Jelly-Filled Yeast Donuts are light, fluffy, oil-fried donuts stuffed with jam filling and rolled in sugar. These classic treats are fun to make, impressive to serve, and delicious to eat. They are customizable based on jam filling and can be topped with both powdered sugar or granulated sugar!
Process Overview
- Make dough
- Let dough rise for 1 hour
- Form dough into donuts
- Let donuts rise for 30 minutes
- Fry donuts
- Fill donuts and top with sugar
How To Make Yeast Donut Dough
I'm here to tell you that this dough SHOULD NOT scare you! I promise! Here are the simplified steps!
Step 1: Combine warm milk and instant yeast in a bowl. Instant yeast doesn't need to proof, but I always let it turn foamy to ensure the yeast is still good!
Step 2: Add sugar, room temperature eggs, and melted unsalted butter to the bowl. Mix until combined.
Step 3: Add 2 ½ cups of all purpose flour. Mixture will be still sticky and slightly wet. Continue adding flour until the dough forms into a smooth, tacky ball. Ball will pull away from the bowl. I usually need 3 ¾ cup of flour!
Step 4: Using your stand mixer with a dough hook or using your hands on a lightly floured surface, knead until dough slowly puffs back up when firmly poked, until it can stretched apart between the thumb and pointer fingers of both hands without breaking, and until it is elastic in nature.
Rising
This dough, like many common yeast doughs, requires two rises! If you are in a pinch, you can shorten the times slightly, though best results will definitely be written in the recipe!
The first rise is for 1 hour directly after the kneading has finished. You will place the dough in a large, lightly-oiled bowl in a warm area. Cover the dough with a towel or damp cloth.
After the dough has risen for 1 hour, you will roll the dough out and cut donuts into their shapes. The donuts will rise on a baking sheet for another 30 minutes before frying. Cover the donuts with a towel or damp cloth.
Rising should occur in a warm area. Here are a few ideas-
- On top of a running oven
- Inside of a dryer (off) that has just been run
- Inside of a WARMED oven (preheat oven to 200 F, turn off, let rest for 5 minutes, place bowl inside)
Serving and Storing Jam-Filled Donuts
These jelly-filled yeast donuts are best served fresh, though they will be fluffy and light the next day! I would not keep these any longer than three days, as store-bought, bakery, AND homemade donuts are not known for their long lives!
Store these in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing these.
If looking to make these ahead, freeze the tray of formed donuts until hard to preserve their shape. Then, individually wrap each frozen donut for freshness. Defrost the donuts overnight in the fridge or at room temperature unwrapped before frying.
Other Ideas
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Jelly-Filled Yeast Donuts
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Rise Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes:
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 5 minutes
- Yield: 12 donuts 1x
Description
Jelly-Filled Yeast Donuts are light, fluffy, oil-fried donuts stuffed with jam filling and rolled in sugar. These classic treats are fun to make, impressive to serve, and delicious to eat. They are customizable based on jam filling and can be topped with both powdered sugar or granulated sugar!
Ingredients
- 1 (¼ oz) packet instant yeast
- ¾ cup milk, warm (100-110 F)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3-4 cups all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup jam of choice (I use raspberry)
- ½ cup sugar (powdered or granulated depending on preference)
Instructions
For the Dough
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine instant yeast and warmed milk. Let mixture sit until foamy- just a few minutes.
- Beat sugar, eggs, melted butter, and salt into the mixture using a dough hook, paddle attachment, or wooden spoon. Add 2 ½ cups of flour, mixing until combined. Dough will most likely be wet and sticky at this point. Add remaining flour slowly, one tablespoon at a time. Add flour until the dough pulls away cleanly from the bowl and the dough forms a clean ball. Dough should be tacky but should not stick to your hands. I normally need 3 ¾ cups all purpose flour.
- If using an electric mixer, knead with a dough hook for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. You should be able to stretch a small/medium piece of dough between the thumb and pointer fingers of both hands without it breaking apart. The dough should slowly puff back up when firmly poked.
- Transfer dough to a lightly-oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm area to rise. Read above for recommendations. Let dough rise for about 1 hour until it has doubled in size.
Forming the Donuts
- Once risen, roll dough to ¼ inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Use a cup, bowl, or cookie or pastry cutter to cut 3-4 inch rounds. I used a 3.5 inch pastry cutter and found that the size was PERFECT. This doesn’t need to be exact, but try to make sure all of the donuts are the same size even if they aren’t 3.5 inches. Note that the donuts will grow in size after the second rise and will puff up when fried.
- You may need to re-roll the scraps of the dough to get a few extra donuts. Simply combine the scraps together and use the rolling pin to roll it to ¼ inch thickness again. I would not recommend re-rolling more than once, as it will create a tougher and denser donut.
- Transfer donuts to a pan lined with parchment paper.
- Cover the donuts with a damp towel and allow them to rise in a warm place for another 30 minutes.
Frying the Donuts
- In a medium-sized pot, add oil to fill 3-4 inches. The amount you need depends on the depth of your pan. The amount of oil doesn’t matter too much, only that it isn’t too shallow in the pot. The donuts will stick to the bottom of the pot if there isn’t enough oil.
- On medium heat, bring the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it has reached this temperature, lower the heat to ensure it doesn’t heat up too much more.
- Slide as many donuts that can fit in the pot into the oil. Allow the donuts to cook for about 30 seconds-1 minute on each side, or until the donuts reach a light golden brown color. Use a spatula to flip them and remove them.
- Once you remove the donuts from the oil, place them on a paper-towel- lined plate or baking sheer to soak up some of the excess oil.
Filling the Donuts
- Allow donuts to cool slightly before filling. To prepare jam, microwave it for 10-15 seconds to thin and smoothen the jam. Place the jam in a large Ziploc bag or piping bag, cutting off the tip. Use a chopstick or toothpick to poke a hole into the donut from the side. Squeeze jelly into the hole to fill.
- Sift powdered sugar over the tops of the donuts or roll in granulated sugar.
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