How to Make Homemade Doughnuts (Donuts) With Recipe
 With Recipe on http://www.stacymakescents.com){kind=link}
I’m not going to lie and tell you these doughnuts taste like Krispy Kreme. I’m not going to lie and tell you they’re fast. I’m not going to lie and tell you that I didn’t eat 6 of them before I was finished making them. They’re delicious, that’s what. This is the recipe that I’ve always used when making doughnuts with my mom – Nutmeg Potato Doughnuts. Don’t let the name fool you….they are deliciousness on a platter…or in a tummy. *Burp* I’m tickled pink to share this family recipe with you today. So, let’s learn how to make doughnuts shall we?
I went to my mom’s house to make doughnuts and get this tutorial ready for you guys….but I was late. Annie had to do #2 when I was ready to go – then Dottie threw up in the foyer – then I spilled my entire cup of coffee in the kitchen – and THEN I spilled a canister of flour in the floor. Yeah, I needed those 6 doughnuts. All that was to say, mom had already mixed up two batches by the time my late behind walked in the door.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine two tablespoons of softened butter, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup sucanat (brown sugar). Mix on a medium speed until it looks nice and creamy.
Why does this recipe call for potatoes? I have no idea….but I like I said, they’re delicious, so who cares if there are potatoes in there? Add 1 cup cold mashed potatoes to the butter mixture and combine well. It doesn’t matter if the potatoes are salted and buttered….so this is a nice recipe to make anytime you have leftover potatoes – makes you want to make a pot of mashed potatoes right now, doesn’t it?
To the potato mixture, add 2 ¾ cup white wheat flour, 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt (unless your potatoes are salted, then leave it out), and 1 teaspoon nutmeg. Alternate adding the flour with also adding ½ cup whole milk. Mix until it starts to look like cookie dough. You don’t have to sift all that flour stuff – just put it in a bowl and stir with your whisk….sifting is overrated.
Your dough should be pretty stiff, like roll-out cookie dough. If it’s not stiff enough, add a bit more flour. I think I ended up adding 3 cups of flour total. Stick the dough in the refrigerator to chill for one hour.
In a heavy stockpot, melt some palm shortening (or canola oil) over medium-high heat until it gets really hot. Do I have a temperature? No……just give it some time to get really hot. When you can smell it and know it’s really hot, turn the heat down to medium or you’ll burn those beautiful doughnuts. Or so I hear from OTHER PEOPLE. *Cough* You need enough oil to have a 1-2 inch depth.
Roll out half of the dough on a well floured surface (only work with ½ of the dough at a time) – don’t use too much flour or it will smoke when you are frying the doughnuts……or so I hear from OTHER PEOPLE. *Cough*You want it about ½ inch thick….any more than that and they take too long to get done in the middle – but I’ll just go ahead and tell you, they’re pretty delicious even when they’re doughy in the middle.
Cut out the doughnuts with a doughnut cutter – and if you don’t have one, buy one. Amen. You could use a biscuit cutter or a cookie cutter, but make sure you cut a hole out of the center – because it would be very sad not to have doughnut holes. *Sob*
Drop a small piece of dough into the hot oil to make sure it’s ready to fry. It should sizzle and pop and dance….then rise to the top. If your dough just lays there, it’s not ready. Wait a bit and try again. Fry the doughnuts a couple minutes on each side, until you see they’re starting to brown.
When they are done, pull them out with a slotted spoon and let them drain on paper towel-lined cookie sheets. Eat one to make sure they’re done in the middle. Eat a doughnut hole to make sure it’s done in the middle. Then wait a few minutes and taste another one to see how they taste when not so stinkin’ hot.
This is what happens when your oil is too hot. Oops. Turn it down a bit and try again. Then eat those burned doughnuts to see how they taste – not too shabby. Eat another one so no one has to suffer with eating those really brown ones.
This is exactly how they should look! Eat a warm one with a cup of coffee and groan….delightful! I don’t care how many times we make these, they’re always awesome.
These store great at room temperature unless your home is warm, then store in the fridge….and they also freeze fantastically…..but I’m not sure you will have any left to freeze. Because for some reason, I had a lot less doughnuts that I started out with. They must shrink in that oil…..someone has been eating my doughnuts, y’all.
Nutmeg Potato Doughnuts
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sucanat/brown sugar
1 cup cold mashed potatoes
2 ¾ cup white wheat flour, plus more for making a stiff dough
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup whole milk
Palm shortening for frying
In a stand mixer bowl, cream together butter, egg, vanilla, and sucanat. Add cold mashed potatoes and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk until you have a stiff cookie dough consistency. Refrigerate mixture for one hour.
In a large, heavy stock pot, melt palm shortening (or canola oil) to give you about a 1-2 inch depth. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot, then turn down to medium.
Roll out ½ of the dough at a time on a well floured surface. Roll to ½ inch thickness. Cut out with doughnut cutter or cookie cutter.
Test oil by dropping in one doughnut. It should sizzle and rise to the top pretty quickly. Fry doughnuts a couple minutes on each side or until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined cookie sheet to cool.
Store at room temperature or freeze.
PS – I saved my cooled oil for using to fry other things. Also great to use for popping popcorn.
*This post is linked at Hearth and Soul Blog Hop at Penniless Parenting, at Make Your Own Monday at Nourishing Treasures, Real Food 101 at Ruth’s Real Food, and at Frugal Days Sustainable Ways at Frugally Sustainable.
I would make these with the potatoes I have in the fridge, but I have doughnuts on my counter, too.
I agree, you must have a doughnut cutter (and you must not lose the pieces like I did once).
Brandy recently posted..Beignets for Breakfast
Oh man…..that’s cry worthy. Did you find them??
These look good.
They taste good too.
Sounds yummy! I wonder if you could use mashed sweet potatoes….
I wouldn’t see why not….I think they’d pair well with the nutmeg.
Yum! That’s all I have to say about that!
Mindy @ The Purposed Heart recently posted..2 Great Resources for Starting the New Year off Right
All I have to say is BURP!
Mindy @ The Purposed Heart recently posted..2 Great Resources for Starting the New Year off Right
Yummy, my Sunday School kids will love these…I think I will try it with both white and sweet potatoes for this Sunday. Tell your Mom thanks for sharing and as always Stacy I love your fb page and blog. Keep up the good work and all the helpful hints.
Thanks Rhonda! I’ll pass that along to my Mama.
have you tried frying them in coconut or olive oil? Just wondering how that would taste? I don’t have palm oil, so just wondering if you could use the other? My family LOVES doughnuts!
Sherri, I’m not entirely sure. I know the smoke point for palm shortening is a lot higher than the coconut oil….but you could try it. I do pan fry with coconut oil with great results. I would be afraid the olive oil would leave too much of a strong flavor. If you try it, please let me know so I can add it to the recipe. Thank you!
My mom use to make donuts and we would eat them for supper!! When you are a kid, that was pretty neat!!
Hey, I’m 30 and I think that’s pretty neat too!
I’ve never made donuts before, can you believe it? I want a donut pan, though, so I don’t have to roll them out. I’m lazy!
Anne @ Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy recently posted..Menu Plan Monday: Eating Intentionally
Funny – I have a doughnut pan and I think these are easier. lol
Stacy, these homemade doughnuts looks delicious.I will try later. Thanks for sharing wonderful recipe with Hearth and soul blog hop.
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Thanks for hosting!
I love all the wholesome ingredients in these wonderful treats! The nutmeg must give them such a lovely flavour and I’m sure the potato makes them beautifully tender. Thank you for sharing this post with the Hearth and Soul hop.
The nutmeg is THE ingredient.
I love homemade doughnuts! Your doughnuts looks delicious! Thank you for sharing this with the Hearth and Soul Hop.
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