How to Make Doughnuts at Home

There is nothing like one of Paula’s Homemade Yeast Doughnuts for a special morning treat or afternoon snack. Paula says they are about as close to heaven as you can get that early in the morning! Paula’s homemade doughnut recipe yields a dozen 2” to 3” doughnuts and doughnut holes, and we’re here to show you how incredibly easy they are to make.

Start by gathering your ingredients.

Doughnut Ingredients:
¾ cup warm milk
1 packet active dry yeast
¼ cup granulated sugar
2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting your dough and board
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 egg yolks
Nonstick cooking spray
Peanut oil (can substitute with vegetable oil), for frying

Glaze Ingredients:
1 stick butter, room temperature
2½ cups confectioner’s sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons hot water
Sprinkles, for garnish

Now let’s get to it, shall we?

Step 1: Mixing the Dough. Pour warm milk, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer. Let it stand until the yeast starts to foam—about 10 minutes. Attach the dough hook to the standing mixer while yeast is activating.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the flour mixture, butter, and egg yolks to the yeast mixture, and beat on medium speed until it comes together and forms a ball—about 3 to 5 minutes.

Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Step 2: Cutting Out the Doughnuts. Spray a sheet tray with nonstick cooking spray, and set it aside. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, and roll it out to a ½” thickness. Using a 2” to 3” doughnut cutter, cut out doughnuts, and transfer them and their holes to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 1” apart.

Spray the tops of the doughnuts and doughnut holes with nonstick cooking spray, and cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap. Let the cut-out dough stand in a warm place until they have almost doubled in size—about 30 minutes.

Pro Tip: You can also use a drinking glass or biscuit cutter to cut out your doughnuts and a plastic bottle cap to cut out the holes.

Step 3: Frying the Doughnuts. Using a deep fryer or Dutch oven, heat the oil to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with paper towels or brown paper, and set it aside. Working in batches, fry the doughnuts and doughnut holes until lightly golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer them from the fryer to the paper-lined baking sheet, and let the doughnuts cool for 10 minutes before glazing.

Step 4: Glazing the Doughnuts. To make the glaze, mix all of the glaze ingredients together in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer or whisk. The glaze mixture should be thin. Add more hot water, if needed, to thin out the glaze, and keep the glaze warm until it’s time to use it.

Once the doughnuts are cool enough, dip them, one at a time, into the warm glaze, covering the top half of each doughnut with the glaze. Dip the glazed side down into a bowl filled with your favorite sprinkles, and place the finished on a tray to set for 10 minutes before serving.

See? Not only are these doughnuts tasty, but they’re a HOLE lot of fun to make. Enjoy!