Old Fashioned Donuts

I LOOOOOOVE Old Fashioned Donuts. A simple glazed old fashioned donut is my favorite donut ever. I love the texture and flavor so much. The best part about these delicious donuts is that there’s no yeast involved, so they’re really easy to make!

What are Old Fashioned Donuts?

Old Fashioned Donuts are a variety of cake donuts that uses baking powder (and sometimes baking soda) as leaveners, instead of yeast. They have a distinct cracked texture on the surface allowing them to hold onto more glaze.

They are also often recognized by the “triangle” cuts made around the top of the donuts, allowing even more glaze to seep in. The texture is similar to a buttermilk donut, with a crisp exterior and soft, cakey interior.

How to Make Our Old Fashioned Donuts

Process

OLD FASHIONED DONUTS

1. Pour flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg into a mixing bowl and whisk together until evenly combined and no lumps remain. Set aside.

2. Place butter and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, and beat together until light and fluffy.

3. Add egg and egg yolk mixture and continue to beat together.

4. Alternate adding dry mixture and sour cream to the butter and sugar mixture a third at a time, with the mixer running, until all the ingredients have been added and soft dough has formed.

5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and form into a disc. Refrigerate for about 1 hour (and up to 2 days).
6. Sprinkle clean surface with a small amount of cake flour and roll dough out until 3/4” thick.

7. Using a 3” circle cutter, cut out as many circles as possible, and using a 3/4”circle cutter cut a small hole out of the center of each 3” circle. Re-knead and roll any remaining dough scraps as needed.
8. Carefully score a triangle over the top of each donut, being careful not to cut all the way through the donut.

FRYING

1. Carefully place a few doughnuts into the hot oil, cut-side down. Fry donuts for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and just cooked through. Drain on a paper towel before transferring to a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack.
2. Repeat until all donuts have been fried.

GLAZE

1. Place all ingredients into a mixing bowl and gently whisk together until sugar and salt has dissolved and a smooth and shiny glaze forms.

ASSEMBLY

1. Once cooled, carefully dip each donut into the glaze until fully coated, shaking to remove any excess. Place glazed old fashioned donut back onto the cooling rack until glaze sets. Serve.

Tools You Will Need

• dry measuring cups
• dry measuring spoons
• liquid measuring cup
• stand mixer
• mixing bowls
• wide pan with high sides
• circle cutters
• spider strainer/large slotted spoon
• cooling rack
• rimmed baking sheet

Variations

We love a simple vanilla glazed old fashioned donut, but there are so many different tweaks that can be made to them based on personal preference.

• Flavored glazes can be used to instead of our vanilla glaze. Chocolate is a popular glaze flavor for these donuts, but we’re particularly fond of a strawberry glaze (using freeze-dried strawberries).
• You can replace the sour cream for an equal amount of Greek yogurt.
• Some unsweetened cocoa powder can be added to the dough (with the flour) to make chocolate old fashioned donuts.

Make Ahead and Freezing Our Old Fashioned Donuts

Although the donuts will be best when consumed fresh, they can still be made ahead and even frozen with great results!

Make Ahead

The dough for our old fashioned donuts can be made up to 2 days ahead of time, wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator.

The fried donuts can be stored in an airtight container and stored in a cool, dry place for up to 3 days. We recommend waiting to glaze them until you’re ready to eat/serve them.

Freezing

Fried, cooled and unglazed donuts can be frozen and stored in an airtight container or resealable bag for up to 2 months. We recommend freezing the donuts as fresh as possible. The fresher the donuts are when frozen, the fresher they’ll be when thawed.

When ready to use, place frozen donuts on the counter for several hours until thawed. Glaze thawed donuts. Alternatively, you can place frozen donuts in the microwave for about 15 seconds to quickly thaw, then glaze as per instructions.

More Donuts Recipes You Will Love

• Strawberry Glazed Old Fashioned Donuts
• Baked Blueberry Donut
• Sweet Potato Spudnuts
• Baked Chocolate Donuts
• Baked Pumpkin Donuts
• Apple Fritters