These melt in your mouth soft homemade doughnuts are so delicious, perfect and airy. Top with melted chocolate, glaze or just cinnamon sugar, and watch these little rings of delight disappear off the plate in record time.
Soft Homemade Doughnuts
There is no beating any classic recipe, they are pure nostalgic comfort food, shared and passed on through the years.
Made with minimal change today in our kitchens, coffee shops, restaurants or bakeries. Just like with these super soft classic doughnuts, absolute perfection and even better homemade.
Easy to prepare, and dipped in your favourite toppings, makes this a really fun recipe.
A few tips when making these doughnuts
- The liquid added to the dry ingredients should be just warm, not too hot or too cold. If you have a thermometer, it should read between 100° - 115°F ( 37°C - 46°C)
- In this recipe, I used vegetable shortening. This is what gives the doughnuts that crisp, melt-in-your-mouth texture. If you do not have shortening, then go ahead and substitute it with butter.
- Do not over-handle the dough, just mix and knead it for 3 to 5 minutes until it forms a soft dough. After the dough has risen, press it out using the palms of your hands before cutting into doughnuts. Avoid using a rolling pin. Overhandling the dough will cause the doughnuts to lose that soft and airy texture when fried.
- Allow the oil to heat up to between 350°F - 370°F ( 176°C - 185°C ) before frying the doughnuts.
MAKING THE SOFT HOMEMADE DOUGHNUTS
- Using a large bowl, combine the instant dry yeast, sugar, flour and salt. ( Dry ingredients )
- In a jug or saucepan, warm the milk and water. It should be just warm, not too hot or cold. If you have a thermometer, it should read between 100° - 115°F ( 37°C - 46°C). Add beaten eggs, shortening or butter to the warm milk and water mixture ( wet ingredients) and mix.
- Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
- Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead for about 3 to 5 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth. If you find that the dough is too sticky, then add up to ¼ cup extra flour while kneading.
ALLOW THE DOUGH TO RISE
- Place the dough back into the bowl and in a warm, draft free area of your kitchen, allow the dough to double in volume. This should take an hour.
- After an hour, punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured surface.
- Using your palms press out the dough to about ½ inch ( 1 ½ cm ) thick and cut out the doughnuts using a doughnut or cookie cutter.
- If you are using a cookie cutter, then cut out the centre of each doughnut using a smaller cutter as well.
- Place the cutout doughnuts onto a tray and leave to rise again for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Using a deep pan, add sufficient oil to deep fry the doughnuts.
- Allow the oil to heat up to between 350°F - 370°F ( 176°C - 185°C ) before frying the doughnuts.
- Deep fry the doughnuts for about 1 minute on each side, until cooked and golden brown.
- Drain the doughnuts on paper towel and top as preferred.
Topping suggestions: cinnamon sugar, melted chocolate, or a simple glaze.
Super easy to make, skip the store-bought next time and give these homemade doughnuts a try, so deliciously soft and light.
Enjoy ♥
If you like this recipe how about trying out my other doughnut and dessert recipes
Still hungry for more?
Follow on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram or Subscribe for the latest recipe updates.
Soft Homemade Doughnuts
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 5 cups all purpose / cake flour
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 ½ teaspoons instant dry yeast
WET INGREDIENTS
- ¼ cup water
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 2 eggs beaten
- ⅓ cup vegetable shortening or butter
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Using a large bowl, combine the instant dry yeast, sugar, flour, and salt. ( Dry ingredients )
- In a jug or saucepan, warm the milk and water. It should be just warm, not too hot or cold. If you have a thermometer, it should read between 100° - 115°F ( 37°C - 46°C)
- Add beaten eggs, shortening, or butter to the warm milk and water mixture ( wet ingredients).
- Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
- Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead for about 3 to 5 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth. If you find that the dough is too sticky, then add up to ¼ cup extra flour while kneading.
- Place the dough back into the bowl and in a warm, draft-free area of your kitchen, allow the dough to double in volume. This should take an hour.
- After an hour, punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured surface. Using your palms press out the dough to about ½ inch ( 1 ½ cm ) thick and cut out the doughnuts using a doughnut or cookie cutter. If you are using a cookie-cutter, then cut out the center of each doughnut using a smaller cutter as well.
- Place the cutout doughnuts onto a tray and leave to rise again for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Using a deep pan or pot, add sufficient oil to deep fry the doughnuts.
- Allow the oil to heat up to between 350°F - 370°F ( 176°C - 185°C ) before you start to fry the doughnuts.
- Deep fry the doughnuts for about 1 minute on each side, until cooked and golden brown.
- Transfer the doughnuts to a plate lined with a paper towel
- Top or frost as preferred
- Topping suggestion : cinnamon sugar, melted chocolate, glace icing.
Nutrition
These look awesome Ashika! They caught my eye on Facebook and I just had to pop over to check out the recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Comforting it is 🙂 Love it ! Thank you Ashika !
These doughnuts do look amazing, I have never tried making fried ones before but I must admit nothing beats a fried doughnut.
Ashika, these look killer! I've never fried my own doughnuts but I think I need to start. I'm just afraid I won't be able to stop!
There’s nothing like a classic donut, Ashika! And these are beatiful and look so scrumptious I’d like to try them all, please!
Those are some fine looking doughnuts. They could set on the racks at any Dunkin Donut House. We don't have proper donut shops here so I might just make up a batch for the holidays.
Oh yes please Ashika! Your donuts look amazing! Those toppings are to die for. I could easily have a couple of those with my coffee that I'm having right now. I know something was missing! 🙂
Ashika! These donuts look so soft and delicious, like they came straight from a bakery. My kids would love me if I made these!! XO
Hello! Although I realize this is not a Hanukkah post, it is customary to eat fried foods to celebrate the holiday so this is a very timely post for me! These look amazing!
These look absolutely fabulous!!! Looks so soft and so perfect. I haven't made doughnuts in a long time. This is such a yummy treat!
Hi!! Tried ur recipe. It came out very nice.. Soft and yummy!! The only mistake I did was I cut the donuts and kept on non-oiled parchment paper. So, after allowing the cut donuts to raise, I was not able to take it from the sheet. It got stuck. So, better to oil the parchment or the plate on which we r planning to keep the cut donuts!! 100 marks for the recipe 😊😊
These look amazing! I wonder if these could be baked instead of fried?
Hi Kristin. Thank you 🙂
I have not baked these doughnuts. I do know that it will change the texture of the doughnuts if it is baked instead of fried though. It might not be as soft when baked.
If you are looking for a baked doughnut recipe, you could try my Chocolate Cake Doughnuts or my Baked Doughnuts.
I hope that this helps 🙂
approx. how many does this make? they look great
Hi Ella, thank you, this recipe makes approximately 20 doughnuts, but it will also depend on the size of the cutter you are using 🙂
do you add all purpose flour or cake flour or both flour
Hi Angelina, You can use either cake flour OR all purpose. Not both. I always prefer and use cake flour in my recipes including these doughnuts.
All purpose is an alternative I will suggest when cake flour is not available in a certain countries.
I hope this helps 🙂