marilynpeight
Homemade raised doughnuts from scratch are one of the top ten (if not top) best treats you can make yourself on a winter morning or even spring, fall or summer morning! These Amish raised doughnuts made with yeast and a homemade glaze are better than doughnuts from a mix. In my opinion, they are even better than the doughnuts you can buy at Krispy Kreme (especially when these homemade Amish doughnuts are fresh). You may enjoy your fresh doughnuts with a hot cup of Chai tea latte. If you enjoy Amish baked goods you may also enjoy Amish chocolate whoopie pies, Amish Pumpkin custard pie, Amish chunky M&M cookies or Amish Sugar cookies.
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Amish Glazed Doughnuts (from scratch)
Equipment
- Mixing bowl (linked below)
- Rolling Pin (linked below)
- Doughnut cutter (linked below)
- Deep fryer (linked below)
Ingredients
Doughnuts:
- 4 1/2-5 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 1/4 cup scalded milk cooled *see note for temp below.
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast heaping
- 1/3 cup sugar granulated
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 egg yolks beaten
- 1/4 cup mashed potato
- Oil or lard for deep frying
Glaze:
- 2 pounds powdered sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
For the Raised Doughnuts:
- Cook a small-medium sized potato in lightly salted water, then mash well and allow to cool slightly.
- Cut butter into 4 1/2 cups flour until only small crumbs remain, then set aside for later.
- Whisk yeast, sugar, salt and warm, scalded milk together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes until the mixture is bubbly.
- Add beaten egg yolks and 1/4 cup mashed potato to the activated yeast mixture and whisk well to combine. Add flour (one cup at a time) and mix/knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough is very soft and pliable, and no longer sticking to the surface area (additional flour may be needed for the countertop/surface area).
- Cover the dough and allow to rise for one hour, then roll the dough out until around 1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough with a doughnut cutter or circular dish *see note below. Place the doughnuts and doughnut holes onto a parchment lined baking sheet and allow them to rise for another 1 1/2-2 hours until doubled.
- Heat oil (I use around 1 1/2 quarts of oil) in a large pot or deep fryer to 350-360 degrees. Fry the doughnuts for 1-2 minutes per side, or until golden. *see note.
Glaze:
- Dissolve gelatin in cold water, then stir into confectioner's sugar along with boiling water and vanilla. Mix well until smooth, then glaze the fried doughnuts and doughnut holes and set on a bakers rack or the parchment lined baking sheet. Keep scrolling below the step by step photos for a glaze without gelatin.
Notes
Storage:
These doughnuts are best when fresh, but can be kept at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours.
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Equipment:
- Mixing bowl I prefer to use a medium or large sized mixing bowl for this doughnut dough, and prefer to knead it by hand like we did while growing up Amish (it helps to get a good feel of the dough texture too). You can also use a stand mixer if that is your preference.
- Rolling pin A rolling pin will be needed to roll out the doughnut dough after it has risen.
- Doughnut cutter Growing up we didn’t have doughnut cutters and simply used a round glass and a bottle cap to form our doughnuts, however using a doughnut cutter makes the cutting process a lot faster.
- Deep Fryer A deep fryer with a temperature regulator makes frying the doughnuts so much easier. You can also use a large pot, but will need to keep a close eye on the temperature to avoid burning or undercooking the doughnuts.
Growing up in the Amish community we didn’t have electricity, so we improvised and cooked over gas stoves and used large pots instead of deep fryers. We were allowed to use solar panels and gas generators, so some businesses were able to use commercial equipment. My mom was very resourceful and used what she had on hand for cooking and baking, hence the glass cup and bottle cap for a doughnut cutter!
Step 1: Cook and mash one peeled, medium or small potato.
Note*
Adding mashed potatoes or even potato water to dough creates a fluffier dough, because of the additional starch content from the potato. I do not add butter or milk to the mashed potato, and simply cook it in salt water and then mash. Allow the mashed potato to cool slightly until warm, but no longer hot before adding to the yeast mixture.
Step 2: Cut butter into the flour until only coarse crumbs remain.
Note:
Additional flour without butter may be needed to flour the countertop and to get the dough soft and no longer sticky.
Step 3: Combine the yeast, warm milk, sugar and salt. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes to activate the yeast.
Note*
The scalded milk should be around 110 degrees Fahrenheit before it is added to the yeast mixture. I usually test the milk with my finger and if it is warm to touch but not hot, it is ready to use.
Step 4: Add the beaten egg yolks and mashed potato to the yeast mixture, then whisk together. Add flour-one cup at a time-and mix well to combine after each addition. After the last cup or half cup of flour is added, knead the dough until it is soft and pliable and no longer sticking to the countertop.
Note*
I suggest ten minutes for kneading the Amish doughnut dough, because this dough gets really nice and soft if it is well kneaded. Dough that is well kneaded also creates a fluffier texture for the raised doughnuts.
Step 5: Cover the dough and allow it to rise for one hour until it has doubled in size.
Step 5 continued: Roll and shape the doughnuts, then place onto parchment paper and allow to rise (covered) for another 1 1/2-2 hours.
Note*
For thicker doughnuts you can roll the dough out to 3/4 inch. You can also roll the dough out thinner if you prefer thinner, crispier doughnuts.
Step 6: Fry the doughnuts in hot oil until both sides are golden.
Note*
I really dislike raw dough of any kind so I tend to fry my doughnuts a little darker than my husband prefers… oops. Feel free to fry the doughnuts to your preference and keep in mind that they will darken slightly after they are fried.
Glaze:
Combine the glaze ingredients, then glaze the doughnuts and enjoy! For a glaze without gelatin you can also mix 2 lbs. confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 4 tablespoons melted butter, 4 tablespoons cornstarch and a splash of vanilla (from my Mom’s Amish cook book).
Because this recipe was created in the kitchen of This Mom Cooks be sure to ask permission before using the recipe for commercial purposes. Thank you!
Feel free to pin for later and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram to show off your own doughnut creations!
