This time of year, everyone loves to bite into their favorite sugar cookie and enjoy the holidays. But why not change it up this year at your family gathering with homemade doughnuts, instead of the store-bought junk?

Makes 10-20 Doughnuts (depending on size)

Ingredients:

3 cups — All-Purpose Flour

¼ cups — Sugar

1 ¾ cups — Milk

2 — Large Eggs

2 tbsp. — Warm Water (About 100° F)

⅓ cup — Butter

3 tsp. — Instant Yeast

2 tsp. — Salt

1 ½ tsp. — Nutmeg

1 tsp. — Cinnamon

½ lemon — Lemon Zest

1 qt — Peanut or Vegetable Oil

Toppings:

Powdered Sugar and/or Glaze

Instructions:

1. Combine water and yeast in mixing bowl. Let sit until mixture is frothy (5-10 min).
2. Heat milk in saucepan until warm enough to melt butter; add butter and remove from heat.
3. Make sure milk mixture has cooled down to almost the temperature of the water mixture. Then pour milk mixture into mixing bowl with the eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon zest, and half the flour. Beat until well combined.
4. Slowly add the remaining flour in on low speed. Then, once incorporated switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook on the mixer, and gradually increase speed to medium.  After that, knead for 5 minutes or until dough combines into a ball.
5. Transfer dough ball to well-oiled bowl, and cover with tea towel. Let sit for 1 hour.
6. Roll dough out on a well-floured surface, and cut doughnuts to desired size (½ in thick and 2 in. in diameter, with a ¾ in center hole, is recommended).
7. Let rise for another 30 min -1 hour on a well-floured surface covered with a tea towel.
8. Heat oil to 350-375° F. Allow doughnuts to cook for 1 minute on each side. Let cool on wire rack for 5 minutes before eating, 10 minutes before glazing.

Gallery • 10 Photos

Jack Ohly

Throughout the crafting of this recipe, I experimented with many different spices and amounts of yeast. While adding less yeast results in an easier recipe to create, the doughnuts lack the texture and fluffiness yeast provides. Alternatively, too much yeast gives the doughnuts a bread-like flavor and texture which is not welcome. Using just the right amount of yeast allowed the doughnuts to be light and fluffy, with subtle flavor undertones. Additionally, the spices I ended up using only add to the dish, and do not overpower or clash with any other flavors. I tried adding cloves at first, but they did not fit with how the rest of the dish tasted. Many flavors can be added or subtracted to create different tastes, but the base recipe is a solid stand-alone doughnut recipe. The doughnuts can even be pan-fried or baked to have completely different flavors and textures. Have fun with it!  

Questions about what I did? Suggestions for future recipes? Contact me through Instagram: @j.ohly.