Homemade Doughnuts

Remember last week when I said you should always celebrate with pancakes? Well, there is one exception to this rule. And that, of course, is to celebrate with doughnuts. This was my first attempt at homemade doughnuts, and it most certainly won't be the last. 

Doughnut Recipe | Ingredients: 

1 tbsp yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup whole milk
4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
4 tbsp butter
canola oil for frying the donuts

Mix together the yeast and warm water, and let it sit for five minutes. Combine this with sugar, milk, eggs, butter, and flour. Add the flour last, sifting it in as you mix. Cover bowl with a warm, clean towel, and place in a room temperature area for two hours to rise. 
Next, remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Pat it down flat, roughly 1/2 inch thick. Use a large cup as a doughnut cutter and cut out circles, then poke your fingers through the middle of the circle and stretch it out making the doughnut hole. Once you've used all the dough, place on a baking sheet and cover again with the towel. Let it rise for one hour. 
Pour two inches of canola oil in a frying pan and heat to medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, carefully place the doughnuts in the oil. I fried one-two at a time. With tongs, flip them over once the bottom side is a light brown. Once the other side is a light brown color, place it on a cooling rack over paper towels to let the excess oil drip off. Add a topping (listed below) and serve warm.

I used four different types of toppings for the doughnuts:
Sprinkled sugar on top as soon as doughnut is removed from oil.
Dipped in the icing glaze.
Dipped in the icing glaze with smashed blueberries mixed in.
Pouring glaze in a zig zag pattern and sprinkling a cinnamon sugar mix on top.  


Icing Glaze | Ingredients:

3 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup 2% milk

Heat milk and vanilla in a small pan on low heat. Mix in the sugar, creating a thick paste. Bring down heat to the lowest level. Use immediately.