Maple Glazed Donuts with Fresh Milled Flour

Soft, pillowy homemade donuts made with fresh-milled hard white wheat and dipped in a sweet maple glaze. They fry up in olive oil until golden and they are dangerously good while still warm.

I have been leaning into fresh milled flour as my niche, and these donuts are the reason why. There is something about a warm, homemade donut that no store-bought version can touch, and milling the flour fresh gives them a tenderness and flavor that is hard to beat. The dough comes together in a stand mixer, takes one good rise, and then it is just roll, cut, and fry.

The maple glaze is the other half of the magic. It is just powdered sugar, maple syrup, melted salted butter, vanilla, and a pinch of salt, whisked smooth. Use an amber maple syrup if you can find it. It gives the glaze a much more pronounced maple flavor. Dip the donuts while they are still warm so the glaze sets into a sweet, crackly shell.

Main Ingredients & Swaps

• Hard White Wheat Flour – 500 grams, freshly milled. All-purpose flour works too, see the note above.
• Whole Milk – 1 cup, warmed to activate the yeast.
• Maple Syrup – 1/3 cup in the dough, plus 1/4 cup in the glaze. Amber maple syrup gives the best flavor.
• Yeast – 1 tablespoon. Instant yeast works too, it just rises a little faster.
• Eggs – 2, at room temperature if you remember.
• Butter – 6 tablespoons in the dough, plus 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted, in the glaze.
• Vanilla – 2 teaspoons in the dough and 1 teaspoon in the glaze.
• Cinnamon & Nutmeg – 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg for warmth.
• Salt – 1 teaspoon in the dough, 1/4 teaspoon in the glaze.
• Powdered Sugar – 1 1/2 cups for the glaze.
• Oil for Frying – 1 to 2 quarts of olive oil or avocado oil, depending on your pan. You want it about 1/3 full.

How I Make Fresh Milled Donuts

I start by warming the milk until it is comfortably warm to the touch, not hot. I add it to my stand mixer bowl with the yeast and maple syrup. If I use active dry yeast, I let it sit about 5 minutes, until foamy.

Then I add the eggs, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and melted butter. I mix to combine, then gradually add the freshly milled flour, mixing just until it comes together. I turn off the mixer and let the dough rest briefly so the flour can hydrate.

Next, I knead with the dough hook for about 15 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Fresh-milled flour takes a good knead to develop gluten, so don’t cut this short.

I transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rise in a warm spot until puffy and doubled, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick on a lightly floured surface and cut donuts with a donut cutter, saving the centers for donut holes. No donut cutter? A 3-inch biscuit cutter plus the tip of an upside-down piping tip works great for the hole.

To fry, heat the oil to 375°F (190°C) in a heavy-bottomed pan, using a frying thermometer to keep it honest. Fry the donuts for about 1 minute per side, until golden and cooked through. I keep the oil at or below 375°F (190°C) and never let it near 400°F (204 °C). A spider skimmer lifts them out onto a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. The donut holes fry up too; they need less time.

While the donuts are still warm, I whisk up the glaze and dip each one to coat. Put them back on the rack until the glaze sets. Then try to wait until they are cool enough to eat. Good luck.

Homemade Donut Tips

• Use a thermometer. Keeping the oil near 375°F or 190°C is what lets the donuts cook through without burning.
• Choose a flavorful maple syrup. The amber maple syrup from Thrive market gives the glaze a much more pronounced maple flavor.
• Adjust the glaze consistency with a little extra powdered sugar if it is too thin. It should be thick enough to coat the donuts.
• Enjoy them fresh. These donuts are especially delicious while still slightly warm.
• Save your frying oil. Once it cools, filter it through a paper towel set in a strainer, funnel it into a glass mason jar, and keep it in a dark, cool spot in your pantry.

I make these donuts in my fall cooking video, along with the autumn beef stew. You can watch it here:

Maple Glazed Donuts with Fresh Milled Flour

Soft, pillowy homemade donuts made with fresh-milled hard white wheat, fried golden and dipped in a sweet maple glaze. Best enjoyed while still warm.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings: 12 donuts (plus donut holes)

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup whole milk warmed
• 1/3 cup maple syrup ​
• 1 tbsp yeast* ​
• 2 ​ eggs ​
• 1 tsp salt ​
• 500 grams hard white wheat flour* freshly milled
• 2 tsp vanilla extract ​
• 6 tbsp butter melted
• 1 tsp cinnamon ​
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg ​
• 1 to 2 quarts olive oil or avocado oil* for frying

Maple Glaze

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar ​
• 1/4 cup maple syrup ​
• 4 tbsp salted butter melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract ​
• 1/4 tsp salt ​

Notes

Oil: The amount of oil depends on your pan size. You want the oil to fill about 1/3 of the pan. After the oil cools, filter it. Place a paper towel on top of a strainer and funnel the oil into a glass mason jar. You can reserve this as frying oil and keep it in a dark, cool place in your pantry.

Yeast: You can also use instant yeast, but it may rise slightly faster.

Flour: You can also use all-purpose flour. Follow the same recipe, and add a little more if the dough is too sticky and hard to work with.

Method

 

1. Warm the milk until comfortably warm to the touch, not hot. Add the warm milk, yeast, and maple syrup to a stand mixer bowl. If using active dry yeast, let sit about 5 minutes until foamy.
2. Add the eggs, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and melted butter. Mix to combine.
3. Gradually add the freshly milled flour, mixing just until incorporated. Turn off the mixer and let the dough rest briefly so the flour can hydrate.
4. Knead with the dough hook about 15 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
5. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until puffy and doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
6. Roll out to 1/2 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut with a 3-inch donut cutter, reserving centers for donut holes. (No donut cutter? Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter and the tip of an upside-down piping tip for the hole.) Gather and reroll scraps.
7. Heat the oil to 375°F or 190°C in a heavy-bottomed pan, using a thermometer. Keep at or below 375°F or 190°C, do not let it approach 400°F or 204°C
8. Fry about 1 minute per side until golden and cooked through. Lift out with a spider skimmer onto a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Fry the donut holes too, with a shorter cook time.
9. Whisk the melted salted butter, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar until smooth. Add a little more powdered sugar if needed for a thick, coatable glaze.
10. While the donuts are still warm, dip in the glaze to coat. Return to the rack and let the glaze set before serving.

Video

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