One of life’s most sinful pleasures is definitely the jelly doughnut, with its generous amount of strawberry jam inside a lightly fried, airy dough. These doughnuts take a bit longer to make than other desserts, but the payoff is well worth the wait, I promise you. And you don’t need to relegate them to breakfast, either—they make an excellent end to dinner as well.
Makes 10 or 11 doughnuts
1 In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, ¼ cup (57 grams) of the sugar, the yeast, and the salt and mix briefly to combine.
2 In a large measuring cup or small saucepan, combine the milk, water, and butter. Heat in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat until lukewarm and the butter has melted, about 1 minute. Stir in the vanilla.
3 With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the milk mixture (see Note below) and mix for 2 minutes to wake up the yeast. Run a spatula under the dough to make sure everything is mixed well.
4 Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough has come together and is smooth, 6 to 8 minutes.
5 Grease a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn the dough to coat it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1½ to 2 hours.
6 Once it has risen, turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and roll it out to ¾ inch thick.
7 Using a round 3-inch cutter, cut out your doughnuts. (You can prepare the doughnuts to this stage up to 1 day in advance; cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate. When you’re ready to proceed, let them come to room temperature and rise a little, about 30 minutes.)
8 Cover the doughnuts with plastic wrap and let them rise at room temperature for 25 to 30 minutes.
9 Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Set a wire rack over a double layer of paper towels. Put the remaining 1 cup (225 grams) sugar in a shallow bowl.
10 To make sure your oil is the right temperature, put a scrap of dough in the oil: if it’s hot enough, the dough should puff up and be golden brown after cooking for about 2 minutes per side. Working in batches, carefully place the doughnuts in the hot oil (be careful, as the oil will be very hot). Fry for about 3 minutes per side, until deep golden brown. Do not walk away from the pan at any stage of frying. Use a slotted spoon to remove each doughnut from the oil, letting any excess oil drip back into the pan. Toss in the sugar to coat while still warm, then transfer to the wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes before filling. Repeat to cook the remaining doughnuts.
11 When the doughnuts are cool to the touch, gently poke a wooden skewer lengthwise through the center of each doughnut, stopping around three-quarters of the way through. Swirl it around to create an opening for your filling.
12 Put the jam in a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip. Insert the tip as far as you can into the hole in your doughnut. Gently squeeze in about 2 tablespoons of the jam, or enough jam that the doughnut plumps up. Set aside on a platter and repeat to fill the remaining doughnuts.
13 These are best enjoyed the same day they are made, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours.
Note
When making yeasted doughs, don’t add all the liquid in at once. Always hold a little back just in case your dough doesn’t need it all to come together. Your dough is the correct consistency when it forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.