How to Make Krispy Kreme Donuts

Start to Finish: Up to 5 hours Servings: 12 Difficulty: Intermediate

Imagine biting into a warm, glazed doughnut after a long, tough day. Though instead of having to stand in line and wait for the Hot Now sign to light up at your local Krispy Kreme, you are enjoying a just-made doughnut sitting at home, with your favorite beverage. The original glazed doughnuts are actually simple to recreate at home by using a basic yeast recipe. Whether or not there is an iconic shop nearby, now you can enjoy fresh, hot doughnuts anytime.

This recipe has been adapted from the Classic Glazed Doughnuts recipe by Lara Ferroni for Epicurious.

Doughnuts

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 package active dry yeast (about 1 tablespoon)
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg plus 1 yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 ½ tablespoons fine sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Safflower oil

Sugar Glaze

• 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 3 tablespoons water
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Warm the milk in the microwave on high for 1 minute or until the milk is heated to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the yeast into the milk to dissolve. Add in 1 cup of flour, stirring well to incorporate the ingredients. Cover the bowl with a warm damp cloth and allow it to rest for 30 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size.

Allow the flour mixture to rest; in another bowl, beat the egg and yolk together. Add in vanilla, nutmeg, sugar, butter and salt, stirring well until blended. Pour the egg mixture into the rested flour and yeast mixture. Mix well to combine the ingredients.

Add in the rest of the flour, ¼ cup at a time, stirring to incorporate the flour into the mix. The dough will be quite sticky. As the dough starts to firm up and pull away from the sides of the bowl, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead lightly, adding more flour as necessary.

Knead for 2 minutes until the dough is smooth and slightly elastic.

Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a warm, damp cloth. Allow it to rest in a warm place for one hour until it has doubled in size.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap after the dough has risen and place it into the refrigerator for at least an hour to chill so that it will be easier to roll out.

Dust a cookie sheet lightly with flour.

Roll out the dough to a half-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out the donuts using a 3-inch cookie cutter. Use a 1-inch cutter to create the center hole. Place the cut doughnuts onto the cookie sheet and continue in the same manner until all of the dough has been used. You can reserve the "holes" to fry or knead them together and roll to cut out an additional doughnut.

Cover the doughnuts with a lightly floured cloth and allow to rise, or proof, until they have doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Use a heavy-bottomed skillet or a deep fryer filled with at least 3 inches of oil to fry the doughnuts. For best results, the temperature of the oil should be between 360 and 365 degrees Fahrenheit.

Work in batches and place the doughnuts into the oil, allowing them to cook for two minutes on each side, until they are golden brown. Transfer the doughnuts to a wire rack to cool before glazing.

Sift powdered sugar into a medium-sized bowl. In a small bowl, combine the butter, milk and water. Slowly pour the liquid into the powdered sugar, mixing a little at a time to blend. If the glaze is too thick, add additional milk to thin it out.

Place the glaze on a plate and drip the doughnuts into it. Alternately, drizzle the glaze onto the doughnuts, using a spoon.

Allow the doughnuts to cool slightly before adorning.

• Warm a damp cloth in the microwave for 20 seconds and then use to cover your dough.
• If you do not have standard cookie cutters, use glassware: use a pint glass to cut out the donut and a shot glass to create the donut hole.
• Get creative and use other shapes to cut out the dough such as a 3-inch wide star cutter and a 1-inch wide star for the center hole.
• Epicurious advises that you can make doughnuts ahead of time and freeze them for later use. After you cut the dough into rings (or shapes) and let them rise, place the donuts into the freezer in a single layer and allow them to freeze until they are solid, about 4 hours. Put the donuts into a plastic freezer-safe bag and place the bag into the freezer. Fully defrost the donuts before frying them.