How to Fry Raised Donuts

It takes just a few minutes to fry your own delicious donuts.

Frying your own donuts may seem too complicated, especially when it's so easy to pick them up at the store. But your own home-fried donuts will be fresher and tastier than any you can buy. You can use dough that has been raised either with baking powder or yeast. Just be sure to read the instructions thoroughly, set up your work stations, and be ready to work quickly once the oil is hot, and you'll be dunking donuts in no time.

Things You'll Need

• Vegetable oil or fat with a high smoke point, such as peanut oil, canola oil or safflower oil
• Deep-frying thermometer
• Heavy pan or kettle
• Long-handled frying basket
• Pan of boiling water
• Paper towels
• Donut dough

Instructions

1. Prepare donut dough according to your preferred recipe, using either baking powder or yeast. Cut into desired shapes and set aside.

2. Pour the oil into a deep, heavy pan or kettle, leaving at least two inches of headspace at the top.

3. Heat the oil to 370 degrees, as measured with a deep-frying thermometer.

4. Place several donuts in the bottom of the frying basket and carefully lower it into the fat.

5. Allow donuts to brown on one side for a minute or two. Turn them over to brown on the other side.

6. Lift the basket and allow the donuts to drain briefly. Remove them from the basket with a fork and quickly dunk them into the pot of boiling water; this helps to remove excess fat.

7. Dry the donuts on paper towels before glazing or adding other toppings. Repeat steps with remaining dough.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't crowd the pan; donuts need room to float freely in the oil.

• Make sure the oil doesn't get too hot while frying the donuts. If the donuts are getting too brown, lower the heat or take the pan off the burner until the oil cools.

References

• Donuts and crullers