Skip to Content

Yeast Doughnuts

Categories Dessert

I love yeast doughnuts and making them at home isn’t particularly difficult either, mostly just takes some passive time and a little learning when it comes to deep frying them. The cooking is the hardest thing. That takes practice. They cook really quickly, I found for me 20-30 seconds is all it takes. My kids went a little crazy over these! I made some fun colored ones because spring is on it’s way here in the northern hemisphere.

Use caution when deep frying at home. From someone who nearly burned my house down when trying to make onion rings when I was a newlywed.

Here are a few motherly safety pointers:

  • Keep your cooking path clear, nothing to get tipped over onto the stove and your foot path clear, nothing for you to trip over. (I have 4 kids so things end up under or around my feet, hands, body all of the time.)
  • Be careful with water around oil. It will make the oil explode EVERYWHERE. Trust me I spent a week cleaning up burnt oil off of every single surface of my kitchen when my husband who didn’t know it was oil that was on fire, threw water on it. So no water.
  • Never turn your back on the oil.
  • If your oil starts to smoke, immediately remove from heat and let it cool down.
  • If you have a fire, throw baking soda on it and remove from heat as safely and carefully as you can.
  • When you are finished, remove from heat and let it cool in a safe place.
  • Ok, now I feel like I have done my mothering duty on helping you be safe around hot oil.

What you need to make yeast doughnuts:

Makes 25 standard doughnuts and 25 doughnut holes

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 and 1/2 tablespoons yeast
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk – heated then cooled until it’s warm.
  • 1 cup butter – melted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 5 cups+1/2 cup flour
  • vegetable oil for frying (you want it to be around 2 inches deep)

For the glaze:

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cup powdered sugar
  • 4 tablespoons milk

Instructions for doughnuts:

  1. Heat milk in microwave or on the stove until it steams, then remove and cool until it’s warm.
  2. Add warm water and yeast to a mixing bowl and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add sugar.
  4. Add milk.
  5. Add butter.
  6. Add salt.
  7. Add egg yolks
  8. Stir.
  9. Add flour one cup at a time.
  10. Knead dough for 5 minutes.
  11. Let rise for 1 hour.
  12. Gently punch down dough and roll out to ~1 to 1 and 1/2 inch thickness.
  13. Use a doughnut cutter to cut out doughnuts.
  14. Place on a piece of parchment paper and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
  15. Let rise for another hour to 1.5 hours or until doughnuts are double in size.
  16. Heat oil on stove until it gets to 360 to 375 F. if using a cooking or candy thermometer. If going rouge without a thermometer place a popcorn kernel in the oil and when it pops, it’s to temp, then reduce heat by 1/3 and that should be a good temp. Play around with it for find the perfect setting for your stove.
  17. These cook very quickly so around 15-20 seconds per side. So when golden, flip then remove from oil.
  18. Fry 2-3 doughnuts at a time to keep the temperature consistent.
  19. Place on a cooling rack with a paper towel underneath so they can drain.

Instructions for the Glaze:

Mix all of the ingredients together and dip warm doughnuts in the glaze then place on a cooling rack or piece of parchment so they can dry slightly.
Enjoy!

*Note- if you are wanting a colored frosting, use glaze recipe but add more powdered sugar so it’s thicker and doesn’t run down the sides of the doughnut and pipe on the top instead of dipping.

Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Yeast Doughnuts

Yummy homemade yeast doughnuts!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 minute
Total Time23 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: Breakfast, Dessert
Keyword: Breakfast, Dessert, donuts, Easter, Kids Favorite
Servings: 25 doughnuts

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
  • 1/3 cup Sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk - heated then cooled until it's warm.
  • 1 cup Butter - melted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
  • 5 1/2 cups Flour
  • vegetable oil for frying you want it to be around 2 inches deep
  • For the Glaze
  • 4 tablespoons Butter
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cup powdered sugar
  • 4 tablespoons Milk

Instructions

  • Heat milk in microwave or on the stove until it steams, then remove and cool until it's warm.
  • Add warm water and yeast to a mixing bowl and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add sugar.
  • Add milk.
  • Add butter.
  • Add salt.
  • Add egg yolks
  • Stir.
  • Add flour one cup at a time.
  • Knead dough for 5 minutes.
  • Let rise for 1 hour.
  • Gently punch down dough and roll out to ~1 to 1 and 1/2 inch thickness.
  • Use a doughnut cutter to cut out doughnuts.
  • Place on a piece of parchment paper and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
  • Let rise for another hour to 1.5 hours or until doughnuts are double in size.
  • Heat oil on stove until it gets to 360 to 375 F. if using a cooking or candy thermometer. If going rouge without a thermometer place a popcorn kernel in the oil and when it pops, it's to temp, then reduce heat by 1/3 and that should be a good temp. Play around with it for find the perfect setting for your stove.
  • These cook very quickly so around 15-20 seconds per side. So when golden, flip then remove from oil.
  • Fry 2-3 doughnuts at a time to keep the temperature consistent.
  • Place on a cooling rack with a paper towel underneath so they can drain.
  • Instructions for Glaze:
  • Mix all of the ingredients together until smooth and dip warm doughnuts in the glaze then place on a cooling rack or piece of parchment so they can dry slightly.
  • Enjoy!
5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)