water in a shallow container suitable for dipping. The consistency should be on the thicker side, so slowly drizzle in the water to avoid making it too thin.
- Working in batches, carefully fry the donuts in the hot oil until just browned on the bottom, about 3-4 minutes.
- Use a wooden spoon or another suitable tool to flip the donuts to the reverse side and cook until just browned, about 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked donuts to a wire rack and allow them to cool for at least 2 minutes.
- Repeat the frying process until all donuts are cooked, monitoring the oil temperature throughout.
- Once the donuts are cool enough to touch, dip the top half of the donuts in the glaze while they are still warm and return them to the wire rack.
- Let the glaze set at room temperature.
- Serve warm.
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