Fried donut holes may have started as the byproduct of plush fried donut rings, but in this recipe they're the star! Golden brown and deep-fried, these bite-sized donut holes are crispy, airy, and coated in a snowfall of powdered sugar. So fun and easy to make, they're great for parties, brunch, breakfast, and more!
This recipe makes about 80-100 donut holes, depending on how close together you cut them out!
This is my foolproof recipe for fried donut holes made using a buttery brioche dough. I've got all the tips you need to make this recipe relatively foolproof — so if you've never made brioche or you're new to deep frying, don't worry. I've got you covered!
About This Recipe
Usually I make these adorable powdered sugar coated donut holes by cutting them out of the scrap dough when I'm making my jelly-filled donuts or from the centers of my brioche crumb cake donuts. But the last time I made these donut holes for a party they were so popular, I wanted to give them their own home on the blog.
You can serve these donut holes plain for dipping in coffee, dusted with powdered sugar as I usually do, or coat them in lots of different flavored glazes and sugar coatings. I really encourage you to get creative with these!
I'll keep things pretty short and sweet here so you can get straight to the recipe because the dough is the same as my brioche bread dough, and the frying process is similar to my other donut recipes. But there are a few things that really make this recipe foolproof that I'll share as I walk you through the recipe.
For what it's worth, a Canadian friend of mine told me these donut holes remind her of Tim Horton's bite-sized Timbits. I haven't personally tried Timbits so can't say how close I've gotten to replicating them here, but if you're looking for a copycat Timbits recipe this might be a good place to start!
Ingredient Notes
Here's what you'll need to make these foolproof fried donut holes with a simple powdered sugar coating! See recipe card (at the end of the post) for ingredient quantities.
- All-Purpose Flour - To make these donut holes, I use King Arthur Baking's all-purpose flour which has a slightly higher protein content than other brands of flour. If you're using store-brand flour, you may see better results with their bread flour. But regular all-purpose should work just fine!
- Milk - Whole milk works best for donuts; the fat content is an important part of this enriched dough!
- Large Egg - If you use a different size of egg, you may find the dough stickier or drier than it should be. It will still work, you just may need to add more milk or flour in the initial mixing stages!
- Honey - To sweeten the dough.
- Instant Yeast - I use SAF Instant Yeast because it's fast and can be added directly to the dry ingredients without needing to proof it in water first. Instant yeast is also sometimes called "rapid rise" or "quick" yeast. Store yeast in the freezer so you never have to wonder if it's gone bad. See recipe notes for what to do if you only have active dry yeast.
- Vanilla Bean Paste - I like the concentrated flavor of a vanilla bean paste, but vanilla extract or the seeds from one vanilla bean pod will also work!
- Salt - I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt which is half as salty as other brands and types of salt. As long as you measure your salt by weight, it doesn't matter what brand or type of salt you use. If you're measuring by volume (teaspoons) cut the amount of salt in half.
- Unsalted Butter - Make sure your butter is softened truly to room temperature. The colder and firmer your butter is, the longer it will take to incorporate into the dough. If using salted butter, reduce the amount of salt in the recipe by half.
- Powdered Sugar - For dusting the outside of your donut holes! This is also sometimes called "confectioner's sugar."
- Neutral Oil - For frying the donut holes. You'll want a neutral oil like canola oil, vegetable oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, or grapeseed oil.
🍽 Mise en place (aka "the setup")
Mise en place is a French culinary term that literally translates to "putting in place."
It basically means: Measure all your ingredients and make sure you have all the right tools and equipment ready to go when you need them before you start working.
This can make a huge difference in a) how enjoyable you find the baking and cooking process and b) the success of your recipe!
Here's the mise en place you'll need before you begin this recipe:
- Soften the butter - The best way to soften butter to room temperature is to leave it out for 1-3 hours (or overnight if it’s very cold in your kitchen). If you don't remember to do that, you can microwave the wrapped stick of butter for 4-5 seconds per side.
- Warm the Milk - Microwave the milk in 10-15 second bursts in the microwave until it is warm to the touch but not hot (90°F).
- Bring the egg to room temperature - Submerge the egg in very hot water for 5-10 minutes.
How to Make Brioche Dough for Donut Holes
These donut holes are made from a basic brioche dough. Brioche dough is super soft and sweet because it's enriched with fat from butter, whole milk, and eggs, as well as sugar (or honey, in this case).
Psst! I've gone into more detail about brioche dough and how to troubleshoot it in my brioche bread loaf post, and I recommend going there to read more about it, especially if it's your first time making brioche.
Here's the basic brioche dough process:
- Mix the dough - Whisk the dry ingredients together, then whisk the liquid ingredients together and pour them into the dry ingredients. Mix everything together with the dough hook until it comes together in one mass on the dough hook and there aren't any dry bits of flour left in the bottom.
- Knead the dough - Increase the speed and knead on medium until the dough passes the windowpane test.
- Add the butter - Add the soft, room temperature butter 1 tablespoon at a time, letting it fully incorporate between each addition. You're asking the dough to incorporate quite a lot of fat each time you add a new chunk of butter, so be patient. It can take 60 seconds for each cube of butter to incorporate.
- Knead the dough - Once the butter has been added, knead the dough again on medium speed until it passes the windowpane test a second time.
After mixing, before kneading.
After kneading, before adding butter.
After adding butter and kneading.
Finish by shaping the dough into a ball by tucking all the ends under so the top is nice and smooth. Place it in a lightly greased bowl and cover it to rise.
You can either let the dough rise for 1 hour at room temperature until doubled in size followed by 1 hour in the fridge to firm up the butter OR pop the dough directly in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours.
With either approach, once the dough is in the fridge it will be fine in there for up to 24 hours. So it's really up to you how far in advance you want to make the dough before cutting and frying the donut holes.
Cutting & Frying Donut Holes
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Try to get it all in one piece and un-wrinkled as possible to make it easier to roll. It's okay if you need to scrape a few stuck bits out of the bowl or whatever. It'll just make things a little easier if you can get it out in one clean piece.
Use a rolling pin to gently roll out the dough. The butter in the dough will warm up as you work it, so dust in more flour (lightly) only if needed to prevent sticking.
Keep rolling until the dough is about a quarter inch thick all the way around, though it's okay if the dough is a little thinner in some spots.
Use a 1" or 1.25" round cutter to cut the donut holes. If you go any bigger than that, you'll end up with oblong, oval-shaped donut holes instead of round donut holes.
Cut as many donut holes out of the dough as possible. I find it easier to start from the middle and work my way out.
As you get to the edges, don't worry if you're cutting some donut holes that aren't perfect circles. They're still good!
Arrange the donut holes on a lined sheet pan, cover and let them rise somewhere warm for 45-60 minutes.
Because these donut holes are so small, it can be hard to tell when they have completed their second rise. You're basically looking for them to appear a little puffy and airy, maybe a little taller than they were when you first cut them.
Towards the end of the rise time, begin heating about 3 inches of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven with a candy thermometer attached. Bring the oil to 350°F.
The oil will cool down each time you add a new batch of donut holes, so adjust the temperature as needed to maintain that temperature.
To check if the oil is ready you may want to fry up a single sacrificial practice donut hole — that will give you a sense of the oil temperature and how long it will take to fry!
Working in batches, use a wire spider to lower about 10-15 donut holes into the oil all at once.
Fry for 2-3 minutes, using the wire spider to keep them moving so they brown evenly.
A wire strainer with spiral mesh scoop with a 6-inch diameter. Made from food grade 18/8 stainless steel.
Remove the donut holes to a sheet pan lined with paper towels and a wire cooling rack set inside it.
This allows any excess oil to drip off, and leaves room for air to circulate around the donut holes so they don't get soggy. No one likes a soggy donut hole!
Let the donut holes cool on the wire rack for at least 10 minutes.
Toss the donut holes in a bowl with powdered sugar until fully coated. Return them to the wire rack to finish cooling.
For a more subtle powdered sugar coating, shake off the excess in a wire mesh strainer.
For a more intense powdered sugar coating, or if the powdered sugar melts into the donut holes more than you want, wait 15-20 minutes, then toss in powdered sugar a second time.
Storage Notes
In general, fried donut holes are best enjoyed while still fresh, within a couple hours of frying.
I don't recommend trying to store donut holes for later, though you can keep them in an airtight bag or container at room temperature for 24-48 hours if you really need to. They just won't be as good as if they were fresh!
Donut Hole Variations
There are so many different ways you can finish these donut holes. Here's four of my favorites to get you started!
- Glazed Donut Holes - Use the glaze from my crumb cake brioche donuts recipe. Roll the donut holes in the glaze, then transfer to the wire rack and allow the glaze to dry.
- Chocolate Dusted Donut Holes - Reduce the powdered sugar coating to 70 grams and whisk in 10 grams of cocoa powder.
- Lemon or Orange Donut Holes - Add 2 teaspoons of lemon or orange zest to the donut dough.
- Cinnamon Sugar - Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon to the dough and roll the donut holes in cinnamon sugar before serving.
Deep Frying Tips for Beginners
- Use a heavy-bottom pot for your frying. I use this all-clad stock pot but a dutch oven is also a great option. Basically just don't use pots that are copper or aluminum.
- My favorite thermometer to use while frying is one of these though candy thermometers also work really well. The clamp holds the stem at an angle so you can be sure you're getting the temperature in the center of the pot. Adjust your burner regularly to maintain 350F. You may even need to turn the burner completely off for a little bit.
- DON'T WALK AWAY! Hot oil looks a lot like cold oil in the pot, it doesn't start bubbling and boiling like water does. It will start bubbling once you add your doughnut dough. You might need a higher burner temp than you think to get it to the right temp, but once it's at temp you'll likely only need the burner on low-to-medium to maintain the right heat while frying.
- Use a wire spider, metal tongs, or slotted spoon to transfer your food in and out of the hot oil without splashing yourself.
- Dispose of your oil properly — don't pour it down the drain. Use a funnel to transfer the oil (once cool) back to the bottle it came in, then throw out the sealed container. There are great tips for how to reuse oil to reduce waste here.
12-Piece Set of Round Ring Pastry Cutters
A color coded set of round pastry cutters with the corresponding measurements on the lid. Great for cookies, donuts, biscuits, etc.!
Practical Tips and Recipe Notes
- Use a stand mixer to make the brioche dough for these donut holes. You cannot use a hand mixer to make brioche dough.
- If you have one of the tilt-head KitchenAid stand mixers, the motor may struggle with this dough; you may need to hold the bowl in place to make sure it doesn’t unscrew or come loose. If you have a bowl-lift stand mixer, you'll still want to keep an eye on it the whole time it's mixing and kneading so it doesn't walk itself off the counter.
- You shouldn't need to go above speed 6 on your KitchenAid mixer the whole time you're making this dough. Most of the time speeds 2-4 are just fine!
- Don't discard the dough scraps! Fry them up exactly as they are as a little snack for you. Or you can divide up the leftover dough, roll it into balls the size of large marbles, let them rise along with the cut-out donut holes and fry them. They'll have more irregular shapes than the cut-out donut holes, but will still be delicious!
- AIR FRYER? I'm so sorry but I don't have an air fryer. If you try them in an air fryer, please leave a comment below and let me know how they turn out!
TL;DR — Recipe Summary
- Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Use dough hook to mix until combined in a shaggy dough.
- Knead until windowpane stage is reached, adjusting dough as needed.
- Add room temperature butter 1 tablespoon at a time until incorporated.
- Knead until windowpane stage is reached again.
- Cover and rest the dough for 1 hour at room temp, then 1 hour in the fridge OR 3 hours in the fridge.
- Roll the dough to ¼" thick and cut the donut holes. Arrange them in rows on a lined sheet pan.
- Cover and rest 45-60 minutes.
- Fry the donut holes in 350°F oil for 2-3 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack to drain.
- Let cool 10-15 minutes before tossing in powdered sugar.
📖 Recipe
How to Make Foolproof Fried Donut Holes
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook (you CANNOT use a hand mixer here)
- 1-1.25 inch round cutter
- Large pot (or Dutch oven, for frying)
- Sheet pan (with cooling rack that fits inside)
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 350 grams all-purpose flour
- 5 grams instant yeast (see notes for active dry yeast)
- 5 grams diamond crystal kosher salt
- 158 grams whole milk (90°F)
- 30 grams honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 85 grams soft room temperature unsalted butter (6 tablespoons)
For Frying & Finishing
- 2 quarts canola oil (or other neutral oil)
- 80 grams powdered sugar (for coating)
Instructions
- Mix the dough. Combine flour, salt, and yeast the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. In a separate bowl, whisk together warm milk, honey, vanilla, and egg. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together in a shaggy messy ball on the dough hook, about 3-5 minutes. The dough will look dry at first, but will hydrate as it mixes. Be patient!
- Knead the dough. Increase speed to medium-low and knead the dough for 5-7 minutes, ideally until it passes the windowpane test. If it doesn't pass, cover and let the dough rest for 5 minutes, knead 1 minute more, then proceed to the next step.
- Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. With the mixer running on medium-low, add the butter one tablespoon at a time. Let each piece fully incorporate before adding more. The dough will look like it is falling apart each time you add more butter, but it will come back together. Pause the mixer to scrape the butter down into the bowl occasionally as needed. This can take up to a minute per piece of butter. Be patient!
- Knead the dough again. Increase speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth, shiny, and passes the windowpane test again, about 5-7 minutes.
- Cover and rise. Tuck the edges of the dough under so you have a nice ball with a smooth top. Place in a lightly greased container and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled in size, then 1-24 hours in the fridge to cool it down before cutting. Alternately, place it in the fridge immediately and let it rise for 3-24 hours in the fridge before cutting.
Cutting & Proofing Donut Holes
- Roll out the dough. Turn the chilled brioche dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface. Use your hands to gently flatten the dough trying to avoid any big wrinkles or creases in the surface. Roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thick, dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Cut the donut holes. Use a 1"-1¼" round cutter to cut as many donut holes out of the dough as possible. I like to start in the center and work my way out, but you do you. Get them as close to each other as possible to get the most out of the dough.
- Final Rise. Arrange the donut holes on a parchment lined sheet pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for 45-60 mins, until the donut holes are looking a little puffy.
Frying Donut Holes
- Heat the oil. Toward the end of the rise time, begin heating about 3 inches of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven, using a candy thermometer or frying thermometer to bring the oil to 350°F. Line a second sheet pan with paper towels and place a wire cooling rack inside it.
- Fry the donut holes. Use a wire spider to gently lower donut holes into the oil in batches. Fry each batch for 2-3 minutes, using the wire spider to keep the donut holes moving in the oil so they brown evenly on all sides. Remove the donut holes to the cooling rack to drain.
- Powdered sugar coating. Let the donut holes cool for about 10 minutes before tossing in a bowl with powdered sugar to coat. Remove them back to the wire cooling rack to finish cooling or directly to a serving platter. Donuts are best enjoyed within a few hours!
RECIPE NOTES
- If the powdered sugar coating melts into the donuts more than you like, you can give them a second toss in the powdered sugar.
- If using active dry yeast, use 7 grams instead and mix with the warm milk before adding to the dough instead of adding it to the dry ingredients.
- Optional: Add 2 teaspoons lemon or orange zest to the dry ingredients when making the dough for a sweet, citrusy flavor.
- Don't discard the dough scraps — fry them up at the end as a little snack for you! Or divide up the dough scraps, roll them into balls the size of large marbles, let them rise along with the cut-out donut holes and fry them. They'll have more irregular shapes than the cut-out donut holes, but will still be delicious!
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