Slow Rise Yeast Doughnuts

The doughnut kick is ongoing as I seek a doughnut good enough to make at home that will make me feel like I've got my go-to recipe. I'm looking for a reliable one to keep available when I decide to have a bake-a-thon.

I've been doing quite a bit of research, which may be obvious given that I'm on recipe number 5 sofar. This one was blogged about as a go-to recipe.

The big difference between this recipe and others is the slow rise. It's not something I'd even imagined before. All the dough rising I'd done involved a warm place and being covered with a towel. I've had dough rest in the fridge for cookies and scones, but not had a yeast recipe. Then again, I won't qualify myself as a yeast expert. I'm still in at middle school level.

In a large mixing bowl, I added the flour, sugar, yeast, eggs and milk, then mixed it until it was well combined. I should note that the blogger I read the original recipe from mentioned that some stand mixers required less flour in the recipes. It's a good idea to watch the dough and determine. I started with 4 cups, and after being combined the dough was still sticky, so I added some more. I wound up using 5 cups for a good mix. 

Next, I covered the dough and placed it in the fridge. The dough needs to rise in the fridge for at least 8 hours, though I left mine overnight. Slow, cold rising is definitely outside of my realm.

Another unique part of this recipe was the use of shortening when rolling out the dough. First of all, I loved it and it worked very effectively. But it different than I've worked with in the past. And honestly, I was really digging how easy it was to roll out the dough without making a mess and having no stick!

The dough kept its form well after cutting, which is absolutely admirable to me. At this point I've tried out several recipes and found that this part is essential for making a doughnut that doesn't look deformed. In regards to the scraps, it's important to let the dough rest for a few minutes before cutting more doughnuts. They likely won't be as lovely, but if you're like me, you want to use all you can.

After cutting, I let the dough rise in my luke-warm oven for about 20 minutes to rise a little more.

The good news across all the fried doughnut recipes is pretty consistent. I drop the dough in, cook about a minute, then flip and cook the other side. I made some for filling and others as regular doughnuts.

As I've been in dough production mode, it's been all about the basic glazed.

Out of all the doughnuts I've made sofar, these were the prettiest and to me, had the best flavor (I made another one that I haven't posted yet that actually got even better flavor feedback from others, but these were my pick). They genuinely hit the spot for me as a tasty, top-tier doughnut. I can't wait to make these again and again!

Slow Rise Yeast Doughnuts Recipe

Ingredients:

For the dough:

 5 cups all-purpose flour (increase depending on how sticky the dough is)

 3/4 cup granulated sugar

 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast (see note for active dry yeast)

 2 cups cold milk (I used whole but 2% works as well)

 2 large eggs

 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

 1 cup butter, softened and cut into tablespoon-sized pieces

 2 to 3 quarts canola oil, for frying

For the glaze:

 6 cups powdered sugar

 3/4 cup hot water

 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, add the flour, sugar, yeast, milk, eggs and mix until combined. Add the salt and continue mixing until well combined and the texture looks fairly smooth, 2-3 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes, the add the butter pieces gradually while the mixer is on medium. Knead the dough for 10-12 minutes after all the butter was added. The dough will begin to form into a ball as it kneads, but if it remains too sticky, add some more flour and continue mixing.

Transfer the dough to a greased container. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. The dough will rise until about doubled in size. To make the doughnuts, spread vegetable shortening on a surface, then roll out the dough into a large rectangle until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the doughnuts using a biscuit or doughnut cutter, then set onto a parchment-lined pan. Rise in a warm area for about 20 minutes (longer at room temperature), until they have puffed up. Heat oil to 350 degrees F in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Fry doughnuts 3-4 at a time for 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden browned. To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, hot water, and vanilla. Allow doughnuts to cool slightly before glazing. Dip each side of the doughnut into the glaze,

Note that scraps may be re-rolled but allow the dough to rest and chill for about 15-20 minutes before rolling.

adapted from the best homemade glazed donuts