Yeast Raised Glazed Doughnut Formulation

This is a versatile doughnut recipe that can be used for a wide variety of frosted yeast-raised and filled doughnuts. We thought we’d start with the basic formula, and you can work your magic from this starting point. Home bakers can scroll to a home version of this recipe below the professional formulation. Enjoy!

Procedure:

• In a 5-gallon mixer, combine the water, sugar, and yeast. Allow yeast mixture to sit 5 minutes and be sure the yeast is active.
• Add the flour and salt. Knead on low speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl sides half-way through mixing. Increase to medium speed and knead 3 minutes more.
• Transfer dough to a large 5 gallon covered container and rise until doubled, about 1 hour (at 85°F), and punch down the dough after 30 minutes.
• Roll dough out on a well-floured surface 1 inch thick. Cut with a well-floured 3-inch doughnut cutter. Cut out doughnuts, noting that you are aiming for a weight of 2 oz. (56 g) per doughnut.
• Transfer to raising/ doughnut frying mesh racks. Allow to rise until doubled in size, preferably in a proof box at 90°F and 50% humidity for 45-55 minutes. Allow resting about 5 minutes before frying.
• Heat fryer oil to 365-375°F (190°C).
• Fry doughnuts for 3 minutes on one side and turn. Fry an additional 2 minutes until golden brown. Cool on metal mesh racks on sheet pans.
• While doughnuts are still slightly warm, coat generously with the vanilla doughnut glaze.
• Cool completely.

Procedure:

In a large bowl combine the powdered sugar, hot water and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Keep covered until you are ready to glaze doughnuts.

Home Baker’s can make the same professional doughnuts at home using this simple recipe.

Yeast Raised Doughnuts

2 ¼ cups lukewarm water
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. Red Star Active Dry Yeast
6 cups Panhandle Milling All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp. salt
6-8 cups vegetable oil for frying

Vanilla Glaze:

4 cups powdered sugar
½ cup hot water
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Equipment:

Large 2-gallon bowl
Mixing spoons
measuring cups
Deep (3-4 inch) 12-inch Dutch oven or heavy skillet for frying
3-inch biscuit cutter or doughnut cutter
extra flour for countertop
rolling pin

Directions:

• Combine the water, sugar, and yeast and allow the yeast to start to bubble, about 5 minutes.
• Add 3-4 cups flour and salt. Stir well. Add remaining flour until dough is soft but not sticky. Knead 3-5 minutes by hand until smooth. Do not knead as long as you usually would for bread; it will be a nice loose dough.
• Form into a ball—place in a clean large two-gallon bowl. Cover and allow to rise until double in size, about 2 hours.
• Expel air from the dough and transfer to a well-floured countertop.
• Gently roll out the dough until it is 1/2 inch thick, frequently checking that the dough is not sticking to the countertop. Firmly press the cutter into the dough. In between each cutting, if you lightly dip the cutter in flour, it won’t stick.
• Place doughnuts on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Allow them to raise 40-50 minutes until very fluffy.
• Prepare the whole frying area. First, make sure you have a pan lined with clean paper towels.
• Now, fill the Dutch oven or large, heavy deep frying pan (ours is 4-inches deep) with the 6-8 cups of vegetable oil. Heat your oil to 365° F (measure the temperature using a candy thermometer).
• Very gently transfer the doughnuts to the oil one by one with a heat-proof slotted metal spatula. Brown on one side for about 3 minutes. Very gently turn over. I use a slotted spoon and always turn the doughnut over so if it splashed, it would spray away from you.
  Cook 2-3 more minutes. A 12-inch frying pan can fry 8 of the doughnuts at a time.
• Place the cooked doughnuts on the clean paper towels to cool or cooling racks.

To make the Glaze: Combine the frosting ingredients in a medium-size bowl until smooth.
Place the finished doughnuts on a cooling rack. Drizzle with glaze to coat.