The Clara Project: classic homemade doughnut recipe.

Week Two of The Clara Project brings us another thumbs-up: a classic recipe for homemade doughnuts (or donuts, in modern spelling). These are absolutely fantastic, and every bit as easy to make as a batch of Sunday-morning pancakes or waffles. I’d never made homemade donuts before, but this great recipe will go into my regular baking repertoire for sure.

If you’re put off by the idea of deep-frying these, don’t be. [At least, not from a preparation standpoint, and heaven knows we’re not going to discuss the caloric implications. C’mon: They’re donuts.] Frying these homemade donuts is a no-brainer, and contrary to my expectations it produced no splattery mess on my stove. You’ll need a heavy, deep pot (a Dutch oven works well) and a thermometer that reaches at least 350 degrees (my combination candy/deep fry thermometer did the job).

These homemade donuts are wonderful: Warm, sweet, delightfully crunchy on the outside and impossibly tender on the inside.

Serve these homemade donuts along with fresh apple cider for a wonderful Halloween night treat or a football tailgate party snack—cider and donuts is just such a classic fall combination.

Clara marked her doughnut recipe ‘good’ in the upper left-hand corner, and I would agree (as would Rob and Mom, who gamely did the taste-testing, God love ’em). I did make some modifications, as I found the order of preparation instructed on the vintage recipe card to be wonky. Clara made a note that the 1/2 cup of milk called for was too much, so I reduced the milk to 1/3 cup and then added another teaspoon to make the dough come together.

Note: These are superior when they’re still warm and not nearly as good the next day. If you find you need to reserve part of the batch to eat later, I’d recommend that you not sugar them right away and instead do so just before you eat them.

old-fashioned homemade doughnut recipe

(makes about 8, plus donut holes)

1 1/2 cups bread flour (can substitute all-purpose)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup milk (more may be needed)
vegetable or canola oil for frying
1 cup (or more) powdered sugar for finishing

special equipment: deep-fry thermometer; heavy, deep pot (like a Dutch oven); paper bag (like a lunch sack)

Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. In a large bowl, combine melted butter, sugar and egg; use a wooden spoon to whip the mixture until it’s a bit foamy and light in color, about 1 minute. Add half the milk to the sugar/egg mixture and stir to blend, then add half the flour mixture and combine well. Add the remaining milk, stirring, and finally the remaining flour mixture, adding another teaspoon or two of milk if the dough seems too dry (the additional milk will help the dough come together completely). The dough will be tacky to the touch. On a lightly floured surface, gently pat the dough into a circle 1/2 inch thick. Use a doughnut cutter (or two round cutters; I used a 2 1/2-inch round with a 1 1/4-inch round for the center) to cut out classic donut shapes. Gather the scraps and re-form into a circle, cutting extra ‘holes’ if you have a little bit of dough left.

Line a baking sheet with several layers of paper towel. Pour about 1 cup of powdered sugar into the paper sack.

Into a heavy, deep pot pour about 2 inches of canola or vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer shows that the oil has reached 355 to 360 degrees. When the oil is hot, gently slip 2 or 3 donuts into the pot (don’t crowd them); cook for about 2 minutes until donuts are deeply golden brown on one side. Use a strainer or spatula to turn the donuts over and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until they’re evenly brown all over. Maintain the heat under the pot so that the thermometer consistently reads 350 to 355 degrees (cooking the donuts at this temperature will ensure that they have a crispy exterior without a greasy taste).

Remove the cooked donuts to the paper towel-lined baking sheet. Continue cooking the remaining donuts and donut holes. When the donuts are just cool enough to handle, place them, one or two at a time, into the paper sack with the powdered sugar; shake to coat and then tap off any excess. (Note: If you’re saving some of the donuts to eat later, sugar them before you enjoy them.)

The Wine Bears gave this old-fashioned donut recipe a “paws up.”

About The Clara Project
Once a week, I’ll make and share a recipe from a collection of vintage recipe cards that were written in the 1930s by Clara Shenefelt. See all the Clara Project recipes.