Looking to bake something sweet and indulgent? Try this irresistible homemade fried yeast donuts recipe with an aromatic rose glaze. These fluffy treats are perfect for any occasion, and the addition of rose glaze garnished with dried rose petals gives them a unique flavour. With simple ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions, this recipe is perfect for novice bakers. So why wait? Let's get baking!
I am not so much of a donut fan but have you heard of mob mentality? Yeah, we never grew up with cakes and pies and doughnuts but globalization brought Krispy Kreme to India and you know the rest! But I do have a pleasant memory of my first ever doughnut that I made along with my sister as part of our school home science project; probably in 7th grade. We were so excited to have made something that we only see in magazines and even shared it with our colony friends. I have no recollection of the recipe nor have we ever made them again 🤣
Ingredients
Here is the list of ingredients you will need to make donuts recipe with yeast.
- all-purpose flour
- instant yeast: you may use active dry too.
- sugar: a small amount of white granulated sugar
- salt: makes a difference
- allspice: most recipes called for nutmeg powder, I didn't have so used allspice but you may use cinnamon powder too!
- butter: softened to room temperature
- milk: lukewarm - because the yeast needs the warmth to activate
- egg: room temperature so that yeast can act fast
- Oil to fry: I used sunflower oil. doughnuts are traditionally fried in veg shortening or dalda but in recent years all kinds of cooking oil have been used. We need to be careful of the oil temperature so the doughnuts are not burnt outside and uncooked inside or greasy.
- icing sugar: powdered sugar for the glaze
- heavy cream: for the glaze, but you may use full-fat milk
- rosewater and orange blossom water: for the glaze
- dried rose petals: for garnish
Instructions
I am calling these homeade donuts with yeast because there are "cake doughnuts" that are not yeast-raised. The first time I made this while in Yanbu, it turned out to look like onion rings and so tough! So, this time I did some reading to understand the science and how to recreate in my kitchen. Are you ready to learn how to make yeast donuts?
First rise
You may use your stand mixer to make the dough but I did it all with my hands.
Add the flour, instant yeast, sugar, salt and cinnamon powder to a large bowl. Whisk to combine and make a well in the middle and add all the wet items - egg, soft butter, and lukewarm milk.
Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to slowly mix the dry and wet content until it comes together. Don't use your hands at this stage. If you use your hands then you end up adding more flour to reduce the stickiness which will in turn make tough doughnuts.
Then use your hands to knead the dough for a full 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Keep a timer. You may add about 1 to 2 teaspoon of flour while kneading if it gets sticky.
Lightly grease the bottom and the sides of the bowl and place the dough while making sure the dough surface is also lightly oiled to prevent drying. Cling wrap or cover with a cloth and let it rise until doubled or more in size - about 2 hours.
After 1 to 2 hours, the dough will double in size. It is ready for the next step.
Lightly dust the counter with flour and roll out the dough to ½ inch thick. Use a doughnut cutter or like me bottle lids of appropriate sizes to cut out the doughnuts.
Second rise
Try to cut the maximum from the first rollout itself. You can knead the remaining dough and let it rest for 10 minutes roll it out again to ½ inch and repeat the process until you use up all the dough.
Carefully lift and place the cut-out dough onto a floured tray and keep covered. I chose to keep the doughnut holes, but you may add them back to the dough to make more doughnuts. Let the cut-out doughnuts and holes rest for 30 minutes for their second rise. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. Dunk in glaze or cinnamon sugar and eat right away!
Deep Fry
Heat a lot of oil in a deep saucepot on low to medium flame ( at least 2 inches of oil). Carefully pick the doughnuts and slip them in the oil. Add more depending on the pan size. Fry on both sides until golden brown. About 30 to 50 seconds on each side. Remove using a flat slotted spoon or a chopstick.
Dunk the fried doughnuts immediately into the prepared glaze (recipe in the card below) transfer them to a plate and garnish them with rose petals. Serve immediately.
Tip
Test the oil by dropping a small piece of dough, if it sizzles up immediately without browning then it is ready to use. If it gets brown too quickly then the oil is too hot, you need to reduce the flame and bring the temp down.
Storage
The best way to keep the freshness and flavour of donuts intact is to freeze them. Store any remaining donuts in an airtight container and freeze. Make sure to thaw and warm it up before serving again.
FAQ
The best flour for making donuts is all-purpose flour also called plain flour or maida. It provides the right amount of gluten to make the doughnuts fluffy and tender on the inside, with a slightly crispy exterior. However, some recipes may call for bread flour or cake flour for different results so it is always a good idea to follow the recipe's instructions for the best results.
When making yeast donuts, use an oil with a neutral flavour. This ensures that it won't affect the taste of the donuts. Some of the best oils for frying yeast donuts are vegetable oil or canola oil. However, it is always a good idea to check the label and choose an oil that is low in saturated fat and trans fats.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Osmania Biscuits Recipe
- Chocolate Brownies with Avocado
- Tahini Granola
- Ka'ak el Eid | Date Paste Cookies
📖 Recipe Card
Yeast Donuts with Rose Glaze
Ingredients
For the doughnuts:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (1 to 2 tablespoon more for dusting)
- 11/2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (or cinnamon or allspice powder)
- 2 tablespoons butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup milk lukewarm
- 1 large egg room temperature
- Oil to fry
For the glaze:
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream (or milk)
- ¼ teaspoon rose water
- ½ teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)
- dried rose petals for garnish
Option 2 - cinnamon sugar:
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
Instructions
Prepare the dough for the first rise
- Add the flour, instant yeast, sugar, salt and cinnamon powder to a large bowl. Mix to combine and make a well in the middle and add all the wet items - egg, soft butter, milk.2 cups all-purpose flour, 11/2 teaspoon instant yeast, 3 tablespoons sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 2 tablespoons butter, ½ cup milk, 1 large egg
- Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to slowly mix the dry and wet content until it comes together. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes.
- Lightly grease the bottom and the sides of the bowl and place the dough while making sure the dough surface is also lightly oiled to prevent drying.
- Cling wrap or cover with a cloth and let it rise until double or more size - about to 2 hours.
Prepare the doughnuts for the second rise
- Lightly dust the counter or plank with flour and roll out the dough to ½ inch thick.
- Use a doughnut cutter or like me bottle lids of appropriate sizes to cut out the doughnuts. Carefully lift and place the cut-out dough onto a floured tray and keep covered. Try to cut maximum from the first roll out itself.
- You can knead the remaining dough and let it rest for 10 minutes and roll it out again to ½ inch and repeat the process until you use up all the dough. I chose to keep the doughnut holes, but you may add them back to the dough to make more doughnuts.
- Let the cut-out doughnuts and holes rest for 30 minutes for their second rise.
Prepare the rose and orange blossom glaze
- Mix all the ingredients and add more icing sugar if you want a thick glaze or more cream for a thinner glaze. Adjust the rose and orange blossom water as per taste. You may skip this glaze and use cinnamon sugar instead.1 cup icing sugar, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, ¼ teaspoon rose water, ½ teaspoon orange blossom water
- For cinnamon sugar, mix the sugar and ground cinnamon.½ cup white sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
Deep fry and glaze the doughnuts
- Heat a lot of oil in a deep saucepot or kadai on low to medium flame. (at least 2 inches of oil)Oil to fry
- Test the oil by dropping a small piece of dough, if it sizzles up immediately without browning then it is ready to use. If it gets brown too quick then the oil is too hot, you need to reduce the flame and bring the temp down.
- Carefully pick the doughnuts and slip them into the oil. (I fried one at a time but you may add more depending on the pan size)
- Fry on low to medium flame and flip and fry both sides until golden brown. about 30 to 50 seconds on each side. I chose to use the doughnut holes and they fry sooner than doughnuts. Remove the fried donuts using a flat slotted spoon or a chopstick.
- Dunk immediately into the prepared glaze (both sides) and transfer to a plate and garnish with rose petals.dried rose petals
- Serve immediately and store any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate. (make sure to warm it up before serving again)
Nutrition
This recipe is adapted from Joy of Baking, Thomas Joseph, Sally and Laura Vitale.
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