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Air Fryer Glazed Donuts


Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Proof Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 18 minutes
Servings 12 donuts
Close up photo of glazed donuts cooling on a wire rack on a teal baking sheet.

Air Fryer Donuts are lightly crisp on the outside yet tender and fluffy on the inside! Made from scratch using pantry staple ingredients!

Ingredients  

  • teaspoons yeast (1 (¼oz.) packet)
  • ¼ cup warm water
  • ¾ cup warm evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoon salted butter melted
  • ¼ cup vegetable shortening room temperature
  • 3 cups cake flour spooned and leveled

Glaze


Instructions

  • In your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine warm water and yeast. Allow to activate for 10 minutes.
    2¼ teaspoons yeast, ¼ cup warm water
  • After 10 minutes the yeast should have small bubbles. Pour in the warm milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, sugar, salt, egg, egg yolk, melted butter, shortening, and flour. Mix on low speed until combined and smooth. Do not overmix.
    ¾ cup warm evaporated milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 2 tablespoon salted butter, ¼ cup vegetable shortening, 3 cups cake flour
  • Place a towel over the bowl and let rise for 1 hour.
  • Lightly flour a wooden cutting board. Place the dough on the floured surface and roll out to 1” thick.
  • Use a donut cutter, or a 4” and 1” biscuit/cookie cutter to cut out the donuts. Place the donuts onto a baking sheet as you work.
  • Lay a towel over the baking sheet and allow donuts to rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F for 5 minutes
  • Line the air fryer basket with foil. Spray the foil with coconut oil to prevent sticking. Arrange donuts in a single layer leaving 1” space between each and cook for 6 minutes, stopping once halfway through to flip. Multiple batches may be necessary. Place cooked donuts on a wire rack lined baking sheet to cool.
  • While the donuts are cooking, prepare glaze. Combine all of the glaze ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk. Place into a saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes. Pour glaze out of the saucepan and back into the mixing bowl.
    ¼ cup whole milk, 2 tablespoon light corn syrup, 2 tablespoon evaporated milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 cups powdered sugar
  • Dip donuts in the glaze and place back onto the wire to allow excess glaze to drip off and the glaze to harden.

Notes

  • How to Deep Fry: If you'd prefer to fry this recipe, simply heat 4 inches of vegetable oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven until it reaches 365-375 degrees F. Fry the donuts 3 or 4 at a time cooking for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Flip with a metal slotted spoon or tongs. Transfer fried donuts to a paper towel-lined baking sheet then glaze as directed in the recipe.
  • How Can I Tell If The Yeast Activated? The yeast mixture will bubble up and create a foamy layer on top of the liquid. If that didn't occur with your yeast it, unfortunately, did not activate.
  • Why Didn't My Yeast Activate? I'd first suggest double-checking the expiration date on the yeast. If it's not expired I'd move on to the water temperature. For yeast to activate the warm water must be between 105 to 110 degrees F. If the water is too hot it will kill the yeast. You can easily track the temperature of the water by using a kitchen thermometer.
  • What Other Cooking Spray Can I Use Besides Coconut Oil? You can also use olive oil or avocado oil cooking spray. Just be sure NOT to use Pam Cooking Spray or it will ruin your air fryer basket.
  • Is There A Good Substitute For Evaporated Milk? Yes, you can swap evaporated milk out for half-and-half or heavy cream. Keep in mind the fat content is higher in those two than in evaporated milk. So the donut will likely turn out richer. To help with this you can create a lower fat content by mixing heavy cream with milk.
  • How Do I Store These Glazed Donuts Once They're Fried And Glazed? You can place them inside an airtight container and store them at room temperature. Enjoy them for up to 2 days.
  • Cinnamon Sugar Topping: If you'd prefer a sugar coating instead of a glaze, simply combine 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Roll the freshly fried donuts in the mixture.
  • How To Make The Chocolate Glaze Topping:
    1. Whisk 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar with 2 Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder in a small bowl.
    2. Pour in 1/4 cup of heavy cream and continue to whisk the icing together.
    3. Dip the doughnuts in the chocolate glaze. Then transfer them to the wire rack to allow the excess glaze to drip off of them.
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Nutrition

Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 98mg | Potassium: 124mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 165IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 1mg

Find it online: www.sugarandsoul.co/air-fryer-glazed-donuts/