By: MOLLY RIDENOUR
Staff Writer
Homemade donuts are easy and fun to make. Take a couple hours with your family and make some. Good for family bonding and having fun. Let me walk you through the process so you understand what you’re doing. Homemade doughnuts seem a little intimidating, but I assure you– they’re really not!
- Prepare the dough. The dough comes together with a mixer. You can also make the dough by hand, but it requires a bit of arm muscle. After the dough comes together in the mixing bowl, knead it for 2 minutes.
- Let the dough rise. In a relatively warm environment, the dough rises in about 90 minutes.
- Punch down the dough to release the air.
- Roll & cut into doughnuts. Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut the doughnuts using a 3-3.5 inch doughnut cutter. Line 1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place doughnuts (and doughnut holes!) onto the lined baking sheet, then lightly cover and allow to rest as you prepare the oil.
- Prepare the oil. Using a heavy-duty pot and an oil thermometer, heat the oil to 375°F (191°C). Place a cooling rack over another baking sheet.
- Fry the doughnuts. Working with 2-3 doughnuts at a time, cook for 1 minute on each side. Carefully remove from the oil and place onto the prepared rack. Repeat with remaining doughnuts. (See my recipe note about making the doughnut holes.)
- Make the glaze. Dip each warm doughnut into the glaze and coat both sides. After about 20 minutes, the glaze will set.