So, the kids wanted homemade yeast donuts. I thought, sure, we can do that. And since there was a Packers game this weekend, we made Green Bay Packers donuts.
Yeast donuts are a classic, pillowy soft donut that contains yeast in the dough, so it rises like a yeast bread. This style of donut is fried to produce a crispy outside texture.
There is not much to say about donuts containing health benefits. They are not the first choice for those seeking nutrients and protein. But, to appease the kids, here we are.
To improve the quality and eliminate the use of industrial seed oil, this recipe uses lard as a frying oil. In fact, lard is the oil that was traditionally used in donut making dating back over two hundred years.
Why Use Lard to Fry Yeast Donuts?
Lard had developed a bad rap, thanks to the marketing push to use vegetable oils. The problem with vegetable oils such as canola oil, corn oil, and palm oil, is that they are unstable when heated and produce a lot of oxidation. This particular chemical process can be a cause of inflammation in the body and damaging to normal processes. Even more, there is no evidence that the use of lard or other animal fats contributes to heart disease. This website link by Dr. Berg discusses the topic further: What Is Lard – 4 Types | More Healthy Than Vegetable Oil?.
Lard is budget friendly compared to other natural oils like tallow, olive oil, coconut oil, and butter. In addition, lard has a high smoke point, making it an ideal choice for frying.
Yeast Donut Preparation, Servings, and Storage
The process of making the donuts involves an overnight rise. This allows the donuts to be cut and fried right away the next morning so that they are hot and fresh for breakfast. They are prepped in a stand mixer in about ten minutes and then right in the refrigerator for a night’s rest. The prep and cook time the next morning is about an hour and fifteen minutes.
This recipe will make about two dozen donuts and two dozen donut holes- invite some company for breakfast to share the sweetness!
These yeast donuts are best fresh but can be stored in an airtight container for one additional day at room temperature.
Yeast Donuts are amazing, but here are some other delicious breakfast treats to try!
Homemade Yeast Donuts
Equipment
- stand mixer
- donut cutter
- 2 large sheet pans, lined with parchment paper
- large dutch oven
- food thermometer
- paper towel lined plate
- cooling rack
- small bowl for glaze
Ingredients
Donut dough ingredients
- 1⅛ cup Milk
- 10 tbsp Salted butter
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 2½ tsp Instant yeast
- 4 cups All purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp Sea salt
- 2 lbs Lard
Glaze Ingredients
- 6 tbsp Salted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp Milk
- 6 tbsp Heavy cream
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 3 cups Powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp Sea salt
Instructions
Dough Instructions
- Begin by heating the milk and butter in the microwave until the butter is melted.
- Check the temperature of the butter and milk. It will probably be too hot to mix with the yeast at this point. Allow to cool to 110℉.
- Once the butter and milk are 110℉, pour into the stand mixer bowl. Add the sugar and yeast and rest for a few minutes to allow the yeast to bubble and foam a little bit.
- Add flour and salt to the bowl.
- Using the dough hook attachment, knead the dough for 5 minutes.
- Remove the dough hook and form a dough ball with your hands. Place the dough back into the bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Making the donuts and glaze
- In the morning, remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator and let the bowl sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Flour a work surface and roll the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Using a donut cutter, cut as many donuts out as possible, staying close together so that you have less to roll a second time.
- Place the cut rings and donut holes onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan, cover with a towel and set aside. The donuts will rise again for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the temperature of the house.
- Reroll the dough that is left over to 1/2 inch thick and cut out more donuts. This recipe will make about 2 dozen donuts and 2 dozen donut holes.
- While the donuts are rising, heat the lard into the dutch oven over medium heat and make the glaze.
- Melt the butter in a mixing bowl in the microwave.
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, cream, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Microwave the glaze for 30 more seconds and stir. If the glaze is too thick, add up to 2 tablespoons of milk. I like to separate the glaze into 2 different bowls. I make a slightly thinner glaze for the donut holes.
- Monitor the temperature of the hot lard. It is ready to fry when the temperature is 350℉. If the temperature rises above 350℉, turn down the stove and allow the temperature to drop before continuing.
- Once the lard is ready, drop about half of the donut holes into the dutch oven. Fry for about 30 seconds and turn the donut holes with a slotted spoon. Once the donut holes are golden all around the outside, remove the donut holes to a paper towel lined plate and allow to cool slightly.
- While the donut holes are still warm, but not scalding hot, dip them into the glaze and place onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Once the donut holes are done frying, begin frying the rings. Gently remove the rings from the sheet pan and carefully place about 4 rings into the hot oil. Fry for about 30-45 seconds, or until they are golden brown. Flip the donuts with the slotted spoon to fry the other side for the same amount of time.
- Remove the rings from the hot oil and allow to slightly cool on the paper towel lined plate.
- Once the donuts are cool enough to touch, dip the top half of the donut into the bowl of glaze. Cover the glaze with sprinkles right away as the glaze hardens quickly and once it is hard, the sprinkles will not stick.
- Continue frying, dipping and sprinkling until all the donuts are a masterpiece waiting to be eaten.
- These donuts can be eaten as soon as the glaze is no longer wet to the touch. They are best tasting the day of frying but are not bad the second day.
Nutrition
Like a Krispy Kreme but better! GPG!