Basic Yeast Doughnuts (with variations)
Makes approximately 1 dozen
  •    6.25 ounces whole milk
  •     1.25 ounces water
  •     1 ounce butter
  •    12.5 ounces all-purpose flour
  •     1/16 tsp nutmeg
  •     1/16 tsp cinnamon
  •     1/2 teaspoon salt
  •     1 ounce sugar
  •     1 tsp instant yeast
  •     1 egg
  •     Vegetable oil, for frying
Directions
  1. Heat the milk, water, and butter together until the mixture is warm (80-90 degrees). If over 90 degrees allow to cool slightly.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients: flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if mixing by hand). Add the warm milk mixture and mix to combine. Add the eggs, scraping the bowl well. On medium speed, using the dough hook, mix until the dough begins to pull away from the edges. The dough will still be quite sticky.
  3. Place dough in a well-oiled container or bag. Allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the dough overnight so that it’s ready to make in the morning.
  4. To shape the doughnuts, roll out half of the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/2-inch thick. Use a doughnut cutter to cut doughnuts or two different size round cutters.
  5. Heat oil to 360° F. Fry the doughnuts turning halfway through cooking, until they're golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towels. Finish as desired.
Finishing options: 
  • Sugar: Toss in powdered sugar, bakers sugar, or cinnamon sugar. 
  • Glazed: Mix 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk (enough to make a runny glaze), and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. 
  • Chocolate-Glazed: Mix 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, and 4 to 5 tablespoons milk or cream. 
  • Chocolate-Coated: Dip doughnuts in tempered chocolate thinned with 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. 
  • Fruit-Glazed: Mix 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup fruit purée. 
  • Nuts: Glaze donuts with basic glaze, then press in chopped toasted nuts. 
  • Coconut: Glaze with coconut glaze (1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup coconut milk, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla), and press in toasted coconut flakes. 
  • Black and White: Make a dark chocolate ganache with 1 cup chopped dark chocolate and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Make a white chocolate ganache with 1 cup chopped white chocolate with 1/4 cup heavy cream. Glaze half the doughnut with the chocolate glaze and half with the white glaze. 
  • Lemon: Mix 1 cup powdered sugar with the zest and juice of 1 lemon, then add enough milk to form a pourable glaze. 
  • Cinnamon Roll: Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick. Mix together 1 stick melted butter with 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon. Spread the mixture evenly all over the dough, then roll tightly into a cylinder. Cut into 1 inch-thick pieces, then bake until golden brown. Glaze with basic glaze.
        
Basic Cake Doughnuts
Author Notes: This recipe is for vanilla cake doughnuts, but you can make them chocolate by subbing out 1/2 cup flour for 1/2 cup cocoa powder! 
Erin McDowell

Makes about 1 dozen doughnuts
  • 1 ounce unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 1 ounce vegetable or melted coconut oil
  • 2.5 ounces granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg (2 ounces)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 7.5 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
  • 5 fluid ounces whole milk, at room temperature
Preheat oil to 375° F. 
  1. In a large bowl, whisk the butter, oil, and sugar together until well combined, about 1 minute.
  2. Add the eggs and mix until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
  3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to combine.
  4. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined. Add 1/2 of the milk and mix until fully incorporated. Repeat, adding another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining 1/2 of the milk, then finally the last of the flour. Mix until thoroughly incorporated, but do not overmix.
  5. Transfer the batter to a large piping bag and cut a 1/2-inch opening from the tip. Pipe the batter onto prepared parchment squares.
  6. Fry the doughnuts until they are golden and spring back when touched. Alternatively they can be baked at 375 degrees, 15 to 17 minutes in a donut mold. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Cool for at least 10 minutes more before glazing or finishing.
Author’s NOTE: I love to make one batch of vanilla batter and one batch of chocolate batter and swirl them together! Pipe a small amount of vanilla batter in two quarters of each doughnut mold, and fill in the remaining two quarters with chocolate batter, then use a toothpick to swirl them together.
Some finishing suggestions: Vanilla Glaze: Mix 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk (enough to make a runny glaze), and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Chocolate Glaze: Mix 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder, and 4 to 5 tablespoons milk or cream. Matcha White Chocolate Glaze: Melt 1 1/2 cups white chocolate and add 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil and 1 tablespoon matcha powder. Stir to combine. Powdered: Toss in confectioners' sugar while still warm to coat. Cinnamon-Sugar: Toss in cinnamon sugar while still warm to coat.