Tips for a Perfect Doughnut

Today, I will give you some tips on how to prove a two times yeast-raised doughnuts.

Create a proofing box in your oven: Bring a large kettle of water to a boil. Pour into a big rectangular baking dish and set on the floor of your oven. Place the baking sheet/tray with the covered dough on the middle rack of the oven, close the door, and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

first rise

After shaping the doughnuts, place again into the baking sheet/tray and let rise again for the second time, with the same method, about 30-45 minutes.

second rise

When the second rise finished, yeast raised doughnuts are a picture of proofy perfection. But when your rings or bars are ready for the hot oil, be careful---one bad move from you could result in a very wonky doughnut. When you transfer the doughnuts to the oil, don't grab them by the sides with your hands, because your fingers will leave big indentations that will stick around when frying. Instead, use a bench scraper, thin plastic cutting board, or large flat spatula to pick up the doughnut up with one hand. Transfer the doughnut into the other hand, so that the side that was on the baking tray is now against the palm of your hand, and slide it into the oil from there. Avoiding touching the doughnut's sticky top will ensure prettier doughnuts, too.