Basic High Altitude Yeast Doughnuts with Maple Icing

This is an easy recipe for basic high altitude yeast doughnuts glazed with maple icing. You can use this recipe and method to make any kind of raised doughnuts you like. They’re so incredibly soft, light and pillowy, and the maple icing gives them that perfect doughnut flavor. Dip them in a variety of icing flavors, powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar, or fill them with jam, cream or custard. The varieties are endless!

Looking for more recipes like this one? Don’t miss these buttermilk cinnamon rolls, Parker House dinner rolls with salted maple butter, and homemade soft pretzels.

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Tools and Equipment

• Small Saucepan. For warming the butter and milk.
• Large Heavy Bottomed Saucepan. For frying the doughnuts.
• Instant Read Thermometer. For checking the temperature of the frying oil.
• Large Baking Sheets + Parchment Paper. For proofing the cut doughnuts.
• Cooling Racks. For draining the doughnuts after they’ve been fried.
• Rolling Pin and Doughnut Cutter. If you don’t have a doughnut cutter, you can use biscuit cutters, one large and one small for cutting out the center. You need to use something with a sharp edge that can cut cleanly through the dough.
• Stand Mixer with Dough Hook. Helpful for kneading the dough, but you can definitely knead the dough by hand, too.
• Skimmer. For removing the doughnuts from the hot oil.
• Mixing Bowls, Measuring Cups, Measuring Spoons.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Doughnuts

• Unsalted Butter. Adds richness and flavor.
• Whole Milk or Buttermilk. The fat adds richness and flavor, while the acid in buttermilk makes a very tender texture in the yeast doughnuts.
• Yeast. Leavening agent, which makes the doughnuts light, fluffy and airy. You can use either active dry yeast or rapid rise/instant yeast.
• Sugar. Granulated sugar sweetens the dough and feeds the yeast.
• Salt. Balances the sweetness.
• Nutmeg. A classic flavor to add to doughnuts.
• Flour. Use bread flour for the best texture.
• Egg. Gives the dough structure and strength.
• Vegetable Oil. For frying.

Icing

• Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the icing.
• Light Corn Syrup. Stabilizes the sugar and helps set the icing.
• Whole Milk. Thins the icing.
• Vanilla + Maple Extract. Flavor.

Instructions (step by step)

Make the dough.

• In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the milk, and heat just until the mixture reaches between 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from the heat, stir in the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and let sit for 5-10 minutes until bubbly and foamy.

TIP: The temperature of the milk mixture is very important. Too cold, and the yeast won’t be activated. To hot, and it can kill the yeast.

• In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the remainder of the sugar with the salt, nutmeg and all but 1/2 cup of the flour. Add the egg and the warm milk mixture.
• With the dough hook, stir the mixture for several minutes until it comes together, then knead for 5 minutes, gradually adding the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. The dough should form a “torpedo” around the dough hook and mostly pull away from the sides of the bowl, although it may stick a little at the bottom of the bowl.

TIP: If you don’t have a stand mixer with a dough hook, you can knead the dough by hand for about 10 minutes.

Let the dough rise.

• Scrape the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size – this may take anywhere from 30-90 minutes, depending on the freshness of the yeast and the warmth of the environment. Be sure to check frequently, so that you don’t over-proof the dough.

TIP: If you have a “bread proof” setting in your oven, you can use that. Otherwise, preheat the oven to the lowest temperature, turn it off, then place your dough inside to rise.

Roll and cut the doughnuts.

• Prep several large baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. If you like, you can cut the paper into individual 4×4 inch squares, which can be helpful for dropping the doughnuts into the oil.
• On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch doughnut cutter dipped in flour to cut as many doughnuts and holes as you can. You’ll probably get around 12-15 doughnuts + holes.

TIP: If you like, you can gather up and roll out the dough scraps to cut more doughnuts, but these will be a little more dense and will never look as nice as the ones you cut the first time around, so try to cut them as close together the first time to reduce dough waste.

Proof the cut doughnuts.

• Place the cut doughnuts and holes on the parchment lined baking sheets. Set the baking sheets inside your oven – again, use the “bread proof” setting, or gently warm the oven before setting the doughnuts inside.
• Fill a small saucepan with several inches of boiling water and place it inside the oven. The steam will keep the doughnuts moist, and prevent them from forming a “skin” on their surface, which will ruin the doughnuts and prevent them from frying correctly.
• Let the doughnuts proof until they are very light and puffy, about 30-40 minutes. If they don’t proof for long enough, their texture won’t be as light.

TIP: If your oil is too cold, the doughnuts will absorb oil and end up tasting greasy. If it’s too hot, they’ll brown too quickly. It’s better to heat the oil fairly slowly to maintain a steady temperature, and to check it frequently throughout the frying process, so you can adjust the temperature as needed. Note that when you first drop the doughnuts in, the temperature of the oil will also drop, so just keep checking to try to maintain a steady temperature.

Fry the doughnuts.

• While the doughnuts are proofing, you can start heating the oil over medium heat. Pour the oil into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. I used a saucepan that’s about 12 inches wide and 5 inches deep. You need to use enough oil, both so that the doughnuts “float” on the oil while frying, as well as to help maintain a steady temperature, which you can’t do with too little oil. Heat the oil to between 350-365 degrees Fahrenheit, checking the temperature with an instant read thermometer.
• Place a cooling rack over a large baking sheet for draining the doughnuts.
• When you’re ready to start frying, fry the doughnuts in batches, about 4-5 doughnuts at a time. Carefully lower them into the oil, fry for about 1 minute until golden brown on the bottom, then flip and fry on the other side for 1 minute (I like to use wooden chopsticks to flip the doughnuts). They should be a light golden brown, and if they were proofed correctly, they’ll have a white “proof line” running around the middle.
• Use your skimmer to transfer the doughnuts to the cooling rack to drain, and continue frying the remainder of the doughnuts and holes.

Make the icing.

• While the doughnuts are hot, whisk together all the icing ingredients in a bowl until smooth. For a more opaque icing, add a bit more powdered sugar for a thicker icing and better coverage.

• Dip the doughnuts into the icing, then set on the cooling rack to let the icing set. It will set in about 10-15 minutes.
• Enjoy the doughnuts immediately.

Variations

• Instead of making “ring donuts” (doughnuts with holes in the middle), use a biscuit cutter to cut out the dough. After frying, use a piping bag to fill the doughnuts with homemade cream filling, vanilla or chocolate custard, jam, lemon curd or Nutella.
• Use any flavor of extract in the icing to flavor your doughnuts.
• Add sprinkles before the icing sets, or some flaky finishing salt for a more sophisticated touch.
• Instead of icing, coat the hot doughnuts in plain granulated sugar, cinnamon sugar, or powdered sugar.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?

You can, but yeast doughnuts have a better texture when make with bread flour.

Can I use another oil besides vegetable oil?

You need to use a neutral tasting oil like vegetable oil so that the doughnuts don’t taste like oil. I haven’t tested any oil other than vegetable oil.

Can I bake the doughnuts instead of frying them?

No, that won’t work well. You should use a baked cake doughnut recipe instead.

How long does it take the dough to rise?

This can vary, anywhere from 30-90 minutes. It all depends of the freshness, brand and quality of the yeast you use, as well as the temperature of your ingredients and environment.

How long do homemade yeast doughnuts stay fresh?

They’ll be best eaten within 12-24 hours. Day old yeast raised doughnuts tend to be very stale.

Can I make the dough at night and fry the doughnuts in the morning?

Yes, you can make the dough, let it rise the first time, and then place the bowl in the refrigerator. The next morning, you can roll out and cut the chilled dough. Since it’s cold, it may take longer for the cut doughnuts to proof before they’re ready for frying.

Why do my doughnuts taste so greasy?

It’s likely your oil was too cold, so the doughnuts absorbed too much oil while frying. Be sure to maintain a consistent temperature between 350-365 degrees Fahrenheit for the doughnuts to fry properly.

Why don’t my doughnuts have that white line around them?

A perfect yeast doughnut will have a white ring around it after frying, called a “proof line”. When the dough proofs, or rises, the gases from the yeast expand in the dough, making it very light and airy. During the frying process, the doughnut will float on top of the oil just above the midway point of the doughnut, so that a thin ring around the center of the doughnut is never submerged in the oil, and therefore, remains white instead of browning. If your doughnuts are lacking this white ring, it usually means you didn’t proof your doughnuts long enough.

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