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I’m excited to share this recipe with you today. We’ve tried many many different donut recipes, some that are suppose to be quick, no-rise donuts, and others that you work with all day and let them rise, etc. Some were good, others were okay, but it wasn’t until we made these and devoured the entire batch in a few hours marveling the entire time about how soft, and good they were, that we knew we’d found an amazing donut recipe. It comes from the350degreeoven.com, and tastes just like Krispy Kreme Donuts.
One of the things that I love about this recipe is that you can just toss all the ingredients in a bread machine and let it do most of the work! If you don’t have a bread machine, don’t fret, you can make these without a machine as well. 🙂
This picture below is what the Tangzhong will look like after you mix the flour and water and heat it over medium heat on the stove. This is a dough enhancer, and works great in this recipe. It only takes a few minutes and is done when you start to see swirl lines. (See more instructions in the recipe).
Let me know how you like these! Do you have a favorite donut recipe?
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 3 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk or kefir
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 1/2 cup tangzhong (see just below-don't worry, it's super easy)
- Oil for frying (use a neutral flavored oil like canola, vegetable, grapeseed, or a light flavored olive oil)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup water
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup water or milk (I like to use water) (You can use less water if you want the glaze thicker- maybe start with 1/3 cup instead)
- 4 tsp vanilla
- Make the tangzhong by mixing 1/3 cup flour and 1 cup water together in a small sauce pan over medium heat until it thickens and swirl lines begin to form. Then set aside to cool. This is a dough enhancer. It'll make slightly more than 1/2 cup, but just add 1/2 cup to the dough.
- Add all the ingredients for making the dough in a bread machine and set it for the "dough" setting. If you don't have a bread machine, put it in a stand mixer and knead for about 15 minutes, allow it to rise for approximately 45 minutes, then punch down, and allow to rise a second time for 30-45 more minutes.
- Place dough on a floured surface and roll out to between 1/4-1/2" thick (I try not to handle the dough too much besides dumping it out, sprinkling more flour on top of the dough, and rolling it out. The more you handle it, or if you try kneading it again, the tougher it'll get-just fyi).
- Cut into donuts (I use the rim of a drinking glass that is about 2 1/2 inches in diameter, and then a cap from a water bottle for the center hole).
- Place cut donuts and donut holes on a floured surface like a cookie sheet, and don't let them touch. (I use a lot of flour, because once they start to rise they will stick to anything they touch, and if you have to pull them apart they tend to deflate and lose their shape. I've noticed better results with them holding their shape when I've used kefir instead of milk-although I tend to use almond milk instead of regular milk so they may just need something a bit thicker).
- Allow to rise for another hour.
- Heat oil to approximately 375°F or just heat the oil over medium heat until warm. My oil was a little too hot-as you can see from the pictures, but they still tasted great! (I use a light flavored olive oil and fry them in a deep sauce pan or medium sized pot-and will often cook a donut hole first to test the oil).
- Make the glaze while the oil is heating. (You want to dip the donuts in the glaze while they're still warm.)
- Fry donuts in oil for 30-45 seconds on each side, or until golden brown.
- Place donuts in glaze and flip the donut to cover both sides, then place on wax paper or parchment paper to cool and dry.
- If the donuts last long enough to make it to the next day, you can cover them lightly with plastic wrap to keep them from going stale, but it tends to make the glaze more "wet" or soggy instead of staying dry. We generally leave them uncovered overnight and then, if we're patient enough to want them warm and soft again, we'll microwave them for a few seconds, but usually we just eat them as is. And they are still delicious! Enjoy! 🙂
Wow those look delicious. Wonderful informative directions too.. Thanks
Thank you! Let me know how you like them! 🙂
How much are they expected to rise within the 1.5h after kneeding ? (I used a standing mixer)
They should at least double in size. 🙂
thank you for sharing. it looks yummy ^_^
Thank you! 😉
When you say “2 tsp yeast” do you mean dry yeast?
Thank you for your question! Yes, I use active dry yeast. I’ll make sure to clarify that on the recipe. 🙂
Thank you! I made these today and they turned out delicious! Softest and by far the best donuts recipe I’ve ever tried! Thanks for sharing with us 🙂
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you liked them! 🙂
I was wondering if coconut oil might work instead of the butter? I don’t have butter to hand usually (try to avoid dairy) but haven’t tried baking with oil instead.
Hi Annie, Thank you for your question. I haven’t tried it with coconut oil, but you definitely can. I would suggest keeping it in its solid state as much as possible (not melting it). You don’t want it rock hard, but soft so it would be similar to the consistency of soft butter. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Hello. I was wondering if the butter is unsalted or salted? Thank you.
Hi! Great question! I used salted butter, but unsalted butter would work as well. 🙂
does the 2 and 1/2 cup of flour includes the flour used for tangzhong? my dough is very dry
Hi Eva, The 2 1/2 cups of flour is separate from the 1/3 cup of flour used to make the tangzhong. If your dough is too dry, try scooping the flour into your measuring cups with a spoon so that the flour doesn’t get packed too tightly. Let me know how this works! Thanks for your question! 🙂
do you use all-purpose flour or bread flour for this? Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Just regular all-purpose flour. I’ll make sure to clarify that in the recipe. Thanks Erica! 😉
Is the flour bleached or unbleached? Winter or spring wheat? Do you know the weight of the flour in the recipe? It would eliminate problems in measuring cups. I am looking forward to trying this recipe. I am trying to replicate a pastry from years gone by. Similar to a filled doughnut , but very light and fluffy with a thick layer of light whipped type maple frosting
Hi David, I use unbleached all-purpose flour. I have not tried using whole wheat flour with this, but if I did I would use soft white wheat and only replace 1/2 to 1 cup of the all-purpose flour to start. Adding the whole wheat flour tends to make the dough heavier. I don’t know the exact weight of the flour, but it should be approximately 240 grams for the 2 cups. Let me know how this recipe works for your pastries, they sound delicious! 🙂
Hi there! I’m really excited to try this recipe, but I would like to know how much these ingredients weigh so the result doesn’t vary from yours. Im especially concerned about the weight as I read in an earlier comment, not to pack the flour, and this will cause a major weight variation depending on how I pck it. The other question I have is can I use bread flour? Will this effect the fluffiness or make it fluffier? Can I ise shortening instead of butter and buttermilk in place of regular milk? Sorry about all the questions!
Thank you!!
OMG!!! I just did this recipe and it was SO awesome! It was a very very light dough, just perfect. Thanks for sharing! Keep up the good work!
Awesome Emily! I’m so glad you liked them!! 🙂
Hi,I’m cindy,I am in the process of making your donuts. Would I be able to double this recipe? I have a big family who loves donuts.
Hi Cindy, yes you can double it, but if you make it in a bread machine it will probably overflow, so I would take it out and let it rise in a large bowl, or just skip the bread machine altogether and make it in a large bowl-although it’ll be pretty sticky-but try to avoid adding extra flour if you can help it as it will make the donuts more tough. Hope this helps! 🙂
Thank u I finished making them and they were delicious.keep posting recipes.
So glad to hear!! Thank you! 😉
Made them last night. They all disappeared! So much better than any donut store! Made a maple glaze on top, yum!!
Thanks for the recipe ??
Yea!! I love it when they disappear like that! ;-D So glad to hear! Thanks for sharing Christy! 😉
Hi! I just made them but my dough did not rise as well as (i think) iT should. I kneeded by hand for 15 minutes en let iT rest all the time as requiered. Any idea what went wrong? I did not fry them yet but i don’t think they will be soft like they should. (Sorry for my bad english im from europe 🙂
Hi Karin, I would say, make sure your yeast is fresh, and try placing it in a warm area of your kitchen to rise. If you use a bread machine, the machine generally warms up the dough just slightly to help it rise. If making this without the bread machine, try placing it (covered) near a warm oven or in the oven with the oven light turned on but with no temperature on. Let me know if this helps! Good luck and thanks for your question! 🙂
Is the dough supposed to be very soft after kneading? Mine is way to soft. I added a little flour
Yes, it should be very soft. I pretty much just dump the dough onto a floured surface, sprinkle more flour on top and roll it out. If you knead it again and add more flour it will become tough. Good luck! 🙂
Does this recipe really make 24 donuts? If so, if I stack them on top of each other for storing would that mess them up?
This recipe is by far the best donut recipe I have tried. The donuts turn out so soft and delicious that we no longer purchase donuts. Thank you so much for sharing such an awesome recipe.
The recipe calls for yeast, and says to mix all of the ingredients together, can I just throw the yeast in or do I have to activate it in water first?
Yep! Just throw it in! 🙂
Not a fan of traditional glaze recipes. I was playing around with ideas for recipes that taste more like K***** K**** donuts and came upon the inspiration that the key is in the name. I tried 3/4 c heavy whipping cream, 2 c powdered sugar and 1 t vanilla. Heat on stove top until hot but not boiling. Rough guess on the quntities because i was just dumping and experimenting, but they were close to that. All I can say is wow. That was the best glaze I ever made.I am excited to try that glaze with this recipe.
Ok just remade the glaze and got the proportions right.
3/4 c heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/4 c milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Final recipe
1/2 c cream
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
I’m going to try your glaze sounds wonderful
Hi Melani,
My daughter is dairy free so I can’t use butter or milk. I am going to try her butter substitute (which has worked well in other recipes) but I was wondering if you thought coconut milk would be OK to use for the milk portion. I thought I had read that someone had used it but now I can’t seem to find the post. Thanks.
Hi Janet,
Yes, I think coconut milk would work just fine. I’ve used almond milk in this instead of regular milk and it still turned out great! For anyone else looking for a butter substitute, I have used Earth Balance Butter (I have not tried it in this recipe before though) in the past. Feel free to share any others that you have tried or that work in this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Thank you for sharing! This is a great recipe! My daughter came out to the kitchen to get “just one more”. These are delicious!
Haha! So glad you enjoyed them! Thank you!! 🙂
Hello, i would like to know if there will be a big difference between dry yeast and active dry yeast with the final result. I cannot find any active dry yeast where i live.
Hi Jude, Thanks for your question! I have not used the dry yeast, but to my knowledge it can be used interchangeably with active dry yeast. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Hi there. I’m trying the recipe right now, and I’m up to the step of letting it rise for 45 minutes. Do I have to transfer it to an oiled bowl and cover it, or do I just cover the bowl of the stand mixer?
Hi Dhania, just covering the dough should be fine.
Those donuts are phenomenal! Thank you very much for the recipe 🙂
Absolutely! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Hi my homemade heaven
The donuts are looking just wow. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I am planning to make them. Can I bake them instead of deep fry? If so can you please tell meat what temperature and approximate time ? Thank you.
Very good recipe.. perfect..this is my first recipe of doughnut..Nd 100%hit..thank you so much ?
Absolutely! I’m so glad they were a hit! 🙂
Your recipe was great. I am a pastor’s wife in Colombo Srilanka. With my youth girls we tried to make doughnuts yesterday. It turned awesome!!!! Thank you soooo much for sharing this secret with us. Our youth and church overwhelmed with this yesterday. We are looked forward to try other recipes as well. We would like to get new recipes to try with ladies also. Thank you again mam. May God bless you!!!
This recipe sounds great! One question, when do I add the Tangzhong if I am using a bread machine? Do I put it inside or after dough is done…add?
You add it with all the other ingredients so it can all mix together. 🙂
ok i made these today and my dough was way way way to wet…………. slack would have been ok but this was more like a cake donut batter so how wet should this dough be? I use my pro kitchenaid
The dough will be very sticky. Just dump all of it out onto a well floured surface and sprinkle it generously with flour on top, and roll it out. I don’t handle it with my hands other than carefully picking up the donuts once they’ve been cut, to move them onto a floured pan. It would be a sticky mess otherwise.
These look great, but I have not yet found a recipe for donuts which taste as fresh (and not stale) the day after they are made; are these still good (fresh) the day after? Thanks
Hi, thanks for sharing this recipe. I will definitely give it a try. But first, I’m curious about milk being substituted with kefir. Wouldn’t it affect the taste?
That’s a great question Siti! I have made them with regular milk, almond milk, and plain kefir and have not noticed a difference with their taste, but the donuts do seem to hold their shape slightly better with kefir or a higher fat milk.
Tried out few times….Thank you for sharing a wonderful recipe….?
Thank you Sarah! I’m glad you liked them! 🙂
Hey I am currently making your donuts and I was wondering if this makes 24 ring donuts or 24 donut holes and rings. I have a large family with big appetites so I need to know whether to double or triple the batch!!?
Hi Cali! Sorry for the late late response! It makes 24 donut holes and rings! But two of us can eat half of them without breaking a sweat! I hope this helps! 🙂
Would it alright to let it rise in the refrigerator overnight? I would like to make the dough the night before so it would be time efficient for me to roll it/cut it/ let it raise/ fry it the next morning.
Thanks
Hi Shyam, Yes you can let them rise in the refrigerator over night, but pull them out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes to an hour before you fry them. Otherwise they will be too cold and may not cook as fast in the center, which could lead to your doughnuts being doughy in the centers.
I made donuts with your recipe soo many times and its always super soft and fluffy like you have named it, thank you sooo much for this recipe
Can u give me donuts recipe using baking powder
Zahabiya, I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy this recipe! I am currently working on a few donut recipes using baking powder and I will try and post them on the blog soon! Thank you for your comment and feel free to check back soon for new donut recipes! 🙂
I just made a batch of your fabulous donuts! I have been trying different recipes but have not found one that was really good until I found your recipe. I purchased a deep fryer yesterday so I could keep a constant 350 degree temperature. I followed your recipe exactly using whole milk. I used pure canola oil to fry them in. I used the water in the glaze. These are so soft and delicious, even better than Krispi Cream. This will been the only donut recipe that I will use from now on. Thank you for sharing it!
Hi Pat, I am so glad to hear how much you love them! Thank you for your comment!! 🙂
I made them for my sisters birthday with different kinds of glazes. I’m 15 and this was my first time trying out yeast donuts and they turned out great!
That is awesome Francesca! I’m so glad to hear! And what a great idea to use different types of glazes! 🙂
Just wondering for the future. If i double the recipe in 1 bowl, do i double the resting/rising time as well?
That’s a great question Lana, no you should not need to double the rise time, just make sure you have a large enough bowl so that the dough doesn’t rise over the sides of the bowl and fall out (I’ve had this happen before;).
Hi Melani, so I tried the recipe out today and the dough is not stiff like a normal bread dough would be, is that normal? I added exactly 1/2 cup of the tangzhong and it seems slightly wet and droopy , stillin the making, so really nervous. I wonder how theyre going to come out.
Hi Sabrina, the dough should not feel like bread dough, but it should be very soft and slightly sticky. Then just dump it onto a floured surface add more flour on top and roll it out and cut. I hope this helps! 🙂
they turned out great! However after I dipped them into a glaze, the outside got tough on me and the insides remained soft & airy.
I forgot to ask, after you cut them out to shape, how do you cover them to rise? Do you cover with a cloth or some type of plastic so they don’t dry out?
I don’t usually cover them, I just put them in the oven with the oven light on to provide some slight warmth, but that is it. You could try covering them lightly with a towel or plastic wrap, just make sure nothing sticks to them so they don’t deflate when you pull it off.
Hi! I made these a few weeks ago and they were absolutely amazing! I want to make them again but with a chocolate base. Would that be possible without do compromising anything? If so how much coco powder and would I have to get rid of any of the flour? This recipe was so perfect I would love to use it again but with chocolate, no other recipes I’ve found even compare!
Hi Jessi, I’m so glad you enjoyed these! I have not tried making these with a chocolate base but that sounds like an exciting challenge. From what I’ve researched in the past it becomes a little more complicated than just switching out flour for cocoa powder because of the acidity level of the cocoa powder. I’ll have to do some trial and error and see what I can come up with. 🙂
I made these yesterday and my partner said they were the softest donuts he has ever had 🙂 Was my first time using yeast and oh boy was super easy. Thank you!!
I made these donut for our school project 🙁 but the result was it tasted like yeast. Help!
Mae, I’m sorry about the yeast issue! Try warming the milk slightly (so it’s at least lukewarm or slightly warmer, but not hot) and allowing the yeast to dissolve in the milk for about 5 minutes. Then add the yeast and milk mixture to the rest of the ingredients and continue the recipe as normal. I hope this helps! And that your school project worked out okay!
Does the dough becomes sticky coz mine turned out sticky.. Please suggest me something what to do abt it
Hi Leahra, Yes, the dough will be very sticky. Put flour on your counter and then dump the dough on top of the flour and cover the dough with more flour to roll it out and cut into doughnuts. Don’t knead more flour into it as it will make the doughnuts more tough.
So this is my fourth donut recipe I’m trying. I tried this one last night and have a few questions. Is it correct that you roll out to just 1/4″? My doughnuts were not very fluffy when I did this. Also, When you say put the ingredients in a stand mixer and knead for 15 minutes do you mean run the mixer with the dough hook for 15 minutes or mix and then knead the dough by hand for 15 minutes. Also, when I put in the oil they bubbled at first then just cooked without the bubbling. I know the oil was hot – just over 350*. Is this normal as opposed to bubbling the whole time? Lastly, any other oils besides olive? Can I used Crisco or canola? Thanks in advance.
Hi Julie! Great questions! Yes, I roll mine out to about 1/4 an inch, but you could roll them out in between 1/4-1/2 inch to see if that helps. Also make sure your yeast is fresh, as that can sometimes be an issue. With the stand mixer, yes let the mixer knead the dough for 15 minutes. You can stop it a couple times for a minute to let it rest and then start it again as that is generally what bread machines will do while kneading. For the frying, try heating your oil a little closer to 375°F (I’ll add that in the notes), because, yes besides maybe the first few donuts the oil should be bubbling during the cooking process. For the type of oil, any neutral flavored oil will work. I use a light flavored olive oil, but canola, vegetable, grapeseed, etc. will work just fine. Let me know how things turn out! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! I actually tweaked it a bit to make it vegan and they turned out great. Almond for the milk, earth balance for the butter and for the egg i just added a teaspoon of warm water with a teaspoon of cornstarch. Turned out perfectly soft and fluffy! 👌
Jackson, that is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing!! 😀
I’ve used 2 donut recipes and I’m not satisfied. I’d love to try this asap! 🙂 Like KK donuts is my goal hehe.
I only have instant yeast, is this okay and do I use the same amount?
Also, may I bake the donuts (in a smart convection oven) instead of deep frying them? I saw someone else asked this too but didn’t get a response yet. Crossing my fingers.
Thanks so much!
Hi Leslie, Yes you can use instant yeast, just be sure to watch the rise time as it may rise faster than using the Active Dry Yeast. I have tried baking these (but have not perfected it!). You can place the donuts on a cookie sheet with parchment paper (also coat the parchment paper with non-stick spray or oil-no flour) after you have cut them, and let them rise the second time. Then bake them at 350°F for 9-11 minutes until lightly browned. They will be very light-not quite like the Krispie Kreme version you get when you fry them in oil. Good luck! 🙂
Perfect.
Best doughnuts ever, was looking exactly for this kind of result. Got it right on a first time and keep making perfect doughnuts since. Adding different type of glaze works too: chocolate, jam, powdersugar etc..
thx Melani. Looking forward for more delicious and that simple recipes 🙂
Hi: Excited to try these. IF I use bread machine yeast do I still use as much yeast as the recipe asks?
I want to make these for a trade show but need lots so I will have to freeze them then thaw and ice them. Any tried and tested suggestions/advice on this?
Hi Darcu, for using bread machine yeast, use 1 1/2 teaspoons instead of 2 teaspoons. As for the freezing, here are some suggestions that might be helpful. http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/freeze-glazed-donuts-4670.html
Good luck! 🙂
I just made it. I did add cinimin to it. when I let it sit for an hour didn’t rise much. I also used mix of milk and sour cream in replacement of Kefir. was anything I did wrong?!
Hi Rita,
If they didn’t rise much it probably had more to do with the yeast. I would just double check to make sure the yeast is fresh and then keep it stored in the freezer until you need it.
Hi,
I was just trying to make donuts using your recipe and i have made quite a lot first time mistakes i guess
Anyways i wanted to ask if I can refrigerate them before frying and if it is possible should i let them rise and then put it in refrigerator or just cut the holes and put it in refrigerator ?
Please answer as soon as you can
Hi Fizza,
I’m so sorry I didn’t get to your question earlier! I hope things turned out okay. For the future, yes, you can put the donuts in the refrigerator. I would cut out the donuts and donut holes and then put them in the fridge (don’t let them sit out to rise), then when you get ready to fry them, pull them out about 1-2 hours before and let them slowly come to room temperature. During this time they should complete the rise cycle. They will start to rise a bit in the fridge, but the cold air will slow it down, and then bringing them back to room temperature should help them finish rising. When frying, you don’t want them too cold or else they won’t cook all the way through in the middle. I hope this helps! 🙂
Hi…I’m trying to give this a go. Do you need to cover the dough? Also is instant yeast good? if so same amount as the recipe?
Yes, cover the dough while it rises. You can use the same amount of instant yeast, but it may rise a bit faster, so just watch until it doubles in size and then you can roll them out and cut.
Hello from Maldives!..your title Super Soft Donuts caught my eye…I’m making doughnuts after a very very long time…well it’s sitting in the oven right now till its time to fry. I have a few qs. If im using instant yeast should I use the same amount?
Hi! These are wonderful! Just wondering if you could also bake this recipe? Thank you!
Yes, I have baked them as well (my favorite is when they’re fried though). But I baked them at 350°F for 7-9 minutes. If you bake them, I would NOT put the donuts on the flour surface to rise. I would put them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and then once they have risen, just stick the cookie sheet in the over to bake. If you put them on the flour, you will be trying to dust and scrap off the flour before baking them, which is no fun and highly time consuming (as I learned from experience).
Hi! This is the third time I’ve made your recipe. My family loves them. I add a little extra salt to the recipe, just for our tastebuds. I also cut about 5×5 inch pieces of parchment paper and raise each donut on its own little piece. Then when I go to cook the donut, I pick up the parchment and gently turn the donut into the hot oil. It helps me to keep from deflating the donuts when I handle them. I use skewers to flip the donuts and to remove them from the oil. Thank you for the amazing recipe. (I generally use bread flour and the difference seems negligible… I saw someone asked that above.)
Hi Tina! Thank you so much for your comments! I’m so glad your family enjoys them! 🙂 And thank you for sharing what you do while making them! The parchment paper is a great idea! I’ll definitely try that next time I make them! 🙂
Hi! Can I use bread flour instead of regular flour? Can I use shortening instead of butter?
Hi Marie, I have not tried substituting either of those, but I know some donut recipes will call for them. So if you try them please let us know how they turn out! 🙂
Hi Melanie, thank you so much for sharing this great recipe. It’s my second time to make this and Definitely the best donut recipe i tried. Even my friends and co nurses love them. I tried a lot of recipes, but not as deli and soft like yours. Will make this On my mom’s bday <3
Hi Maria, I’m so glad you and your co nurses have enjoyed them! I hope your mom enjoys them as well and has a Happy Birthday! Thank you for your comment! 🙂
These are just about the best thing I’ve ever made! My husband said I could just make these ever day. I consider myself an experienced baker but I had never heard of tangzhong before so thank you for the introduction to that! It made a big difference in the quality of the dough and the finished donuts are pillow soft and absolutely delicious. I will be using the tangzhong technique with more of my baking. Thanks for a truly stellar recipe. 🙂
Thank you Karen! And absolutely! I’m so glad it’s been helpful! 🙂