There are so many variations of doughnut recipes it can be confusing as to which one is the best. It’s even more frustrating when you’ve gone through the entire process of making them a particular way and the result is disappointing.
The best way to make doughnuts is… to be honest, it all depends on your preference of what you define as the perfect doughnut. Of course, I am definitely going to reveal which one I think is the best, but I believe we can all agree that a typical doughnut (or donut) is a fried dough that usually has a sugary coating or contains a filling. However, like I said earlier, there are alternative variations on making doughnuts from using moulds to even baking them.
I am not an expert or professional doughnut maker, but I will be presenting my experiences of the different recipes I used to make doughnuts. This may help you to decide on how you want to make yours at home and avoid unnecessary waste of ingredients.
Batter doughnuts
You know those doughnuts you get at the seaside (or at least the British seaside like Southend)? They are batter doughnuts – a wet mixture that’s deep fried, crispy on the outside and soft and slightly doughy on the inside. They often require a doughnut batter dispenser to make the iconic doughnut shape. I do love these style doughnuts however they are so awkward to make at home. Firstly, not everyone has access to a doughnut dispenser so the alternative is to spoon or pipe the mixture into the hot oil creating dough balls. However, this typically results in a messy and weird looking fritter, but I guess they’re ok.
There are also two types of ways to make batter doughnuts – one with yeast and the other without. The ones at the seaside are typically made without yeast. The batter doughnuts with yeast have the same resemblance to the Greek style fried dough balls called Loukoumades – a recipe I am yet to try as this also does not require any kneading.
No yeast doughnuts
As there is no yeast to create the soft and fluffy texture, this method relies on baking powder and/or bicarbonate of soda as a raising agent. To be honest, I find it can be very ‘cake-like’ or sometimes ‘bread-like’ in texture when fried. They also take quite a while to cook when fried because it requires a lower heat than yeasted dough to cook all the way through. At the same time, it’s soaking up oil and the outside becomes too crispy to be enjoyable. When baked, the texture is similar to scones or a very dense bread.
Cake doughnuts
This is usually cake or pancake batter poured into doughnut moulds and baked in the oven. The resulting product is basically cake or baked pancakes. I personally don’t recognise these as doughnuts. If I was craving doughnuts and you gave these to me, I would be insulted – no lie. However, they are fun to make and present at parties, and they don’t require too much effort.
No knead doughnuts
This method produces a very loose and sticky (yeasted) dough to work with. There are two ways of using this to make doughnuts. You can either roll out the dough once it’s proved but it will be very sticky to work with or you can prove the dough in the fridge overnight making the dough a lot easier to handle. I recommend the latter. For me both methods are a bit of a faff to make, but when fried it results in lovely soft doughnuts.
Baked doughnuts
I’ve heard quite a few times that baked doughnuts are just as good as fried doughnuts. I’m not convinced. The perception that baked doughnuts are ‘healthier’ than fried ones is also very strange to me. They both contain lots of sugar and fat. The method you choose to cook or bake something alters the texture and flavour. An oven is a dry environment and drives moisture out of food. When you bake a cake or bread, often the outside forms a crust. It is the same when baking doughnuts even if it is a yeasted/enriched dough. It’s an ok alternative if you’re not keen on frying but bear in mind it will form a slight crust and lethargic-looking doughnuts.
Fried doughnuts
These are by far the most popular. When made with a yeasted dough, fried doughnuts produce a soft pillowy inside with a delicate, tender outside that most of us expect from a good doughnut. Whenever you bite into a doughnut you want it to sort of melt in your mouth but have a slight chewiness that resembles a soft pretzel. I think it’s safe to say, the more the doughnut taste like Krispy Kreme’s the better.
To get this texture you need a good amount of fats (i.e. eggs, butter, milk), a slightly sticky dough, and hot oil for frying. You would think frying would give the doughnut a crispy exterior – no-siree! The trick is to ensure that you have a good quality dough that you only need to fry for 30 seconds or less on both sides without leaving it raw inside. It should be quick process where the doughnut is barely soaking up any oil.
You probably can tell that I have a strong preference for fried (yeasted) doughnuts, particularly the Krispy Kreme style doughnuts. They’re just so light and airy, and I believe these are the simplest and best way to make perfect doughnuts. However, I do hope this blog post was helpful in choosing a method that produces a consistency that you prefer or are most comfortable with.
The reason why so many variations exist is because not everyone may have access to certain ingredients or equipment to make a particular style doughnut. Some may not have access to a stove so they bake instead. Some people are allergic to yeast and make no yeast alternatives. I encourage you to experiment! You might create a recipe that produces the softest, yeast-free baked doughnuts ever. Let me know when you do! I’d love to give it a go.
