Homemade Fluffy Strawberry Glazed Donuts

Fried, glazed, and better than whatever you're thinking of right now

prep time: 20 min

cook time: 20 min

Fluffy homemade fried donuts with a crackly pink strawberry glaze - Hungry Mockingbird

If you’ve ever had a homemade doughnut and thought “this is fine but it’s not that,” this is the recipe that fixes that. Tangzhong is a cooked flour paste that you add to the dough, and it’s the reason these come out so soft it’s almost suspicious. The strawberry glaze is just blended frozen strawberries in a powdered sugar glaze. Let it dry and it gets this crackly matte top that I truly cannot stop staring at. Make sure you read through the tips before you start.

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From the Kitchen

Don’t over-knead. As soon as the dough is tacky and no longer sticky, stop — this only takes about 3 to 5 minutes.

First rise: you’re not looking for doubled in size here, more like 75% bigger.

Humid proof for the second rise: turn your oven to the lowest temp it allows, let it preheat for 5 minutes, then turn it off (you want the oven between 75°F and 80°F). Boil a pan of water, place it on the bottom rack, and set the donut trays on the top rack. You can also just proof in a warm area on the counter for longer until doubled.

For that matte, crackly top, let the glazed doughnuts sit at room temperature for at least 45 minutes per layer of glaze.

Why This Works:

A tangzhong (cooked flour paste) holds extra moisture in an enriched yeasted dough so the doughnuts fry up impossibly soft, and blended frozen strawberries turn a simple powdered sugar glaze into a crackly pink shell

Fluffy homemade fried donuts with a crackly pink strawberry glaze - Hungry Mockingbird

Homemade Fluffy Strawberry Glazed Donuts

Ingredients

Tangzhong

3 tbsp water 35g
4 tbsp milk 56g
2 tbsp all purpose flour 20g

Dough

¾ cup whole milk 146g, warmed to about 110°F
2¼ tsp instant or active dry yeast 7g, 1 standard packet
⅓ cup granulated sugar 75g
2 large eggs
5 tbsp unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
1 tsp pure vanilla extract 2g
1½ tsp fine kosher salt
3½ cups all purpose flour 504g, spooned and leveled, plus more as needed

For Frying

1 to 2 quarts vegetable oil

Strawberry Glaze

2 cups confectioners sugar 222g, sifted
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
⅓ cup + 1 tbsp milk
1 tsp kosher salt
½ cup frozen strawberries blended

Instructions

Make the tangzhong: Combine all the tangzhong ingredients in a small saucepan and whisk until no lumps remain. Place over low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick and the whisk leaves lines on the bottom of the pan, about 3 to 5 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature.
Make the dough: Combine the warm milk with yeast and 1 tbsp of the sugar and let it bloom. Add the cooled tangzhong and the remaining dough ingredients, mix well, then add in the flour and remaining sugar. Mix and knead by hand, mixer, or bread machine just until an elastic, tacky (not super sticky) dough forms. As soon as it's tacky and no longer sticky, stop kneading. This takes about 3 to 5 minutes.
First rise: Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest in a lightly greased, covered bowl until puffy. You're not looking for doubled in size here, more like 75% bigger. This takes about 75 to 80 minutes.
Shape the doughnuts: Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll it to about 1 inch thick and cut out doughnuts with a 2½ to 3 inch round cutter (I used 3.8 inch for jumbo donuts and it gave me 9).
Second rise: Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a towel and let the doughnuts humid proof for about 15 minutes until doubled in size. I like to pull them at 15 minutes to account for how long they'll sit out before frying. (See the humid proof tip above.)
Fry the doughnuts: Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan or skillet to 350°F. Carefully place the doughnuts in the oil, two or three at a time, and fry until golden brown. Flip and cook the second side. Each side should take no more than a minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper or a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Glaze: Whisk together all the glaze ingredients until smooth. Dip or drizzle over the doughnuts. For a matte, crackly top, let them sit at room temperature for at least 45 minutes per layer of glaze.