Old Fashioned Yeast Doughnuts Recipes

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons of the salt and the nutmeg in a large bowl until completely combined. Whisk together 2/3 cup of the buttermilk, the sour cream, eggs, yolks, 1 tablespoon of the vanilla paste and the oil in a medium bowl until completely combined. Fold the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients just until a soft and sticky dough comes together (do not overwork).
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and liberally dust with flour (about 1/3 cup).
• Scrape the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Dust your hands and the top of the dough with more flour, then gently pat the dough to 3/4-inch thick.
• Working on the baking sheet, punch out as many rounds as you can with a 3 1/4-inch cutter. Then use a 1 1/4-inch cutter to punch out the center of each round. Dip the cutters in flour before each cut to avoid sticking. Gather the dough scraps and gently re-roll without overworking the dough. Repeat cutting until all the dough has been used (you should have 8 doughnuts).
• Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and line a second rimmed baking sheet with several layers of paper towels. Fit a large heavy pot with a deep-fry thermometer and pour in oil to a depth of 3 inches. Heat over medium-high until the thermometer registers 375 degrees F.
• Fry the doughnuts in batches until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the wire rack and let cool slightly. Fry the doughnut holes until deep golden brown, about 90 seconds per side. Transfer to the wire rack and let drain for 1 minute. Then transfer to the paper-towel lined baking sheet to cool for 10 minutes before glazing. (This two-step process gets a lot more oil out of the doughnuts than using only one method.) Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure the oil returns to temperature between batches.
• Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, the remaining 6 tablespoons buttermilk, the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla paste and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until the glaze is smooth and the consistency of honey; add more confectioners' sugar or buttermilk if necessary.
• Dip each doughnut into the glaze on one side (we like the craggy side, it has more texture for an appetizing appearance), letting the excess drip back into the bowl, then return it to the wire rack. Toss the doughnut holes in the glaze to coat completely and return to the wire rack. Let the glaze set for 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl combine 1 3/4 cups flour with yeast. In a saucepan heat milk, sugar, butter and salt until butter melts. Stir milk mixture into flour along with eggs, beating with a heavy-duty electric mixer on low for 30 seconds, just to combine. Increase speed to high and beat 3 minutes. Add the remaining flour, a little at a time, stirring with a spoon to make a firm but pliable dough. Knead dough on lightly-floured work surface 4 to 5 minutes until smooth and supple. Transfer to an oiled bowl. Cover and let dough rise until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
• Turn dough out onto floured surface, punch down and roll out to 1 /2- inch thickness. Cut out doughnuts with a floured doughnut cutter; re roll trimmings and cut them into doughnuts as well. Transfer doughnuts to baking sheets, cover and let rise 45 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C). Fry doughnuts, in batches, turning several times, until golden all over. Using a slotted spoon remove doughnuts to a rack to drain. Let doughnuts cool and dredge in confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Place the water in a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over it and stir it in. Add the milk, quarter-cup sugar, salt, egg and three tablespoons vegetable oil and mix. Beat in one cup of the flour until the mixture is smooth.
• Sift another cup of flour with the nutmeg or mace and stir it into the batter mixture with a wooden spoon. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft but manageable dough. Cover and set aside to rise until doubled, about one hour.
• Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a well-floured surface. Dust it liberally with flour and knead 8 or 10 times, until elastic and smooth. Cover dough with large inverted bowl and rest for 15 minutes.
• Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough to one-half-inch thickness. Cut with a floured three-inch doughnut cutter and, using a spatula, carefully place the cut doughnuts on a floured cloth or surface. Reroll the scraps and cut more doughnuts. Cover the cut doughnuts with a cloth and allow to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour at least two inches of oil into a deep pan and bring it to 375 degrees over moderate heat. When the doughnuts have risen, slide them into the oil with a spatula and fry them, two or three at a time a minute or so on each side, until golden brown. Lift them out of the oil with a slotted spoon and place them on several thicknesses of paper towel to drain. Dust them with sugar while they are still warm.

Steps:

• Activate yeast in the work bowl of a large stand mixer. Add dry yeast to 1/4 cup warm water (about 105° F.) Set aside for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, scald milk. Cool to lukewarm.
• With flat beater in place add lukewarm milk, sugar, salt, shortening and eggs to yeast in mixer bowl. Mix on low until ingredients are blended. Switch to dough hook and add flour 1 cup at a time, stirring until mixture forms a ball of dough which follows the dough hook around the bowl.
• Place dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or oiled plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place for about 30 to 60 minutes.
• Punch dough down to exhaust air. Place onto a barely oiled surface. Roll 1/2 inch thick and cut with a doughnut cutter. Re-cover doughnuts with clean tea towels or plastic and allow to rise until doubled in bulk. (45 minutes to 1 hour).
• Using caution, heat oil to 350° F. , in a deep skillet or Dutch oven (I use a Fry Daddy) until a speck of dough dropped into hot fat dances on the surface. Fry doughnuts, three or four at a time, until golden brown, (about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 minutes per side), turning as necessary. Drain on inverted cooling rack placed over paper towel - lined sheet pan.
• TO PREPARE GLAZE: Mix boiling or very hot tap water with powdered sugar. Beat well until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Glaze doughnuts while still warm. (NOT HOT) !!
• NOTE: You are aiming for a very slightly slack dough because one that is too dry, will make a heavy end product.

Steps:

• Combine milk, 2 teaspoons sugar, and the yeast in a small bowl, and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Whisk egg, water, and vanilla in a bowl.
• Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and remaining sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With mixer on low speed, add yeast mixture, egg mixture, and butter, beating until just combined. Switch to the dough hook, and beat on medium speed until dough forms a ball, 18 to 20 minutes. Place dough in a large buttered bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and coat parchment with cooking spray. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out rounds with a 4-inch cutter, then cut out centers with a 1 1/2-inch cutter. Space rings and holes 1 inch apart on prepared sheet. Coat another piece of parchment with cooking spray, and cover doughnuts. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
• For the topping: Combine sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.
• Heat oil in a large pot until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with paper towels. Working in batches so as not to crowd pot, lower doughnuts (both rings and holes) into hot oil. Fry, turning them as they cook, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes total. Drain on paper towels for 2 minutes, then roll warm doughnuts in topping to coat. Doughnuts are best the day they are made, but they can be stored in airtight containers overnight.

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix the sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
• Add eggs, milk and melted butter. Beat well.
• Add 3 cups of the flour, beating until blended. Add one more cup of flour and beat well. The dough should be soft and sticky but firm enough to handle. If you feel its necessary, add up to 1/2 cup more flour.
• Cover with plastic wrap and chill for *at* *least* one hour.
• Remove your dough from the fridge and begin heating about 1" of oil to 360F in a large metal skillet.
• Working half the dough at a time, roll it out on a floured surface to about 1/2" thickness. Cut out circles using a doughnut cutter or large biscuit or cookie cutter. For the center, I actually use the cap off my martini shaker ;) to cut the holes.
• Gently drop the doughnuts in batches into the hot oil. Flip them over as they puff and turn them a couple more times as they cook. They will take about 2-3 minutes in total and will be lovely and golden brown all over.
• Remove from the oil and set them on paper towels or brown paper bag (that removes all the fat, you know).
• Douse them with sugar and cinnamon, icing, chocolate dipped with sprinkles or whatever you like.

Steps:

• Place 1/3 cup of the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and sugar and set aside for five minutes or so to let it proof. Stir the butter into the remaining cup of warm milk and add it to the yeast mixture. With a fork, stir in the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt - just until the flour is incorporated. With the dough hook attachment of your mixer beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed. Adjust the dough texture by adding flour a few tablepsoons at a time or more milk. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and eventually become supple and smooth. Turn it out onto a floured counter-top, knead a few times (the dough should be barely sticky), and shape into a ball.
• Transfer the dough to a buttered (or oiled) bowl, cover, put in a warm place, and let rise for an hour or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.
• Punch down the dough and roll it out 1/2-inch thick on your floured countertop. With a 2-3 inch cookie cutter, stamp out circles in the dough . Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. If you cut the inner holes out any earlier, they become distorted when you attempt to move them. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.
• Bake in a 375 degree oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes - start checking around 8. While the doughnuts are baking, place the butter in a medium bowl. Place the sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
• Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for just a minute or two. Dip each one in the melted butter and a quick toss in the sugar bowl. Eat immediately if not sooner.
• Makes 1 1/2 - 2 dozen medium doughnuts.