Homemade Glazed Donuts

When my husband and I traveled around the US, I got to know the donuts that are so closely tied to America. You find them almost everywhere, from big chains like Dunkin' to small stands all over town. When we got back I told myself I had to make them at home, but time went by and I never got to it. Now Hanukkah is around the corner, and it's exactly the time to get into the kitchen: roll them in sugar, drizzle them with chocolate, or stick with the classic glaze.

Before you start

• Give the dough its full rising times.
• Use a deep-fry thermometer to check the oil temperature.
• Fry the donut holes (the small circles you cut from the middle) too, and roll them in cinnamon sugar.

Ingredients for about 12 donuts

For the dough

• 500 g all-purpose flour.
• 90 g sugar (½ cup minus 1 tablespoon).
• 250 ml milk (1 cup + 1 tablespoon).
• 5 g instant dry yeast (1 teaspoon).
• ¼ teaspoon salt.
• 1 large egg, at room temperature.
• 50 g butter, softened and cut into cubes.
• Oil for deep frying.

For the glaze

• 100 g powdered sugar (1 cup minus 2 tablespoons).
• 30 ml milk (3 tablespoons).
• 1 teaspoon good vanilla extract.

Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of the flour (from the 500 g), 4 tablespoons of the milk (from the 250 ml) and the yeast. Stir well, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes. This is the starter.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Add the rest of the milk and mix on medium speed until clumps of dough start to form. Beat the egg and pour it in a thin stream into the mixer bowl, mixing until absorbed.
3. Add the starter (once it has risen) to the mixer bowl and knead for about 5 minutes, into an even dough.
4. Add the butter cubes and keep kneading until they disappear into the dough and you have an even, sticky ball of dough.
5. Flour your work surface and set the dough on it. Knead by hand for about 5 minutes, until the dough is pleasant to the touch and less sticky.
6. Lightly flour a large bowl and put the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for an hour, or until doubled.
7. Flour your work surface, set the dough on it and dust it with a little flour too. Roll it out about ½ inch (1.5 cm) thick.
8. With a round cutter (any size you like), cut out circles, then cut a smaller hole in the middle of each. Set each donut on its own square of parchment paper (cut the parchment into squares). Space them apart and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let them rise at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
9. Knead the scraps of dough left around the circles into a ball and let it rest briefly. Then roll it out and cut more donuts the same way.
10. Fill a wide pot with oil and heat it to 340–350°F (170–175°C). Lower the donuts into the hot oil parchment side down. After a few seconds the paper comes away from the donut; lift it out with tongs.
11. Fry for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown. Move the donuts to a colander to drain the excess oil (if you want to roll the donuts in sugar, do it while they're still warm).
12. For the glaze: in a bowl, mix the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla into a thick paste. If it's too runny, add more powdered sugar until it's the texture you want.
13. Spread a thin layer over each donut with a teaspoon and set them on parchment paper until the glaze sets.