Air Fryer Donuts
These Air Fryer Donuts are absolutely the best yeast risen doughnuts ever with a pillowy, soft texture and an easy to make tasty glaze. This recipe is perfect to make on a lazy weekend day. Enjoy them for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. Air fried for just 3 minutes, this recipe is sure to become a treasure. This basic risen dough recipe works well with a variety of flavored donuts. Whether filled with jelly or cream, covered in cinnamon sugar, powder sugar, rolled in nuts, or glazed with a variety of icing recipes, this recipe is a kitchen staple.
Servings 12 servings
Calories 182kcal
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp active dry yeast divided
- 1 cup whole milk divided
- 3 cups bread flour divvided
- 3 egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter slightly melted
Vanilla Sugar Glaze
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp milk
- ⅛ tsp salt
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Stir and dissolve 1 tbsp yeast in ¾ cup milk heated to 110°F
- Stir in ¾ cup bread flour until smooth.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm spot for 30 minutes.
- In a bowl fitted with a mixer, food processor, or with a whisk, combine remaining ¼ cup milk (heated to 110°F), and 1 tsp yeast. Add yeast/flour mixture, egg yolks, and vvanilla extract.
- Mix/pulse/whisk until smooth.
- Add 1 cup bread flour, sugar, and salt. Mix for 30 seconds.
- Add butter and mix until incorporated; about 30 seconds.
- Switch to dough hook attachment or continue using food processor, or by hand and add ¼ cup bread flour at a time. Pulse, or knead until dough starts to come together and pulls away from the sides, repeating with flour mixture. It may take up to 2-2½ cups at this stage. I used about 2¼ cups.
- Do will be soft, and moist but sticky. It shouldn't be so sticky that it cannot be rolled out.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with butter.
- Add dough to bowl and cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel and let rise in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
- Gently press down to let the air out (degas).
- Cover again and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 12 hours.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly flour; set aside.
- Lightly flour a clean, flat work surface.
- Roll dough into ball. Lightly flour the top of the dough and the rolling pin.
- Roll dough to ½-inch thickness.
- Using a donut cutter, cut 3-inch circles with 1-inch (for donut holes) circles in the middle and place donuts 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Allow dough to proof and rise in warm spot 30-40 minutes or until double in size.TIP: Donuts are ready when lightly touched with a fingertip, the dough springs back slowly. If dough springs back immediately, it needs more time. If dough doesn't spring back, it will need to be rerolled and proofed for 30 minutes.
- Preheat air fryer to 350°F. Lighty grease basket and tops of donuts with cooking spray.
- Bake whole donuts for 3-4 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Bake donut holes separately for 2-3 minutes.
- Move to cooling rack. Make glaze by whisking ingredients together until incorporated and smooth.
Nutrition
Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 108mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 217IU | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg