As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Love rich jelly donuts? Make them at home; they’re easy.
Rich Jelly Donuts
There’s jelly donuts and awesome jelly donuts.
These rich jelly donuts fall into the latter category. Most standard grocery store bakery donuts either come in completely done and are just thawed. That’s the way most bakeries do them nowadays. More old-school store bakeries buy the pre-formed dough then thaw, proof, fry and fill. I know that scoop well because for a short time years ago, I worked in a local supermarket bakery. My basic function was making all the donuts.
Now, the ones you make from scratch at home are far better. The reason is you’re making a great-tasting rich yeast dough for the donuts themselves and a good quality jelly or jam is far superior to the commercial stuff which rarely contains any fruit.
The Dough
My recipe for the dough is a pretty rich sweet dough. If you have a favorite sweet dough recipe, then use your favorite.
As with any yeast dough, there’s a time investment for the raising. Early fall is actually great weather for dough to come out at it’s very best. Sweet doughs take a bit more time to rise than regular bread doughs so keep this in mind when budgeting your time.
Now when it comes to frying the dough, I will warn you that they can get quite dark due to the sugar content. However, golden brown doesn’t mean they’re “done.” You will need to let then get pretty dark but not burned so keep an eye on them as they can go very quickly to burning. To check for doneness, the best way to do this (without destroying a donut) is to use an instant-read thermometer. The internal temperature should be 190F/88C.
Filling
Use any jam or jelly flavor you like. Anything will work.
You don’t need fancy professional equipment either. I just cut a slit in the side and used a regular tea spoon to get the jam in.
You could also fill with some creme patisserie if your passion is Bavarian or Boston cream donuts. I’d forgo the spoon in this case and use a pastry bag since it’d be less messy. And if you don’t want to bother making creme patisserie, cheap and cheerful instant vanilla pudding will do, but keep in mind it will separate if you plan to store the donuts for more than a day.
The Recipe
Rich Jelly Donuts
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp dry yeast 1 envelope
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 egg yolks beaten well
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbs unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 cups flour
- Oil for frying
- Sugar for dusting
- 1/2 cup jam or jelly for filling
Instructions
- Scald milk in a small saucepan--scalding is when you see bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan. The temp is about 180F/82C/. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
- Place the lukewarm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let this stand for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the flour, mix together and let this stand for 20-30 minutes--till it gets nice and bubbly.
- Next add the melted butter, sugar and salt and mix. Add the beaten egg yolks. Switch to the dough hook and add only enough of the remaining flour to get a soft, moist but not sticky dough. Knead for 2 minutes. If the dough appears sticky, add another tablespoon of flour. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled--about 90 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Roll out dough to 1/2-inch/1.25 cm thickness. Cut using a 3-incb/3.75-cm biscuit or tart cutter. A drinking glass of the same diameter works just as well.
- Place the dough rounds on the prepared sheet. Cover with a cloth or paper towel (you don't want the dough getting damp, hence the cloth. Let rise for 30-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a deep skillet to 360F/182C. If you have a deep-fat fryer, that works very well because it will maintain the proper temperature.
- Carefully add the dough to the hot fat--don't crowd the pan, work in shifts. In a 12-inch skillet, I fried 3 at a time.
- Fry until the side in the oil is a very deep brown (but not burned), then flip them over and fry to the same color--hint--I use wooden chopsticks for this.
- Remove to a cooling rack to drain and while they're still hot, roll them in sugar. Then let them cool completely.
- When the donuts are cool, use a sharp knife and cut a small slit in the side of each donut. You can use a pastry bag to fill them using the plain round tip, filling with about 1 tablespoon of the jam.
