You guys. I can’t believe this recipe is ready to post finally! I’ve been trying to work out a great yeast doughnut recipe for years, and I think I must have tried at least 15 recipes, no joke. The combination of a yeast dough and the method of frying has always proven too complicated here at altitude. Today is the day though!

So I’ve got tips and the method for you today, plus signs to look for as you go along to make sure you’re doing it right. First though, I will say, this is a recipe best done in a stand mixer. I believe you can do it by hand, but it’s quite a lot of kneading even in the mixer, so it’d be a ton of work!

So, into the dough. It’s a brioche dough, so it has milk and butter, which enrich the dough and give it that yellow color. Figuring out this recipe has also revealed some things for me about making bread doughs, namely that I’m not spending enough time kneading the dough to develop the gluten.

In a stand mixer, this dough kneads for about 20 whole minutes all said, which is a lot longer than I’m used to. But what you’re looking for in the end is to have a dough that is stretchy enough to create a thin window that you can almost see through without the dough tearing. This is really important for the texture of the dough!

Here are my tips on the dough:

• Be sure that your yeast is properly activated. I do this by blooming the yeast as the first step in this recipe- this way you know it’s active and properly bloomed before you get too far into the recipe.
• Be generous with your kneading time- and use the window pane test seriously. If you’re dough is breaking before you can stretch it into a pane-like section, you haven’t kneaded it enough. Seriously.
• Keep everything warm. This helps to activate the yeast and keep it warm throughout. Take the bowl of your stand mixer and run it under hot water on the outside to warm the bowl before you use it. And make sure all your other ingredients are actually at room temp!
• Keep a close eye on your dough as it rises. You don’t want to let the dough go too far- it should about double in size. For me this only takes about 30 minutes, but it may take a little more or less time for you!
• On the second rise, use the spring test to make sure they are ready to fry. If you touch the dough with your finger, it should spring most of the way back right away. Then you’re ready to go! This takes about 10-15 minutes for me, about enough time to heat up your oil.
• Keep that oil at 350-375 degrees. Use a candy or frying thermometer clipped to the side of your pan. The oil temp makes a big difference in how they cook up.
• When you start to fry, if the doughnuts have properly risen, they will sit up on the oil- with slightly more than half above the oil. This is what creates that pale line in the middle when the doughnuts are finished that you see in the stores.

Here’s what the dough should look like right when you get started kneading:

Once it looks like this, you can start adding the butter in:

When you’re adding in the butter, it takes some time. Here’s what it looks like:

And finally, here’s what it looks like when you’re done kneading!

And  just a couple photos so you can see what it looks like when you start frying!

Alright guys, those are my tips. Top these babies however you’d like- I chose a cinnamon and sugar mixture as well as a simple chocolate icing. You could also do a maple icing, vanilla icing, sprinkles, a whole doughnut glaze, whatever sounds best! Enjoy!

Dough-Eyed

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!