How to Make the Classic Glazed Yeast Donut — A Winston-Salem North Carolina Master Baker and a New Orleans French Quarter Pastry Chef Walk You Through the Recipe From Milk-Bloom to Glaze-Cascade

Transcript

Speaker: 4:30 AM at a Winston-Salem North Carolina bakery. The cast-iron fryer is heating up to exactly 350 degrees Fahrenheit. A 2-pound batch of yeasted dough is on its second rise on parchment, the rings of puffy raw donut waiting. By 5:45 AM, the first warm freshly-fried donut hits the cooling rack, gets dunked in a confectioners-sugar glaze, and the cascading glaze drips slowly down the golden-brown ring onto a parchment-lined tray. This — this exact moment — is the American breakfast religion. Tonight: how to make the classic glazed yeast donut at home. Not the cake-style donut. Not the modern Cronut. The iconic Southern American glazed-yeast-donut that Vernon Rudolph started frying in 1937 in a Winston-Salem storefront from a recipe he bought for $25 from a New Orleans French Quarter Creole pastry chef. I am joined by Winston-Salem fourth-generation master baker Hayden Calloway whose family bakery opened in 1928 two blocks from the original Krispy Kreme storefront, and by New Orleans French Quarter Creole pastry chef Amélie Boudreaux from the same Royal Street bakery lineage that sold Vernon Rudolph the original 1937 recipe.

Speaker: Y'all, lemme tell ya, this here is the recipe my great-granddaddy was fryin' in 1928 — pre-Krispy-Kreme — straight outta the German-and-Moravian Old Salem bakin' tradition my family brought down from Pennsylvania. Lord have mercy, listen close — for one dozen donuts y'all need: ONE cup (that's 240 milliliters) WHOLE milk, warmed to exactly 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) — NOT hotter or you kill the yeast, sure as sugar! TWO and one-quarter teaspoons active dry yeast (one whole packet). ONE-QUARTER cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar. FOUR cups (480 grams) all-purpose flour (King Arthur's the gold standard). ONE teaspoon fine sea salt. TWO large eggs at room temperature. FOUR tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, softened (NOT melted). ONE teaspoon pure vanilla extract. For the glaze later — FOUR cups (480 grams) confectioners' sugar, ONE-THIRD cup (80 milliliters) whole milk, TWO teaspoons vanilla, pinch of salt. Mighty fine!

Speaker: Mon Dieu, ze ingredients are exactement, oui Hayden! Now, ze first critical step — ze yeast bloom (la fermentation), ma chère Anna. In a small mixing bowl, combine ze ONE cup warm whole milk (heated to exactly 110°F / 43°C — use a candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer to verify, mon amour, ze temperature is NON-NEGOTIABLE) avec ze TWO and one-quarter teaspoons active dry yeast and ONE teaspoon of ze granulated sugar (taken from ze quarter-cup measurement). Stir gently with a small whisk. Let it bloom undisturbed at room temperature for FIVE to EIGHT minutes until it is foamy and smells unmistakably yeasty — voilà! Ze foamy yeast on top ish ze proof ze yeast is alive and active. If it does NOT foam after eight minutes, mon Dieu, ze yeast is dead — discard and start over with fresh yeast! Ze bloom step ish ze most-skipped and most-critical step in classic French-style yeasted dough — c'est magnifique when done correctly!

Speaker: Yes ma'am, well said! Now y'all gonna mix the dough. In a stand mixer fitted with the DOUGH HOOK attachment (NOT the paddle — dough hook only, sure as sugar!), combine the bloomed yeast-and-milk mixture, the remainin' THREE TABLESPOONS PLUS ONE TEASPOON of granulated sugar, the TWO large eggs, the FOUR tablespoons softened butter, and the ONE teaspoon vanilla. Mix on LOW speed (speed 2 on a KitchenAid) for ONE minute to combine. Then add the FOUR cups all-purpose flour and the ONE teaspoon fine sea salt. Continue mixin' on LOW for TWO minutes to combine into a shaggy dough. Then increase to MEDIUM speed (speed 4) and knead for EIGHT to TEN minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should pass the windowpane test — stretch a small piece between your fingers, you should see light through it without it tearin'. Mighty fine windowpane!

Speaker: Parfait, Hayden! Now ze first rise (la première fermentation). Transfer ze smooth elastic dough to a large lightly-oiled glass mixing bowl, turn ze dough once to coat it lightly in ze oil. Cover ze bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a damp clean kitchen towel. Place in a WARM spot (75-80°F / 24-27°C — top of refrigerator or near a warm oven works perfectly) for ONE to ONE-AND-A-HALF HOURS until ze dough has DOUBLED in size, oui! Ze finger test — gently press ze dough with a floured fingertip, ze indent should slowly spring back about halfway, c'est la perfection. After ze first rise, gently punch down ze dough to release ze air. Turn ze dough onto a lightly-floured clean work surface. Roll out ze dough with a rolling pin to exactly ONE-HALF inch thickness (1.25 cm) — NOT thinner or thicker, ma chère, ze thickness determines ze final donut puff. Quelle perfection!

Speaker: Now y'all cuttin' the donuts! Use a sharp 3-inch round donut cutter with a 1-inch center hole cutter — if y'all ain't got a donut cutter, use a 3-inch round cookie cutter AND a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or even the cap of a vodka bottle for the hole, I ain't judgin', y'all!). Press straight down — do NOT twist the cutter, or you'll seal the edges and the donut won't rise properly! Re-roll the scraps ONE time only — after that, the dough gets tough and won't rise. Y'all should get 12 donut rings and 12 donut HOLES (the little center cutouts — yes, fry these too, they're the BEST part!). Transfer the cut donuts and holes to a parchment-lined baking sheet, leavin' 2 inches between each. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel. Now the SECOND rise (the proof) — let 'em sit in that same warm spot for 30 to 45 minutes until they're puffy and nearly doubled — they should bounce back slowly when poked, y'all. Bless your heart, almost time to fry!

Speaker: Sacré, ze frying step (la friture)! While ze donuts proof, heat 2 to 3 INCHES of NEUTRAL frying oil (canola, vegetable, or peanut oil — NEVER olive oil, mon Dieu!) in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or deep cast-iron skillet to EXACTLY 350°F (175°C) — use a candy/fry thermometer clipped to ze side, monitor constantly, mon amour, ze temperature is everything! Carefully transfer ze proofed donuts ONE OR TWO AT A TIME into ze hot oil using a metal spatula or your floured fingers. Fry for EXACTLY 60 seconds (one minute) on ze first side until ze underside is deep golden brown. Flip gently with ze spatula or chopsticks. Fry for another 60 seconds on ze second side until that side is also deep golden brown. Do NOT crowd ze pan — ze oil temperature will drop, c'est très important! Remove ze donuts with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire cooling rack set over paper towels. Ze donut HOLES fry in only 30-45 seconds total, voilà!

Speaker: Now y'all gonna glaze 'em — and THIS is where the magic happens, sure as sugar! While the donuts are still WARM (NOT hot — wait 2 to 3 minutes after fryin' so the glaze ain't completely meltin' off), whisk together the glaze in a wide shallow bowl: FOUR cups (480 grams) confectioners' (powdered) sugar SIFTED, ONE-THIRD cup (80 milliliters) whole milk, TWO teaspoons pure vanilla extract, and a PINCH (1/8 teaspoon) of fine sea salt. Whisk until completely smooth — no lumps, y'all! The glaze should drip slowly off a spoon like warm honey — too thick, add 1 tablespoon milk; too thin, add 1/4 cup more confectioners' sugar. Now dip each warm donut top-down into the glaze, fully submerge for 2 SECONDS, lift out and let the excess glaze drip back into the bowl, then transfer GLAZE-SIDE-UP to the wire cooling rack. The glaze sets and hardens in 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature. Eat WARM — these are at their absolute peak within the first hour, y'all! Lord have mercy!

Speaker: Three takeaways for your classic glazed yeast donut. First — ingredients exact. For 12 donuts: 1 cup (240ml) WARM whole milk at exactly 110°F, 2¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet), ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, 4 cups (480g) all-purpose flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 large room-temp eggs, 4 tbsp (56g) softened butter, 1 tsp vanilla. Glaze: 4 cups (480g) sifted confectioners' sugar + ⅓ cup (80ml) milk + 2 tsp vanilla + pinch salt. Second — technique. Bloom yeast 5-8 min in 110°F milk + 1 tsp sugar until foamy. Mix on dough hook 8-10 min until windowpane elastic. First rise 1-1.5 hr in warm 75-80°F spot until doubled. Roll to exactly ½ inch thick. Cut with 3-inch + 1-inch cutters DO NOT twist. Second proof 30-45 min until puffy. Fry in 350°F (175°C) neutral oil EXACTLY 60 seconds per side until deep golden. Glaze while still warm (not hot) — dip 2 seconds, drip off, rack glaze-side up. Set 5-10 min. Third — eat within the first HOUR. These are at absolute peak warm — past 6 hours they go stale fast. The original Vernon Rudolph 1937 Krispy Kreme recipe was bought for $25 from a New Orleans French Creole pastry chef — and now y'all have it. Thank you Hayden Calloway. Merci Amélie Boudreaux. Y'all enjoy!