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Bird's-eye view of three golden brown donuts with strawberry jam filling oozing from the center.

Easy Yeast Raised Donuts

Knead a soft yeast dough, let it rise, roll, cut, and deep-fry for homemade raised donuts. Ready in 95 minutes.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 15 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 150
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour 360g, plus an extra 1/2 cup (60g) for kneading
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar 67g
  • 3/4 cup warm milk 180ml
  • 1 tsp nutmeg optional
  • 1 tbsp instant yeast
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter 57g, melted
  • 1 pinch salt if using unsalted butter
  • oil for deep frying
  • Strawberry jam optional, for filling

Method
 

  1. Sift most flour:

    Sift 2 cups (240g) of the flour into a large mixing bowl; reserve the remaining 1 cup (120g) plus 1/2 cup (60g) for later use.

  2. Mix dry ingredients:

    Combine the yeast, sugar, and nutmeg with the flour and stir thoroughly.

  3. Form batter well:

    Form a well in the center, then pour in the warm milk, melted butter, and eggs. Mix until a soft, sticky batter forms.

  4. Incorporate reserved flour:

    Slowly incorporate the reserved 1 cup (120g) of flour, mixing until a soft dough comes together.

  5. Knead soft dough:

    Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for roughly 5 minutes, dusting with a little of the reserved flour as necessary. Do not over-flour; the dough should remain soft and slightly tacky.

  6. First rise dough:

    Put the dough into a large greased bowl, grease its top to prevent skin formation, cover, and let it rise for 1 hour until nearly tripled in volume.

  7. Roll and cut donuts:

    Deflate the dough by punching it down. Transfer to the work surface and roll it out to about 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) thickness. Cut into round donut shapes; optionally, cut out the centers to make donut holes.

  8. Second rise donuts:

    Arrange the donuts on a large tray or board, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let them rise for 10 to 20 minutes until puffy and nearly doubled in size.

  9. Deep-fry donuts:

    Heat oil to 375°F (190°C) and deep-fry the donuts until golden brown, turning once halfway through.

  10. Drain and finish:

    Remove the donuts from the oil and drain on paper towels or a cooling rack. Optionally fill with strawberry jam, glaze, dust with sugar, or serve plain.