Okay, so I’ve been craving donuts lately, the fluffy, yeasty kind, not the cakey ones. I decided to try making them from scratch, but honestly, I was a little intimidated. Then I found this “yeast raised donut mix” at the store and figured, why not? It might be a good stepping stone.
Getting Started
I grabbed the mix, some milk, an egg, and oil for frying. The instructions on the box seemed pretty straightforward. First, I poured the mix into a big bowl.
Mixing it Up
Next, I warmed up the milk – it said lukewarm, so I just microwaved it for a bit until it felt, well, lukewarm. I added the milk and a beaten egg to the mix. Then came the stirring. The instructions said to mix until it formed a soft dough. It took a little elbow grease, but eventually, it all came together.
The Waiting Game (aka Proofing)
This is where the patience part comes in. I covered the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it sit in a warm place for about an hour. The dough needed to double in size. I just set a timer and went off to do other things.
Rolling and Cutting
After the hour, the dough had definitely puffed up! I lightly floured my countertop and dumped the dough out. I rolled it out to about half an inch thick. Now, I don’t have a fancy donut cutter, so I just used a large glass for the outer circle and a small bottle cap for the donut hole. Worked like a charm!
Second Rise
I carefully placed the cut-out donuts and holes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then, another waiting period! I covered them again and let them rise for another 30 minutes or so.
Frying Time!
This is the exciting (and slightly scary) part. I heated about 2 inches of oil in a large pot. The instructions said 375°F, but I don’t have a thermometer for oil, So, I just wait a few minites to heat it, and tested it with a small piece of dough. It needed to sizzle and turn golden brown pretty quickly.
Once the oil was hot, I carefully lowered a few donuts at a time into the pot, being extra careful not to splash myself with hot oil. I flipped them after a couple of minutes until they were golden brown all over.
Cooling and Glazing
I used a slotted spoon to remove the donuts from the oil and placed them on a wire rack lined with paper towels to drain off the excess oil. While they were still warm, I dipped them in a simple glaze I whipped up (just powdered sugar, a little milk, and vanilla extract). You could totally get creative here with sprinkles, chocolate, whatever you like!
The Taste Test
Finally, the moment of truth! I took a bite, and… wow! They were surprisingly light and fluffy, just like I wanted. The mix definitely made the process easier, and the result was pretty darn good for a first-timer. I was using mix, so I think if you make it by yourself, the taste must be better.
All in all, I’m calling this a win. Homemade donuts without the total intimidation factor. Next time, I might try making the dough from scratch, but this was a great and tasty experiment!
