Living out of town on a conservation estate, quick trips to the donut shop is seldom possible. As such, sudden family-donut-cravings have urged me to try many donut recipes. Hence, here is my solution to an always-fresh donut, anytime! 🍩
Photography, recipe and styling by Stéan Kruger.
After trying many different recipes, I still could not find one that has that distinct "donut" flavor. All the recipes I tried tasted rather, well, dough-y. That's when I discovered the secret ingredient: nutmeg. The tiniest bit of nutmeg is what give these donuts that distinct flavor and makes them taste like they are from your local donut shop. These donuts are simple to make and only requires a bit of time.
When it comes to decorating these donuts, the sky is the limit. If it was up to me, I'd drizzle them with chocolate ganache and sprinkle them with hazelnuts. Or even fill them with lemon curd.
Makes: 8 generous donuts, 12 small donuts
Prep. Time: approx. 45 min.
Ingredients:
280g (2 cups + 3 tbsp) all-purpose flour
40g (3 tbsp) sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg (grated)
1 egg
1 sachet instant yeast
40g salted butter (melted)
160ml milk (warm but not hot)
Glaze:
250g powdered sugar
75g butter (melted)
½ tsp vanilla essence
3-5 tsp milk
Method:
For the Donuts:
Mix the warm milk, melted butter, yeast, egg and 1 tsp of sugar together. Set aside for 5 minutes.
Combine the flour, remaining sugar, salt and nutmeg.
In a stand mixer, combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until combined.
Reduce the speed and knead for 10-15 minutes until the dough comes together. The dough must be soft, slightly sticky and elastic. If the dough is too firm, add some more milk and incorporate by kneading gently. Form into a ball-shape.
Brush the dough with melted butter and cover with cling film. Allow to proof in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
Flour a work surface and roll the dough to approximately 1cm thick.
For each donut, cut baking paper sheets into 8x8cm squares. This will make it easier to gently drop each donut into the oil without accidentally deflating them.
Use a 7cm cutter to cut out the donuts. Keep re-rolling and cutting the dough until all is used up. Place the donuts on the baking paper sheets.
Allow to proof for another 25 minutes until doubled in size.
Heat vegetable oil to 160°C. Gently lower the donuts on baking paper into the oil – taking care not to deflate the donuts.
In small batches, fry the donuts low and gently until just slightly golden and fluffy. Adjust the heat constantly to avoid overheating the oil, this will cause the donuts to become too dark without being cooked through.
Place on a wired rack to drain excess oil and cool.
For the Glaze:
Whisk the ingredients for the glaze together and gently coat the donuts. Place on a wired rack to set.
Best served fresh.
Notes:
The dough should be soft and sticky when kneading. If the dough is too firm, add more milk and a little more melted butter. Firm dough will not rise well and will cause the donuts to be dense.
Tip: Grease the inside of your stand mixer's bowl to avoid the dough from sticking when kneading.
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