These plumptious little bundles of warm dough may be the best doughnuts you’ll ever eat. Don’t be tempted to add more flour, even though the dough seems very soft. All will come out right when they hit the hot oil. Frying is surprisingly quick and easy, and they’re perfect simply rolled in the spicy sugar. Once you add that dish of warm maple syrup for dipping (I prefer Grade B, which is darker and more potent than Grade A), you have a breakfast treat that threatens to take the focus off opening gifts!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¾ cup milk
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 package active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 egg yolks
- Vegetable oil for frying
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 cup real maple syrup
How to Make It
- Melt the butter in the milk in a microwavable bowl by nuking them for 1 to 2 minutes on high. Afterward, use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the milk is no hotter than 115°F. If it is, cool it for a few minutes. Stir in the 3 tablespoons sugar and add the yeast. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes until the surface is foamy.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk mixture and the vanilla. Add the flour and salt, mixing well. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for 40 minutes (or overnight in the refrigerator).
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide it into 24 pieces, rolling each one into a ball with your palms. Arrange the balls on a greased baking sheet, cover them lightly with plastic wrap, and let them rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
- Put 2 inches of oil in the bottom of a large, heavy saucepan and heat it over medium-high heat to 350°F on a frying thermometer. Fry the doughnuts in batches, turning them now and then, until each one is a rich golden brown, about 4 minutes for each batch. (Try to keep the oil’s heat constant for best results.) Drain the doughnuts on a platter lined with paper towels and keep them warm while you finish cooking the remaining doughnuts.
- Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl and toss the doughnuts in it, in batches. Put the maple syrup in a microwavable bowl and heat it in the microwave for 1 minute on high, just until warmed. Serve the sugared doughnuts at once with the maple syrup for dipping.
