Donut Holes

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Homemade Donut Holes are actually a lot easier to make than you think! With these step-by-step instructions, you’ll become a pro. Next on the list? Homemade French Crullers!

Donut Holes | A Tasty Little Treat!

These Donut Holes are originally from ART Restaurant at The Four Seasons -Seattle. After buttering them up they gave me their recipe!

These little devils have been haunting me ever since we visited the ART Restaurant at The Four Seasons Seattle a few months ago. I was barely 11 weeks pregnant {I think} and couldn’t really keep a whole lot of food down. But, these donut holes were magical and I was able to stomach almost all of them!  {Read: I hogged them all. } This entire pregnancy when I crave a treat, I think of these and drool. #notashamed. Well a few weeks ago, I was desperate for a donut hole and emailed my contact at the hotel asking for the recipe. A few minutes later badda bing badda boom I got the recipe.

Technology is amazing. And so are these Donut Holes. Hello, light and fluffy goodness coated in sugar. How are you? I ate these fresh out of the grease and enjoyed every.single.bite. Fresh donuts are my life.

These are pretty simple to throw together, they just involve a few basic ingredients and a lot of waiting. Is the waiting worth it? I would say yes, but I definitely got annoyed with the process. “Just rise FASTER” –said the starving pregnant lady. Anyways, I’d recommend going to Seattle and getting these. Orrrrr just making them at home!

Main Ingredients Needed

This is a yeasted donut recipe not a cake donut. This basically means, it uses yeast to rise and not another ingredient like baking soda which results in a lighter (less dense) texture, think Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts. With that being said, here’s what else you’ll need to make Donut Holes:

• Active Dry Yeast – this helps the dough rise.
• Warm Milk – the yeast hangs out in warm milk for a bit to make it bloom. This ensures that the yeast is alive and working while the milk is also used for moisture.
• Bread Flour + All Purpose Flour – these two are combined to create the perfect blend of flour (with just the right amounts of protein and gluten).
• Sugar – this is used to sweeten the dough and to also coat the outside of the finished donut holes.
• Salt – to balance and bring out flavors.
• Eggs – used to bring structure to the dough.
• Butter – this adds a lot of flavor to each and every bite!
• Oil – you’re going to need a light oil to fry these babies up. Canola or vegetable oil work great!

How to Make Donut Holes

For full details on how to make Donut Holes, see the recipe card down below 🙂

Proof Yeast

Whisk yeast together with milk in a mixing bowl.

Mix Dry Ingredients with Yeast

Add some of the bread flour and mix together until the mixture becomes a dry chunky mixture. Cover mixture with the remainder of bread flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt and let sit (even though the mixture is dry, it will rise)..

Add Wet Ingredients

Add 3 eggs and mix in a stand mixer with a dough hook on medium speed, scraping down the bowl every once in a while. Add the remaining egg and mix for a couple of minutes.

Slowly add the butter in pieces, mixing each piece in completely before adding more, scraping down the mixing bowl often.

When the dough is done, it will be very shiny and elastic. If the dough is not elastic, continue mixing: it will come together!

Rise + Chill

Place dough in a bowl that is big enough to allow it to double in size, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit out at room temperature for an hour and a half.

Fold dough over on itself and then cover again with plastic wrap—chill in refrigerator overnight.

Roll Dough, Fry + Coat in Sugar

The dough is now ready to fry, separate into about 40 half-ounce pieces and roll into balls if you wish. {My batter was too sticky to roll, so I used a small cookie scoop and plopped them right into the hot oil…worked like a charm!}

Deep fry in oil until golden brown and toss in sugar right from the oil. Make sure these take a minute or two to fry so they get completely cooked. Serve immediately right out of the oil and sugar! So so yummy 🙂

Customize Your Donut Holes

I rolled my donut holes in sugar for an easy sweet treat but you can do whatever you’d like with these babies. Here are a couple of ideas to get the juices flowing:

• Glaze – you could easily make a glaze out of powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to coat these donut holes in. You’re going to want the glaze to be the consistency of school glue.
• Cinnamon Sugar – add some cinnamon to your sugar for a fun twist on this recipe.
• Chocolate Ganache – dip these into some chocolate ganache, so good!
• Jelly Filled – grab a frosting bag and tip, fill with your favorite jelly, compote, or custard/pudding and fill these sugary donuts up.
• Powdered Sugar – instead of rolling in granulated sugar, roll in powdered sugar for a melt-in-your-mouth experience.

More Donut Recipes to Try!

This is not my first rodeo when it comes to donuts. Try these other certifiably delicious recipes:

• Old Fashioned Pumpkin Donuts
• Mini Chocolate Donut Muffins
• Carrot Cake Donuts
• Red Velvet Donuts
• Cranberry Orange Donuts
• Pancake Mix Donuts
• 3-Ingredient Nutella Donuts
• The Puddin Donut {Gourdough’s Copycat}
• S’mores Donut

That’s it people, easy peasy, tasty Donut Holes ready to eat! I loved these and of course so did my family (who doesn’t love a good donut?).

The printable recipe card is down below, enjoy!

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Homemade Donut Holes

Homemade Donut Holes are actually a lot easier to make than you think! With these step-by-step instructions, you'll become a pro.

servings 6

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• ▢ 3 1/2 tablespoon milk warm
• ▢ 1 1/4 cup bread flour
• ▢ 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoon sugar
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 4 eggs
• ▢ 1/2 cup unsalted butter plus 1 1/2 T
• ▢ granulated sugar for coating

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Whisk yeast together with milk in mixing bowl.
• Add 1/2 c bread flour and mix together until mixture becomes a dry chunky mixture. Cover mixture with remainder of bread flour, all purpose flour, sugar, and salt and let sit for 30 minutes (even though the mixture is dry, it will rise).
• Add 3 eggs and mix in a stand up mixer with a dough hook on medium speed for about 10 minutes, scraping down the bowl every once in a while. Add the remaining egg and mix for 3 more minutes.
• Slowly add the butter in pieces, mixing each piece in completely before adding more, scraping down the mixing bowl often
• When dough is done, it will be very shiny and elastic. If the dough is not elastic, continue mixing: it will come together!
• Place dough in a bowl that is big enough to allow it to double in size, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit out at room temperature for 1 ½ hours.
• Fold dough over on itself and then cover again with plastic wrap—chill in refrigerator overnight.
• Dough is now ready to fry, separate in about 40-1/2 ounce pieces and roll in to balls if you wish. {My batter was too sticky to roll, so I used a small cookie scoop and plopped them right into the hot oil…worked like a charm!}
• Deep fry in oil about 350 degrees Farrenheit until golden brown and toss in sugar right from the oil. Make sure these take a minute or two to fry so they get completely cooked. My oil was too hot at first and cooked the outside but not the inside. Be sure your oil is at 350! Serve immediately right out of the oil and sugar! So so yummy 🙂

Nutrition

Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 631mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 645IU | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: donut holes