Quick and Easy Donuts Using Bread Flour

Ingredients

Doughnuts are made using the simplest of pantry staples, including flour, yeast, baking powder or baking soda, sugar, butter, and oil for deep-frying. Here's a quick overview of essential doughnut-making ingredients.

Flour
Yeast or raised doughnuts benefit from higher-protein bread flour, which gives the dough a bit more elasticity, so it can trap more air pockets and create the lightest of pastries. All-purpose flour is better for cake doughnuts, which don't need the same gluten development, and are prone to getting a bit tough with bread flour.

Yeast
Active-dry yeast is typically used in raised doughnut recipes, but you can use instant yeast, in the same quantities, if you prefer. (Note that while active-dry and instant yeast aren't always interchangeable, in the particular case of doughnuts, you can safely swap one for the other.) If you're an active baker, skip the little envelopes, which are costly and produce more waste, and buy your yeast in a larger bag—bulk yeast is sometimes kept in the baking aisle but can also be found in the refrigerator case (usually near the eggs). Regardless of the type of yeast you use, store it in the refrigerator to keep it active for up to six months.

Baking Powder and Baking Soda
Baking powder and baking soda are used to leaven or create rise in cake doughnuts. Baking soda is four times stronger than baking powder, but requires an acid to activate it, so recipes that use baking soda will also call for ingredients such as sour cream, buttermilk, or even cocoa powder to make those doughnuts puff up.

Sugar
Although you can use regular granulated sugar in doughnut recipes, superfine sugar mixes more easily into dry ingredients, and also works as a great doughnut-coating alternative to glazes. Less processed sugars are prone to over-browning in fried doughnuts, so save the darker sugars, such as muscovado or light or dark brown sugar, for baked doughnuts.

Butter, Oil, and Other Fats
In addition to any oil used for deep-frying, doughnuts need a bit of fat in their dough or batter to ensure tenderness. Solid fats like butter, coconut oil, or lard tend to work better than liquid oils.

When frying doughnuts, chose oil with a high smoking point, such as safflower or peanut oil. Canola oil is an option, but it has a stronger flavor than other oils. Avoid oils that are simply labeled "vegetable oil," or any oil with a low smoke point, which will start to burn at higher temperatures.

When you're done frying, save your oil and reuse it up to five times. Let the oil cool completely in the pot or the deep fryer and then pour it through a paper towel–lined strainer to remove any particles. Transfer used oil to a disposable container, such as a clean milk carton or the original bottle, and store it in a dark location.

When oil has been used about five times, or has darkened, it's time to throw it out. Don't dump it down the drain though—either pour the cooled oil into a disposable container and discard, or better, look for oil recycling centers in your area.

Tools

At-home doughnut making doesn't require a countertop deep fryer, and most cooks likely already own the few tools required. In addition to the more basic kitchen items, such as a rolling pin for rolling out yeast doughnuts or a slotted spoon for removing doughnuts from the hot oil, you'll want to have the following items out and ready before you get started.

Kitchen Scale
While not essential, a kitchen scale makes it super-simple to measure flour and sugar consistently time after time. Flour, in particular, tends to compress when measured in cups, leading to excess flour being incorporated into dough. A scale also makes it very easy to double or halve a recipe. If you are a frequent baker, a kitchen scale is a must-have.

Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment and Dough Hook
Although you can certainly make cake or raised doughnuts without one, a stand mixer with a dough hook takes the work out of kneading the dough to activate the gluten. It also reduces the likelihood of adding too much flour to the dough, which can make doughnuts tough. If a stand mixer isn't an option, cake doughnuts can be made with a hand mixer, but raised doughnuts are better worked with a wooden spoon and then kneaded by hand.

Pastry Bag and 1/2-inch Circular Tip
A pastry or piping bag fitted with a ½-inch circular tip is used to create round-bottomed cake doughnuts. You can also use a star-shaped tip to create ridged crullers. Lost your pastry bag? The cut corner of a resealable plastic bag can be used in a pinch.

Doughnut Cutter
A doughnut cutter makes quick work of punching out a dozen raised doughnuts. Look for one made of stiff metal and with a removable center punch for easier cleaning. If you don't have a doughnut cutter, use a small glass to cut large rounds and punch a hole in the center with your finger, then gently stretch the hole into a 1½-inch-diameter circle.

Non-Terry Towels
When proofing raised doughnuts, a well-floured non-terry towel keeps the dough from sticking and stretching when you pick the doughnuts up to fry. Any non-terry towel is good, but flour sack–type linens work the best.

Heavy-Bottomed Large Pot for Frying
You can use a deep fryer to make doughnuts, but it's not required. Instead, use a heavy-bottomed pot large enough to hold about 1 1/2 liters of oil. You want the oil to be about 2 inches deep and for there to be 2 inches between the surface of the oil and the top of the pot. It's also essential that the pot is heavy-duty; enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens are prefect and do a wonderful job of maintaining consistent oil temperature. A deep fryer offers the advantage of consistent oil temperature, but keep in mind that it requires about twice as much oil as the pot method.

Deep-Fry Thermometer
Also known as a candy thermometer, a deep-fry thermometer is essential for measuring and maintaining a constant oil temperature. Look for one that measures up to 400°F, and has a clip for attaching to the side of the pot. If you use a deep fryer, you won't need a separate thermometer.

Doughnut Pans
If you want to make baked cake doughnuts, you will need to invest in a special doughnut pan to create classic round-bottomed pastries. Doughnut pans can be made of metal or silicone, and both work well. In a pinch, you can substitute a mini-muffin pan, but the doughnuts won't have that characteristic rounded shape.

Doughnut Machine
While far from essential, a doughnut machine offers another way to make cake doughnuts at home. It's similar to a waffle-maker and cooks the whole doughnut with contact heat, so the top and bottom have the same crust texture. If you do invest in a doughnut machine, it's best to use batters that are designed for baking rather than frying.

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Source: https://www.epicurious.com/archive/howtocook/primers/doughnuts_ingredients_tools

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