While the lines may not be as long as they once were (who else remembers standing in line for hours?), the Krispy Kreme doughnut recipe for their classic glazed doughnuts has not changed (though they have plenty of new seasonal flavors, like pumpkin spice doughnuts).
Glazed warm straight from the fryer, there's a reason these sweet heavenly orbs of fried dough have garnered a loyal cult following that has endured since the first location opened in 1937.
No Krispy Kreme in your area? Never fear. We've dissected their doughnut recipe down to the last drop of sweet sticky glaze and created the best copycat glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut recipe.
Want to shop local? Here are the best doughnut shops in your state.
While the exact recipe for Krispy Kreme's glazed doughnuts is guarded under lock and key-unlike these secret restaurant recipes that have been revealed-we discovered a few simple tricks in our testing process to master the formula for a pretty spot-on Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut.
The secret to soft, pillowy glazed doughnuts is to not overmix the dough. When blending the ingredients, turn your mixer off as soon as the flour is moist. The dough should be somewhat loose and sticky. Overworking the flour will develop the gluten too much, causing the doughnuts to be tough.
It can be tempting to rush the proofing process, so you can sink your teeth into a hot, fresh doughnut sooner rather than later. But take your time. Proofing fills the dough with pockets of air, giving it loft and lightness once fried.
If you're not into proofing or frying, try making these homemade cake doughnuts instead.
The temperature of the oil is critical for making the best Krispy Kreme doughnut recipe. Too hot, and your doughnuts will burn on the outside before the centers are fully cooked. Too cold, and you'll end up with oil doughnuts.
For best results, use a candy thermometer to test the temperature of the oil and keep it consistent while frying. A range between 350°F and 375° is where the magic happens.
Don't overcrowd doughnuts in the oil. Too many doughnuts can lower the oil temperature drastically and make it difficult to flip them while frying. Here are more of our top tips for deep-frying with confidence.
Unlike competitors who reheat their previously-fried frozen doughnuts in the oven, Krispy Kreme makes their doughnuts fresh in-house. Research suggests their specialty flavors are made on a scheduled weekly rotation. However, their classic glazed doughnuts are made twice daily at most locations.
Wondering what oil Krispy Kreme uses for frying? Word on the street is that it's shortening! This oil is ideal for frying doughnuts because it has a very neutral flavor profile and yields doughnuts with the best interior texture and crisp exterior. Here's how shortening is different from butter!
Yield: 8-12 doughnuts
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, milk, vanilla, sugar, eggs, shortening and half of the flour.
Editor's Tip: If using active dry yeast rather than instant, you'll want to bloom the yeast in the warm milk and sugar for 5-10 minutes before combining it with the other ingredients. Learn how to use yeast.
Using your mixer's first speed, mix the ingredients until combined; then slowly add in the remaining flour and salt. Increase to your mixer's second speed and blend until the flour is just incorporated.
Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour in a warm place. If it doesn't seem to be working, here are a few possible reasons why dough may not rise.
Transfer the dough to a floured work surface, and shape it into a smooth ball of dough. Roll it out to 1/2 inch thickness.
Editor's Tip: Be generous with the flour on your work surface and hands, as the dough will initially be somewhat sticky.
Using a 3.5-inch round cutter, cut out a dozen doughnuts. Next, take a 1-inch round cutter and cut a doughnut hole in the center of each circle, or use a fancy doughnut cutter. Reroll the scraps and continue to cut them out to use as much dough as possible.
Editor's Tip: Don't forget the doughnut holes! You can proof, fry and glaze the doughnut holes just as you would the large doughnuts. Waste not!
Transfer the doughnuts to a large sheet pan lined with parchment paper (or two, if needed). Cover with a towel and let rise for 45-60 minutes.
While you're waiting for them to rise, read up on these other doughnut varieties from around the world.
In a deep cast-iron skillet, Dutch oven or saucepan, heat the shortening to 375°. And don't make these deep-frying mistakes.
Just before frying the doughnuts, combine the glaze ingredients in a saucepan wide enough to dip the doughnuts in. Over medium heat, whisk until the sugar is dissolved, and the glaze is steaming. Turn off the heat and set it aside.
Editor's Tip: If the glaze is too thick, add additional milk until a thin, pourable consistency is reached.
Uncover the doughnuts. Then, working in batches of one to two doughnuts at a time, fry the dough for 1-2 minutes per side until lightly golden.
Remove the doughnuts to a wire cooling rack and let cool so they're safe to handle. Then dunk each doughnut into the glaze.
Eat immediately with your beverage of choice, like a copycat coffee shop drink. Ask anyone, and they'll tell you the best Krispy Kreme doughnut is one that's hot and fresh from the glazing station.
Need chocolate on your doughnuts? You can whip up an easy chocolate glaze or one of these other tasty doughnut glazes to ice your piping-hot doughnuts in minutes.
Simply melt 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate with 2 tablespoons of butter, a teaspoon of light corn syrup and 2-3 teaspoons of milk in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments. Stir after each interval and repeat until smooth.
After frying the doughnuts, dip the tops into the glaze and cool until the chocolate is set.
As a fried baked good, homemade doughnuts have a very short shelf life. We recommend enjoying your doughnuts the same day they're made for maximum enjoyment.
However, you can also store the doughnuts in an airtight container for up to 1 day. You can also make doughnut ice cream sandwiches with any extras!
If you don't think you can devour a dozen doughnuts in 24 hours, you can freeze these Krispy Kreme doughnut copycats for up to 2 months.
Here are more of our top tips for freezing and reheating doughnuts.
The post The Best Copycat Krispy Kreme Doughnut Recipe Ever appeared first on Taste of Home.