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Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

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5 from 3 reviews

Treat your friends and family with these delicious homemade Cinnamon Sugar Donuts! This donut recipe uses a milk bread dough for the softest and fluffiest donuts you have ever tasted! Recipe with step-by-step photos.

Ingredients

For the Tangzhong

For the Milk Bread Dough

To Assemble the Donuts

Instructions

For the Tangzhong

  1. Whisk the ingredients together in a small saucepan.
  2. Place the saucepan over low heat.
  3. Keep whisking until the ingredients form a thick paste. The consistency should be thick enough so that as you whisk the mixture, the whisk leaves lines in the mixture which remains.
  4. Remove the paste to a small bowl, and set it aside to cool down.

To Make the Dough

  1. Measure the flour, yeast, salt and sugar into the bowl of an electric stand mixer.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients together using a dough hook.
  3. Add the egg and the cooled Tangzhong.
  4. Slowly add the milk until the mixture comes together into a sticky dough.
  5. Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Wait for each tablespoon of butter to be fully incorporated into the dough before adding the next.
  6. Continue kneading the dough on medium speed for about 10-15 minutes, or until the dough passes the windowpane test. (See Kitchen Notes below). By this stage, the dough should also be coming away from the sides of the bowl.
  7. Lightly oil a large, clean mixing bowl.
  8. Roll the dough into a smooth ball and place it into the mixing bowl.
  9. Cover the dough with a clean tea towel or bowl cover, and place it somewhere warm for about 1.5 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Shaping the Dough

  1. Punch back the dough to release the air.
  2. Gently knead the dough a few times until it is smooth again.
  3. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle shape which is about 1 cm/0.5 inch thick.

Shaping the Donuts

  1. Use an 8 cm/3 inch round cookie cutter to cut out rounds from the dough.
  2. Use a 3 cm/1 inch round cookie cutter to cut out the centre from each piece of dough.
  3. Cut out squares of baking paper which are large enough to hold each piece of donut.
  4. Transfer each dough piece to an individual piece of baking paper, and place them on a large sheet pan. 

Proving the Donuts

  1. Place the pan somewhere warm for about 30 minutes, or until the dough pieces have puffed up slightly.

Frying the Donuts

  1. Fill a large saucepan with a depth of about 5 cm/2 inches of oil.
  2. Heat the oil to 180°C/360°F.
  3. Carefully place a piece of dough into the oil, together with the baking paper. Cook for 1-2 seconds and then carefully flip the donut over. The baking paper should separate easily from the donut as you do so. Remove and discard the baking paper. Repeat this step with the other pieces of dough, but cook only 2-3 donuts at a time.
  4. Cook the donuts for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until lightly golden.
  5. Remove the cooked donuts to a wire rack and leave them to cool and drain for about 5 minutes.
  6. Transfer the donuts to a large plate with the cinnamon sugar, and toss to coat completely.
  7. Serve immediately.

Kitchen Notes

WINDOWPANE TEST
Pinch off a small piece of dough, roll it into a ball and use your hands to gently stretch the dough. If the dough can stretch to form a thin sheet and be almost translucent so that you can see the light through it, your dough has passed the “windowpane test”. This means that you have kneaded the dough sufficiently and that the dough is ready to be proofed.

MAKE AHEAD TIPS
To start the milk bread dough the night before, make the dough as per the recipe, until the dough has finished the first proofing period. Without touching or deflating the dough, cover the bowl with a tea towel, plastic wrap or reusable bowl cover. Place the bowl in the fridge to continue proofing overnight. The dough will rise slightly more overnight in the fridge. The next day, proceed with the rest of the recipe. As the dough will be cold, it may require a bit more time for the second proofing period.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF FLOUR
For Swiss readers: I use Zopfmehl (or farine pour tresse) when making bread and enriched dough.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF YEAST
* Please note that there is a difference between instant yeast (also called instant dried yeast or fast-action dried yeast) and dried yeast (also called active dry yeast). If you are not sure what type of yeast you have, please check the packaging for instructions on how to use the yeast.
* With instant yeast, you can add it directly to the flour mixture without having to activate it first.
* With dried yeast, you will need to activate it first (usually in some warm liquid).

PROOFING THE DOUGH
Dough needs a warm environment for the yeast to activate and cause the dough to rise. If you don’t have a warm place in your home, try one of the following ideas:
* In the oven with the oven light switched on (works only for some ovens).
* In the oven with a tray of boiling water on the bottom shelf.
* In the oven at a low temperature of about 25-30°C (77-86°F).

OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website state temperatures for a conventional oven. If you have a convection oven (i.e. an oven with a fan), please consult the manufacturer’s handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly.

CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.

View the recipe online: https://eatlittlebird.com/cinnamon-sugar-donuts/