For most of my life, my grandma lived in a house that was originally built by my great-great-great-grandparents. When she was a kid, her grandma lived there. For hundreds of years, that house was “Grandma’s house” to generations of my family. One day, my grandma gave me an old yellow recipe box filled with handwritten cards, including this one. It’s been my doughnut recipe ever since.
Note that the dough should rest in the refrigerator overnight—but see Pro Tips for a work-around.
Makes 2 dozen doughnuts
Difficulty: Medium
Make Ahead and Storage: The dough can be refrigerated for up to 15 hours. The doughnuts are best eaten the same day they’re fried.
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or in a large bowl, using a hand mixer), mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and yeast on low speed to combine. Add the milk and melted butter and mix on low speed to combine, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs, mixing until incorporated. Scrape the bowl well. Turn the speed up to medium and mix until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 3 to 4 minutes (it will be a bit sticky).
2. Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight (see Pro Tips).
3. Shape the doughnuts: Take the bowl out of the refrigerator and let the dough sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly flour the paper.
4. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured work surface, roll one half out to about 1 inch thick. Cut into doughnuts using a floured doughnut cutter. (Alternatively, you can use two round cutters, a 2½- to 3-inch one to cut the doughnuts and a ½-inch one to cut out the holes.) Transfer the doughnuts to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them at least 1 inch apart. Roll out the second piece of dough and cut out more doughnuts.
5. Once all the doughnuts are cut, cover them loosely with greased plastic wrap or a slightly damp towel. Let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes. You can knead the scraps together to reroll once or twice.
6. Pour at least 4 inches of oil into a large heavy-bottomed pot set over medium heat. Bring the oil to about 350°F / 175°C. You can use a deep-fry or candy thermometer to monitor the temperature, or you can just do what my great-grandma did (and I do!) and throw a piece of scrap dough into the oil as a test. If it begins to bubble and rise to the surface, the oil is ready; but if it very quickly turns brown, the oil is too hot—remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
7. Meanwhile, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Line a baking sheet or platter with several layers of paper towels.
8. When the oil is hot, drop in the doughnuts a few at a time and fry, turning once, until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the paper towels to drain. Fry the doughnut holes until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
9. While the doughnuts are still warm, toss them in the cinnamon sugar (if you wait until they cool, the sugar won’t stick as well).
✻ Why It Works
The high moisture content that makes the dough a bit sticky is what’s largely responsible for the doughnuts’ light and fluffy texture. You can add a little more flour to make the dough easier to work with, but too much can weigh things down.
★ Pro Tips
If you’d like to make the dough and fry up the doughnuts on the same day, warm the milk to 100° to 105°F / 38° to 41°C before adding it to the dough. Then let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes.
Instead of cutting the dough into regular doughnuts, I sometimes use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 2-inch squares (no hole in the middle)—these are especially good for filled doughnuts. Increase the frying time by 1 to 2 minutes. (This makes about 2½ dozen doughnuts.) If you want to fill them (whipped cream, jam, fruit curd!), you’ll need about 470 g / 2 cups. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before using a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Use the tip to make a hole in the side or bottom, then fill the doughnuts.