Vermont Doughnut Holes
Never mind the doughnut—this recipe is an easy way to make only the holes, crunchy little nuggets perfect for dipping into maple syrup. There’s no finicky rolling or rising involved. Instead, simply stir up a stiff pancake-like batter and drop it by spoonfuls into a shallow (3/4") bath of hot oil. Four minutes later—golden brown, ultra-crisp doughnut holes, golden and tender inside, ready to sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or confectioners’ sugar, or dunk in maple syrup or honey. Step-by-step photos illustrating how to make these doughnut holes are available at Bakers’ Banter, our King Arthur blog.
For frying
4 1/2 cups (30 ounces) vegetable oil (peanut oil is a good choice for frying)
Doughnut batter
1 cup (8 ounces) milk
1 large egg
1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) melted butter
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour, or a combination
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons (4 1/2 teaspoons) baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Pour the oil into a 10" skillet that’s about 2 ½" deep; an electric frying pan is a good choice here, especially since its adjustable dial makes it really easy to heat the oil to the correct temperature. If you don’t have this size skillet, use whatever similar-size pan you have, using enough oil to fill it ¾" deep. Start to heat the oil to 350°F while you’re preparing the doughnut batter.
Whisk together the milk, egg, and melted butter in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring to make a thick batter/soft dough.
When the oil has come up to temperature, use a cookie scoop (or a spoon) to drop balls of batter into the hot oil. This recipe will make 2" doughnut holes using a tablespoon cookie scoop and dropping in balls of dough about as big as an undersized ping pong ball; or 1 ½" holes, using a teaspoon cookie scoop and dropping in balls of dough about as big as a chestnut.
Fry the doughnut holes for 2 minutes on the first side, or till they’re deep brown. Some of them may turn themselves over; that’s OK, just use a pair of tongs to turn them back. After 2 minutes, turn the holes over, and fry for an additional 2 minutes (for the larger doughnut holes), or 1 1/2 minutes (for the smaller ones). Transfer the doughnut holes to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain and cool.
Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with sugar and/or dipped in maple syrup or honey.
Yield: about 2 dozen larger doughnut holes, or 4 dozen smaller ones.
Reviews
03/08/2009
This recipe is fantastic. I shared with our neighbor who grew up in Amish country and he loved them. Shortly after I made them my husband was diagnosed with celiac disease (gluten intolerance) and one of the things he mourned not being able to eat? "Those little doughnut thingys."
I am somewhat closer to perfecting them for him using alternative flours but still have not come close to this original recipe. Great for brunch and fantastic with maple syryup for breakfast. So easy. Standard doughnuts with the rolling out and cutting, etc are a bit time consuming (not that they aren't worth it, mind you) but these with a small ice cream scoop are a cinch.
Kim, Glad you are taking the bull by the horns and creating your own gluten free version. You go girl! MJR @ KAF
03/17/2009
This recipe is quick and easy and produces a delicious doughnut hole with a crispy exterior and a wonderful cake-like texture inside. I appreciate the recommended pan size and amount of oil because it removes any guesswork on how much oil is needed to achieve a depth of 3/4". I have made this recipe three times and the results have always been fabulous. Highly recommend!
03/30/2009
so easy to make and yummy! I added some vanilla extract to mine.
04/05/2009
Tasted like deep fried pancakes. Should be called pancake holes not doughnut holes.
04/19/2009
crispy crittered doughtnuts. I tried this recipe on Friday. I mixed the dough and it came out fine. Then when I brought the heat up to 350 under the frying pan it was WAY TOO HOT!!!!!!!!!! After much trial and error frying sample doughnuts the best temperature was 275-225 to fry.
06/13/2009
I added a little nutmeg and a bit of cinnamon to these and they where delicious. Loved them.
07/25/2009
These doughnut holes are okay. The batter is a little plain, not sweet. I poured powdered sugar on some of them and my husband wasn't impressed. I made a honey/sugar syrup flavored with cardamon, cinnamon stick and lemon peel and soaked them. Now my husband likes them, not love.
09/08/2009
WOW!! This is one of those rare recipes that greatly exceeded my expectations-- easy and delicious. I broke from tradition and drizzled mine with a glaze (confectioner's sugar + milk + vanilla extract)-- crunchy nooks and crannies with puddles of sweetness. I replaced the milk with buttermilk and also used half all-purpose flour and half KAF white whole wheat flour and they had a very nice texture. I seriously had to give some of these away so I wouldn't eat them all; as I was walking out the door my husband called out, "make sure you leave some for us!" I sent my parents the link to the recipe-- they also raved about how great they tasted and how easy they were to make. These are a new favorite at our house and beyond.
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