Delicious Homemade Donuts

Total Time: 2 hrs 35 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup lukewarm 2% low-fat milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled
• vegetable oil, for frying
• fruit preserves (or pudding, cream filling, etc)
• cinnamon sugar
• confectioners' sugar
• chocolate icing

Recipe

• 1 in a small bowl mix the yeast with the milk and sugar. let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine flour and salt. when yeast is ready, add that to the mixing bowl.
• 2 add the egg and butter. begin to mix the ingredients into a soft, but not sticky, dough. (add a little extra milk or extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time as needed). knead dough until smooth and elastic. transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• 3 punch down the dough. turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few seconds. with a lightly floured rolling pin, gradually roll out the dough to about 1/2-inch thick. (when rolling dough, let it rest periodically to relax). cut out into 3" rounds with a lightly floured biscuit cutter. re-roll the scraps to make more rounds.
• 4 place the doughnuts on lightly floured baking sheets, spacing them apart, and cover lightly with a dry towel. let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
• 5 using a deep fryer (or fill a heavy pot with 3" vegetable oil) and heat to 325°f fry the doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden and puffed, 4-5 minutes, turning frequently using a slotted spoon.
• 6 lift the doughnuts from the oil and place onto a cooling rack. once cooled, fill a pastry bag using your filling of choice. insert the tip into the end of each doughnut and pipe approximately 1-2 tsp filling into them. dust with confectioners' sugar, coat with chocolate icing, or dip in glaze. best eaten the same day.