These strawberry glazed donuts get their bakery-soft crumb from a tangzhong paste that locks in extra moisture, no stale donuts by lunch. The freeze-dried strawberry powder packs concentrated flavor into the dough, glaze, and sugar coating without throwing off hydration, so you get a true pink color and tart-sweet taste, not artificial something. Getting the oil temperature right is the only real hurdle: too hot and the exterior burns before the center sets, too cool and they turn greasy.
Fry in small batches, keep a thermometer handy, and you’ll nail the pale ring that signals a light, airy interior.
Why use tangzhong in yeast donuts?
Tangzhong is a cooked flour-water paste that pre-gelatinizes the starch in a portion of the flour. That lets the dough hold onto more liquid than it normally could, which you’ll notice in the finished donut: a noticeably softer, more tender crumb that stays fresh longer.
Ordinary yeast donuts start to stale after a few hours, but these keep their bounce into the next day. The recipe’s tangzhong uses water and bread flour, then gets mixed right into the dough. You don’t need extra steps at mixing time, just add it with the milk and egg.
Why freeze-dried strawberries instead of fresh or frozen?
Fresh or frozen strawberries dump unwanted water into the dough, which throws off hydration and makes the dough sticky and hard to handle. Freeze-dried berries give you intense strawberry flavor and a natural pink color without any extra moisture.
You grind them into a fine powder, which mixes evenly into the dough and also goes into the sugar coating and glaze. The color stays true after frying, so you get a pale pink crumb without any artificial dye.
What happens if the frying oil is too hot or too cool?
Frying at 330, 350°F (165, 177°C) keeps the donuts cooking evenly. If the oil creeps above 350°F, the exterior browns too fast and the inside stays doughy. If it drops below 330°F, the donuts soak up extra oil and turn greasy.
You’ll know the temperature is right when the donuts puff up quickly and develop a golden-brown crust with a pale ring around the center, that ring signals a light, airy interior.
Why proof donuts on parchment squares?
Soft, high-hydration doughs like this one are delicate after proofing. Lifting them by hand would deflate them.
By proofing each donut on its own parchment square, you can lower the whole thing into the hot oil without touching the dough. The parchment peels off after about 5 to 10 seconds in the oil, and the donut fries evenly.
It’s a simple trick that saves you from squished donuts.
Prep: 2 hr 29 min · Cook: 15 min · Total: 2 hr 44 min · Servings: 9 · Calories: 400 kcal
Ingredients to watch in strawberry glazed donuts
Bread flour: Two types of bread flour here: one for tangzhong, one for dough. Both are the same flour, just measured separately.
Freeze-dried strawberry powder: Grind 1.5 bags into powder for dough and sugar; leave the last half bag whole for garnish.
Unsalted butter: Let it soften to room temperature before adding so it incorporates smoothly into the dough.
Neutral oil for frying: Use an oil with a high smoke point like canola or avocado, not olive oil.
Working with a tangzhong donut dough
Cook the tangzhong
Whisk water and bread flour in a saucepan over medium heat. The mixture will thin out, then abruptly thicken into a stiff paste. Keep whisking until it pulls away from the sides and forms a smooth, glossy ball, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Scrape it out and let it cool completely.
Mix the dry base
Combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the milk, egg, and cooled tangzhong. Knead on low for 2 minutes, the dough will look shaggy and dry at first, but it will come together.
You should have a stiff, slightly sticky mass.
Add strawberry powder
Sprinkle in the freeze-dried strawberry powder and knead on low until the dough turns an even pale pink with no white streaks. The dough will feel tacky but not wet. If it feels dry, add a teaspoon of milk.
Knead in the butter
Add butter one tablespoon at a time, letting each piece disappear before the next. The dough will look greasy and break apart, that’s normal. Keep kneading until it becomes smooth, elastic, and pulls away from the bowl, about 12 minutes on speed 2.
Do the windowpane test: stretch a small piece thin enough to see light through without tearing.
First rest and shape
Ball the dough and let it rest 30 minutes (covered). It will relax but not double.
Roll to ¾-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut donuts and place each on its parchment square.
Reroll scraps only twice, after that, the dough gets tough. The cut donuts should hold their shape without spreading.
Proof the donuts
Cover loosely and let rise until doubled and puffy, 60 to 75 minutes. They’re ready when you gently press one and it springs back slowly, leaving a slight indent. If they deflate on touch, they’re over-proofed, fry them immediately anyway.
Heat the oil
When donuts are halfway through proofing, heat oil to 340°F (170°C). Use a thermometer, don’t guess.
The oil should shimmer but not smoke. Adjust the burner to keep it between 330 to 350°F while frying.
Fry in batches
Lower donuts into oil with the parchment still attached. The parchment will release in 5 to 10 seconds; remove it with tongs.
Fry 2 at a time for 2½ minutes total, flipping halfway. They should puff immediately and develop a golden-brown crust with a pale ring around the center. If the ring is missing, the oil is too hot; if the crust is dark and the center doughy, oil is too cool.
Glaze and garnish
Roll cooled donuts’ sides in strawberry sugar. Whisk powdered sugar, strawberry powder, and water into a thick but pourable glaze. Spoon over tops, the glaze should flow slowly and set within minutes.
Garnish with crushed freeze-dried strawberries before it sets.
Strawberry Glazed Donuts
Ingredients
Make the Donut Dough
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup bread flour
- 3 cups + 2 tablespoons bread flour 450g
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 25g
- 1 tablespoon + 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast 11g
- 1 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 7g
- 2/3 cup whole milk, room temperature 160ml
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- Tangzhong (from recipe above)
- 1/4 cup freeze-dried strawberry powder 20g
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 70g
Fry the Donuts
- Neutral oil for frying (like canola, vegetable, or avocado oil)
Make the Strawberry Sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100g
- 1 tablespoon freeze-dried strawberry powder 5g
Make the Strawberry Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar 240g
- 1-2 tablespoons freeze-dried strawberry powder 5-10g
- 4-5 tablespoons room temperature water 60-75ml
- Extra freeze-dried strawberries for garnishing
Instructions
Make the Donut Dough
Grind freeze-dried strawberries:
Note: You’ll need 2 (1-ounce) bags of freeze-dried strawberries. Grind 1½ bags together into a fine powder using a blender, spice grinder, or food processor. Reserve the remaining ½ bag, unblended, to garnish the tops.Cook tangzhong paste:
In a small saucepan, whisk together the water and bread flour. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens to a paste, about 4-5 minutes. Scrape into a small bowl and set aside until ready to use.Mix dough ingredients:
In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add the milk, egg, and tangzhong; knead on low for 2 minutes until a dough forms.Add strawberry powder:
Add the freeze-dried strawberry powder and knead until evenly incorporated and pale pink.Knead in butter:
Knead in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until fully incorporated. Increase speed to 2 and knead for 12 minutes, until smooth, elastic, and the dough passes the windowpane test. The dough should feel soft and tacky.Rest dough:
Shape the dough into a ball, return to the bowl, cover, and rest for 30 minutes.Cut parchment squares:
While resting, cut 9 parchment squares, 4-5 inches each.Roll and cut donuts:
Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 3/4-inch thick. Cut out donuts, rerolling scraps twice to get as many donuts as possible.Proof donuts:
Place each donut on a parchment square and arrange them on a baking tray. Cover loosely, and let rise until puffy and doubled, 60-75 minutes. If your kitchen is cold, this could take longer. Meanwhile, read through the next steps below.
Fry the Donuts
Heat oil:
When donuts are halfway proofed, heat 3-4 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat to about 340°F (170°C). Keep the oil between 330-350°F (165-177°C) while frying. Oil that’s too hot can over-brown the donuts, while oil that drops too low during frying can make them greasy. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a steady temperature.Prepare cooling rack:
Set a wire rack over a baking sheet and set aside.Check donut readiness:
The donuts are ready when they feel light and airy and slowly spring back when gently pressed.Fry donuts:
Working in batches of 2, lower donuts into the oil with the parchment attached. Remove parchment after 5-10 seconds. Fry for 2½ minutes total, flipping halfway, until golden brown with a pale ring around the center.Cool donuts:
Transfer to the wire rack and cool completely.
Make the Strawberry Sugar
Coat in strawberry sugar:
In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and strawberry powder. Once cooled, roll just the sides of the donuts in the sugar.
Make the Strawberry Glaze
Make strawberry glaze:
In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, strawberry powder, and water until smooth. The glaze should be thick, but thin enough to flow smoothly when piped or spooned onto the donuts.Glaze and garnish:
Spoon the glaze over the tops. Garnish with sprinkles or more freeze-dried strawberries and enjoy!
Swap the freeze-dried fruit, but not the flour
Freeze-dried strawberries: Freeze-dried raspberries or blueberries. You’ll get the same concentrated flavor and natural color without extra moisture.
The dough color shifts to pinkish-purple with blueberries or deeper pink with raspberries. Grind them to a fine powder just like the strawberries.
The amount stays the same by weight (20g for the dough, 5-10g for the glaze, 5g for the sugar).
Bread flour: All-purpose flour. All-purpose flour has less protein, so the donuts will be less chewy and more cake-like. The dough will feel softer and a bit stickier, so resist adding extra flour.
The tangzhong still works, but the final crumb won’t have the same bounce. The windowpane test is harder to pass because the weaker gluten tears more easily, stop kneading when the dough feels smooth and passes a rough stretch test.
Whole milk: Any plant-based milk (unsweetened, plain). Use oat, soy, or almond milk at room temperature. The fat content varies, so the dough might feel slightly less tender.
Soy or oat milk gives the closest texture; almond milk makes the dough a bit drier. Add an extra 1 to 2 teaspoons of milk if the dough feels tight during mixing.
Butter: Vegan butter sticks (like Miyoko’s or Earth Balance). Use the same weight (70g) at room temperature. Vegan butters have different water content, so the dough may feel slightly greasier during kneading, but it will come together.
The final donut will be less rich and the crumb a tad more tender. Avoid margarine spreads, they have too much water and can make the dough sticky.
Tips
- If the dough tears before becoming translucent during the windowpane test, knead for another minute or two on speed 2, then test again. Under-kneaded dough won’t trap enough gas for a light crumb.
- When frying, drop a scrap piece of dough into the oil first to check the temperature: it should bubble vigorously and float within 10 seconds. If it sinks and sits on the bottom, the oil is too cool.
Storage and Serving
Donuts are best eaten within a few hours after glazing. The glaze sets but stays slightly soft, and the strawberry sugar coating stays crisp. If you need to keep them longer, store unglazed donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
The crumb stays tender, but the exterior may soften slightly. Do not refrigerate; it speeds staling. For longer storage, freeze unglazed donuts in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 1 month.
Thaw at room temperature. Glaze and sugar coat just before serving.
Glazed donuts do not freeze well. The glaze absorbs into the donut and turns gummy on thawing. If you have glazed leftovers, eat within 1 day.
After that, the glaze loses its glossy sheen and the donut texture declines.
I used to end up with greasy, sad donuts and blamed the recipe until I realized my oil was barely sizzling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it?
You can, but the recipe’s timing is designed for same-day prep. The dough uses tangzhong, which keeps it fresh longer, so feel free to shape the donuts, place them on parchment squares, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, let them come to room temperature and finish proofing before frying, check for the slow spring-back test.
Unfried donuts freeze well for up to a month; thaw at room temp and proof before frying.
Why did my donuts turn out greasy?
Most likely the oil temperature dropped below 330°F during frying. When the oil is too cool, the donuts soak up excess fat instead of forming a quick crust. Fry in small batches, only 2 at a time, and let the oil come back to 340°F between batches.
Another cause is under-proofing: dense dough absorbs more oil, so make sure the donuts feel light and airy before they hit the oil.
How do I know when the donuts are fully proofed?
They should look puffy and doubled in size, about 60 to 75 minutes. The best test: gently press one with your finger, it should slowly spring back, leaving a slight indent. If the indent stays and the donut deflates, it’s over-proofed; fry it immediately anyway.
If it springs back quickly with no indent, it needs more time. The dough will also feel noticeably lighter and airy when you lift the parchment square.
What’s the difference between these strawberry glazed donuts and classic glazed donuts?
The biggest difference is the tangzhong method, which gives these donuts a softer, more tender crumb that stays fresh longer than a classic yeast donut. The freeze-dried strawberry powder adds concentrated fruit flavor and a natural pink color to the dough, the glaze, and the sugar coating, no artificial colors or extracts. The crumb itself is pale pink and the glaze has a tangy-sweet strawberry taste, not just plain sugar.
