Homemade Raised Donuts
Abuja, Nigeria · View all recipes
Overview
Raised donuts, also called yeast donuts, are made from a yeasted dough left to rise before frying, which is what makes them light and airy rather than dense. No country is named and none applies: this is a standard yeasted donut recipe of the kind made everywhere. The distinction from a cake donut is the whole point. Cake donuts are leavened chemically with baking powder and are dense and crumbly. Raised donuts are leavened with yeast, which produces carbon dioxide over an hour or more of rising, expanding the dough into something light and pillowy. The two are different products with different textures and neither substitutes for the other. There are two rises here and both matter. The first, about an hour, takes the dough to double its size. The second, thirty to forty-five minutes after cutting, is what gives the donuts their final lightness and the pale band around the middle that a properly proved fried dough develops. Africa has its own yeasted fried doughs, and several are already in this collection: Nigerian puff puff, Ghanaian bofrot, Somali kac kac, and the street doughnuts sold across Nigerian cities. This is not one of them, so it sits in Worldwide Recipes with its URL unchanged.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
In a small bowl, combine the lukewarm milk, sugar and yeast. Stir gently and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes until frothy.
- 2
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add the yeast mixture, softened butter, salt and vanilla extract. Gradually add the flour, mixing until a soft, sticky dough forms.
- 3
On a floured surface, knead the dough for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add more flour if needed, but not so much that it dries out.
- 4
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a clean towel and let it rise in a warm draft-free place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.
- 5
Punch the dough down to release the air. Roll it out on a floured surface to about 1cm thickness and cut out donuts with a cutter.
- 6
Place the cut donuts on a lined baking sheet, cover with a towel and let them rise again for 30 to 45 minutes.
- 7
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep heavy-bottomed pot.
- 8
Fry the risen donuts in batches without crowding, for about 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden brown and puffed. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
- 9
Whisk the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla into a smooth glaze.
- 10
Once the donuts have cooled slightly, dip them into the glaze and let the excess drip off.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from Deborah Olayiwola- Give both rises their full time. The second one is what produces the light interior and the pale band around the middle that marks a properly proved donut.
- Check the yeast is alive. If the milk and yeast mixture does not go frothy in ten minutes, the yeast is dead and the dough will not rise.
- Use lukewarm milk, not hot. Hot milk kills yeast and cold milk leaves it sluggish.
- Do not add too much flour while kneading. A slightly sticky dough gives a lighter donut than a dry one.
- Fry in batches without crowding. Crowding drops the oil temperature and the donuts absorb oil rather than puffing.
- Glaze while still slightly warm so it sets to a thin shell rather than sliding off.
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