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Classic Jelly Donuts
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Good days start with donuts. Specifically these pillowy soft homemade jelly donuts that are bursting with sweet jelly. They’re pretty easy to make (we’ll break down exactly how to make these classic jelly donuts below!) and go perfectly with a cup of coffee!
Classic Jelly Donuts
You know it’s going to be a good day when it starts with a donut. Particularly a homemade, soft, fluffy, fresh jelly donut coated in sugar and bursting with sweet jam. And luckily for you I’m going to break down exactly how to make homemade jelly donuts so you don’t even have to schlep over to the donut shop to start your day off. Let’s all go have good days!
Ingredients for classic jelly donuts
The beautiful thing about donuts is that you actually don’t need that many ingredients to make them. So while they may require a bit of extra clean up from the frying, your grocery shopping will be a breeze! Most of these ingredients are probably staples you already have around the house! Here’s your list:
- All Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- RapidRise or Instant Yeast
- Granulated Sugar
- Milk
- Butter
- Egg Yolks
- Jelly
- Vegetable Oil
How do you get the jelly in the middle of the jelly donut?
This is a question I had to google myself when I first started baking filled donuts years ago. When I was a kid and sinking my teeth into creme or jelly filled donuts I always assumed you had to create some magical pocket with a spacer or stuff them with the filling before the donuts rose. But NO–it’s actually so much easier than that! Simply make your donut dough according too directions and fry them. After you fry them, use a piping bag fitted with a skinny metal tip to essentially inject your donuts with jelly!
What kind of jelly should you use for homemade jelly donuts?
It comes as no surprise that the jelly you use can really make or break your jelly donuts. Hence the name…jelly donuts. We absolutely LOVE using Bonne Maman’s preservers for these classic jelly donuts (strawberry or raspberry are my favorite), but you can really use whatever kind you like! I do recommend using something that isn’t too chunky to avoid any blockages in your piping when you are filling your donuts!
Tips for making the best homemade jelly donuts
These classic jelly donuts are fried to golden perfection and taste worth of a donut shop, but that wasn’t always the case with this recipe. I’ve tested this recipe SO many times to get it just right for you, so you can trust me when I say these jelly donuts are simply the best. Here are my must have tips for making perfect homemade donuts:
- Use a thermometer: It’s so important when frying that you oil is the right temperature! We recommend frying your donuts between 350°F and 365°F. If your oil is too cold your donuts will not get a nice golden brown, crisp exterior and will cook slowly leading to a doughy, dense donut. If your oil is too hot your donuts will burn on the outside and stay raw in the middle. I don’t want that for you, so I recommend you use a kitchen thermometer!
- Use high quality ingredients: These jelly donuts are made with simple, staple ingredients so their quality will really shine through!
- Make sure you’re using good, fresh oil: The donuts will soak up the oil you fry them in so it’s important that the oil is fresh and high quality!
- Eat them while they’re hot: Donuts are best enjoyed hot out of the fryer! If you have leftovers I recommend heating your donut up in the microwave for 30 seconds before eating to get it nice and warm!
Enjoy your donuts, my friends!
XXX
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- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Rise Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 10 donuts
- Category: breakfast
- Method: fried
- Cuisine: american
Classic Jelly Donuts
Good days start with donuts. Specifically these pillowy soft homemade jelly donuts that are bursting with sweet jelly. They’re pretty easy to make (we’ll break down exactly how to make these classic jelly donuts below!) and go perfectly with a cup of coffee!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Rise Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 10 donuts
- Category: breakfast
- Method: fried
- Cuisine: american
Ingredients
- 3–1/4 to 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 envelopes (4-1/2 tsp.) rapid rise yeast
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3 egg yolks
- Vegetable oil, for deep frying
- 1/2 cup strawberry jam
Instructions
- Combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, and salt in a large mixer bowl. Heat milk and butter to very warm (120°F to 130°F). Add to flour mixture with egg yolks; beat for 2 minutes at low speed. Continue adding flour until soft dough forms.
- Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic (about 4 to 6 minutes). Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll out dough on a lightly floured counter into a 12-inch circle, about 1/2-inch thick. Using a 3-inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible.
- Place doughnuts about 2 to 3 inches apart on lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Re-roll and cut remaining dough. Cover doughnuts and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Heat at least 2 inches of oil in a deep fryer or deep pan to 350°F. While the oil heats up, prep your filling. Place the jam in a pastry bag fitted with a metal tip with a wide opening (you want the jam to be able to get through!). Set aside.
- Fry 2 to 3 doughnuts at a time, turning occasionally until well browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels slightly.
- Toss the donuts in granulated sugar. Insert the pastry tip into the side of each donuts and firmly squeeze a few Tablespoons of jam into the center of the donut. Cool a few minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm.
Did this classic with various jellies, vanilla Bavarian cream, chocolate Bavarian cream, and apple dumpling filling. The donut recipe works out to about 18 donuts for me with my imported 3″ French raised donut cutter (i.e., a/ka/ the plastic KitchenAid jar that came with the immersion blender). I get a good rise on first and second rises, but they go nuts and I get an off the wall “fryer spring” when they hit the oil. A machine to do the filling would be way better than me doing the filling with a small pastry bag with a big ol’ tip – but here we are. Really fabulous and consistent. At a minimum I do them for Sunday service every week and the parishioners just can’t get enough. You really make me look good, Broma. High fives and bows to the master!
So pleased to hear this! Enjoy!
I am going to be making this recipe replacing jam with preserves fingers crossed and I will do a review after
That should be DELICIOUS! Fingers crossed it went well for you!
Making them now