Yeast Donuts with Rose Glaze

Looking to bake something sweet and indulgent? Try this irresistible homemade yeast donuts recipe with a 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 flavor. 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 or doughnut 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 them with our colony friends. I have no recollection of the recipe nor we ever made them again 🤣

Ingredients

• 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 are 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 yeast donuts 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 make your first best 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 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 maximum from the first rollout 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.

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) and transfer them to a plate and garnish them with rose petals. Serve immediately.

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

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Yeast Donuts with Rose Glaze

Try this irresistible yeast donut recipe with a 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 flavor. With simple ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions, this recipe is perfect for novice bakers.

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Rising Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: glazed doughnuts

Servings: 12 Donuts

Author: Famidha Ashraf

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)

This recipe is adapted from Joy of Baking, Thomas Joseph, Sally and Laura Vitale.