Chocolate Doughnuts

Fluffy eggless doughnuts with an easy chocolate glaze! You’ll never buy a doughnut again!

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Is it odd that I still remember the first doughnut I ever ate?

My school was right next to the legendary patisserie – ‘Candies’ (people from Bombay would know) and it was after a parent-teacher meeting, one of the rare days when we weren’t returning home by school bus, that mom decided to take us to Candies for a treat. A friend was there with her mom too and I saw her getting a doughnut. Having never had one before, my curiosity was piqued at the round object with a hole and covered in chocolate. I asked mom to let me have one too.

And oh my god, what a life changing moment that was. I was in love, even though I had to share half with my sister. But that day till today, if I see a doughnut I like, I want one. Which is to say, quite often because while I was in the US, every time I stepped into my regular Dunkin Donuts, to get coffee on my way to work, I would pick up a doughnut too!

While my love for doughnuts hasn’t subsided, my taste buds over the years have evolved to despise anything too sweet. After my initial excitement of MOD opening in India, I realized I could no longer finish one doughnut like before. That’s when I turned to making doughnuts at home. Because it gave me control over how sweet I wanted my dough, how much glaze I pour, and what toppings I preferred. Once I realized how quick it was to actually make these, there’s rarely been a time we’ve now ordered doughnuts, except if my son spots an MOD and that’s that! But he happily eats the ones I make at home too.

Before I get into the bits and bobs of making a doughnut, I wanted to talk about a few doughnut related questions I frequently get –

CAN DOUGHNUTS BE BAKED?

Yes, and no. Baked doughnuts are a completely different recipe, and the batter (not dough) for those often consists of baking powder or soda and omits yeast. However, my own trial of baked doughnuts hasn’t been very great and I thought they just did not compare to the traditional fried version. If you’re averse to frying, well, hey, don’t eat doughnuts too often. But if you do, eat a good one.

This recipe definitely cannot be used to make baked doughnuts. I actually tried it one time, and the only good thing I got out of it is rock hard paperweights that I could use while making my recipe notes 😀

CAN I FILL MY DOUGHNUTS?

Yes you can. You’ll need a piping bag and a nozzle or similar apparatus to push inside the side of the doughnut and fill it with nutella, custard, cream or whatever else you like. These are Nutella stuffed ones I made some time back with the same recipe. I didn’t cut it out into a doughnut shape. It actually made them softer and fluffier.

WHAT DIFFERENT KINDS OF GLAZES OR TOPPINGS CAN I USE?

Oh my god, literally any of your choice. While I’ve used my favorite dark chocolate glaze here, you could use white chocolate, dark chocolate, cinnamon sugar, neutral glaze, ganache, sprinkles, nuts, chocolate chips, fruit based glazes. The world is your oyster!

So

HOW IS A DOUGHNUT MADE?

We start by proving the yeast. Mix warm milk + sugar + yeast. Keep aside for 10 minutes. Wait for it to become frothy. If not, throw and start over with a new pack of yeast.

Next we mix together the flour, salt and cinnamon, add the milk (with the yeast), then start kneading. You may need a little more milk. Add gradually till your dough is soft and comes together without any excess liquid. Continue to knead till the dough springs back when pressed – atleast 4-5 minutes. Cover the bowl, and leave it in a warm place for about 60 minutes.

Once the dough has doubled, divide it into half. Roll out one half of the dough to a circle of approx 1/3 inch thickness. Don’t make it too thin. If your dough sticks while rolling, you could sprinkle some flour to your surface.

Now if you have a doughnut cutter, use that to make doughnut shapes all over the rolled out dough. If you don’t have one, just use anything that helps you cut out two round sizes. I have in the past used a small katori (bowl) and a bottle cap. You could even just leave them round and not cut the center hole at all. You can pick up all the little centers that come out, roll together and continue to cut out more shapes or you can fry up the small round pieces to make mini doughnut bites too!

Transfer the shaped doughnuts to a parchment lined tray and cover with a moist cloth. Leave aside for another 30-45 minutes.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Now this is when you have to be very gentle with the doughnuts because they would have risen again and if you are not careful you may end up deflating them. Gently pick up a piece and transfer it to the pan in the oil. Let it cook on one side for 40-50 seconds then flip it over and cook on the other side for 30 seconds or till the doughnut is a beautiful golden-brown colour. Repeat with rest of the doughnuts. Remove the fried doughnuts on a plate covered with absorbent tissue (to soak up the excess oil.)

While the doughnuts cool a bit, make the glaze. Sieve the icing sugar, and cocoa powder together. Add the vanilla, and whisk till you have a lump-free semi-thick glaze. Adjust the consistency as per your preference by adding more or less milk. You could even add flavorings of your choice here such as coffee or caramel.

Now there are two ways to glaze. If you like me, have a bit of an OCD, we do it the nice civil way of dipping each doughnut into the glaze and inverting on a rack. Some of the glaze will drip so keep a tray or piece of foil/parchment underneath.

The other easy but a little messy way is to keep all the doughnuts on the rack. Keep a piece of paper underneath because a lot of the glaze will fall. Pour the glaze directly over the doughnuts in one motion. This method ensures a neater glaze because your fingers wont leave marks anywhere on the glazed doughnut. But it does leave a bit of a mess to be cleaned up later.

Immediately top with whatever toppings you’re using. Remember, if you let the glaze harden the toppings will fall off. I typically glaze half the doughnuts and then add the nuts, then continue with the rest. The glaze will continue to harden as it dries up. I’ve used some crushed almonds + walnuts here. Obviously the few you see with colorful sprinkles are for my son.

These doughnuts store well in the fridge for upto 3 days if you keep them that long there. Honestly, they don’t last beyond 1 day in my home.

That’s it folks! As simple as 1-2-3. I hope you try this recipe soon and tag me when you do! Remember I’m on insta at love_andflour

For measurements and conversions, do refer the ready reckoner for a quick handy guide! 

SOME OTHER CHOCOLATE RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE 

• No-Bake Chocolate Pudding
• Greek Yogurt Chocolate Mousse
• Easy Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Chip Cookies

Also, a reminder to subscribe to my blog so you never miss a recipe again! And if you’re ever in Pali Hill, Bandra, Mumbai, do try a chocolate doughnut at Candies there. It’s still the best!