Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts

A tender, melt-in-your-mouth cake donut, with a crispy glazed exterior.  "Old-fashioned" or not, this is the perfect donut in my mind.  The sour cream adds a tang that complements the sweet so deliciously!

Old-Fashioned sour cream donuts

For the Donuts:

• 5 1/4 cups pastry flour or all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

• 2 ½ tablespoons butter

• 5 egg yolks

• 1 1/3 cups sour cream

• 8 cups vegetable oil for frying (can also use vegetable shortening)

For the Glaze:

• 1/2 cup whole milk

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the donut dough:

-In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour,  baking powder and salt to distribute. Set aside.

-Line medium- large mixing bowl with plastic wrap with the edges hanging over by about 8 inches on either side. Spray the surface of the plastic wrap with nonstick spray. Set aside.

-In the bowl of a mixer, beat together the granulated sugar and butter on high until the butter has completely incorporated. Add the egg yolks and continue to beat on high until the mixture lightens and increases in volume - about 2 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed so all is well combined.

-With the mixer on low, gradually add half the dry ingredients to the bowl, followed by half the sour cream, then again with the dry ingredients followed by the other half of the sour cream. Don’t overmix but just enough that the dry ingredients are fully mixed in. Over mixing tends to make tough donuts. The dough will be somewhat wet and sticky.

-Transfer the dough to the plastic wrap lined bowl. Spray the top of the dough with nonstick spray and then fold the edges of the overhanging plastic over the top to cover it. Refrigerate for 60 minutes. (May be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.)

-Line a half-sheet baking pan with parchment paper and spray the paper with nonstick spray. Set aside. Generously dust a work surface with flour. While the dough is still in the bowl, dust the top of the dough with flour. Turn the dough out onto your floured work surface, floured side down. Lightly dust the top with more flour. Working quickly to keep the dough cool, pat and roll out the dough to ½ inch thickness.

-Brush any excess flour from the top of the dough. Use 3-inch and 1 ¼ - inch ring cutters to cut the donuts and holes. You can use a donut cutter, biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or even the rim of a glass - anything that is the correct size and easy to handle. Lightly dip the cutters in flour before cutting each donut. Place the donuts and donut holes on the prepared sheet pan.

-Cover sheet pan loosely with plastic wrap so that is it not weighing down on the donuts. You can place a small plastic cup in the middle of your tray to keep the plastic off the top of the donuts. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight at this stage.

Make the glaze:

-In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Cover the glaze with plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent it from forming a skin. Set aside until ready to use.

Fry the donuts:

-Pour oil into a fryer or a Dutch oven, making sure the oil is at least 2 inches deep. Heat your oil to 350°F. Attach a clip-on fry or candy thermometer to the pot. Adjust your heat to keep the temperature between 350°- 360°F while frying. When you add each batch of donuts, the temperature will go down a bit. Just turn the heat higher for a minute or two to keep it in the 350 degree range. If donuts are getting too brown, too quickly, turn the heat down a bit.

-Handling the cut out donuts very carefully by using a spatula to support the dough, lower 3-5 donuts into the oil at a time. Don’t overcrowd your donuts so they have room to puff as they are frying. Once the donuts rise to the surface, cook for 30 seconds and then gently flip them with a slotted spoon or spider. Fry until the bottom develops a golden brown color, about 1 1/2 minutes. Flip again and fry them for another 1 1/2 minutes until the top is an even golden brown.

-Once cooked, remove each donut from the oil onto a wire rack set over a sheet pan or to paper towels. If frying donut holes, cook for 30 seconds then flip, then another 60 seconds, then flip and fry for another 40-60 seconds, until puffed and golden brown all over.

-Allow donuts to cool for 1 - 2 minutes, then use a fork or spatula to lift each one and dip the donut in the glaze on both sides then place back on the wire racks. Use a large spoon to spoon glaze over the donuts if you are having trouble with them falling apart in the glaze.

-Serve immediately or allow to cool completely to room temperature before storing in paper bags or wrap in parchment or waxed paper with an open corner so that they stay crispy on the outside. Best served the day they are made. Makes 1 dozen donuts and donut holes.

Place sticky dough in a bowl lined with plastic wrap and sprayed with cooking spray.

Cover the dough with the long edges of plastic wrap hanging over the lined bowl. Then chill.

Pat and roll out the dough to a 1/2 inch thickness then cut rings and doughnut holes out of the dough. You should be able to make at least a dozen donuts.

Fry the donuts, a few at a time, in 2 inches of vegetable oil at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 minutes on the first side.

Flip the donuts over to fry another 1 1/2 minutes on the other side until golden brown.

Dip each donut very carefully into the glaze on both sides, supported by a spatula or wide serving fork.  They are quite fragile and easily break apart while they are still warm. 

Deliciously, beautiful old-fashioned, sour cream donuts will never go out of style, especially if they are homemade!