Fresh Milled Donuts
Simple fresh-milled donuts to brighten up any weekend, finished with toppings like cinnamon sugar or glaze, these donuts celebrate quality ingredients and old-world methods in the most delicious way.
Why we love fresh milled donuts
- Rich, wholesome flavor you can actually taste
- Perfect texture: soft and tender inside
- Easy on your digestion
- Small-batch quality you can see and taste
- Feels nostalgic and elevated at the same time
Equipment needed
- Grain mill
- Stand mixer
- Rolling pin
- Mixing bowls
- Baking sheet
- Cooling racks
- Parchment paper or silicone liners
- Dutch oven
- Kitchen Scale
- Thermometer
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 500g fresh-milled hard white wheat flour, about 4 cups (I shop Azure Standard for all of my kitchen staples like wheat, salt and sugar!)
- 240g warm milk (1 cup)
- 1 tsp salt
- 67g sugar (⅓ cup)
- 112g softened butter (½ cup / 8 Tbsp)
- 2 eggs
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 packet (2 tsp) instant yeast
For frying:
- 3 cups tallow or avocado oil
For the vanilla glaze:
- 120g powdered sugar (1 cup)
- 60g melted unsalted butter (¼ cup / 4 Tbsp)
- 30–45g milk (2–3 Tbsp, start with less)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
For the chocolate glaze:
- 120g powdered sugar (1 cup)
- 30g cocoa powder (¼ cup, sifted)
- 30g melted unsalted butter (2 Tbsp)
- 45–60g milk (3–4 tbsp, start with less)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Mill the flour: First, mill your hard white wheat flour so it’s fresh and fine.
2. Warm the milk: Next, gently warm 240g (1 cup) of milk to about 90°F (lukewarm).
3. Combine ingredients: In a stand mixer, combine the freshly milled flour, warm milk, salt, sugar, melted butter, egg, and nutmeg. Mix on low speed for 1–2 minutes until just combined.
4. Autolyse: Cover and let the dough rest in the mixer bowl for 15-30 minutes. This is the autolyse phase.
5. Add yeast and knead: After the autolyse phase, sprinkle the instant yeast over the dough and knead on medium speed for 5–20 minutes. This time will vary based on your mixer, you want to knead until the dough is soft, elastic, and passes the windowpane test.
*The windowpane test means when you stretch a small piece, if it forms a thin, translucent membrane without tearing, it’s ready.
6. First rise: Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise & relax slightly, about 30-40 minutes.
7. Shape donuts: After the initial rise, roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface, into a sheet about ½ inch thick. Use a donut cutter or two round cutters to cut out circles and center holes. *If you want to make these donuts overnight, stop here and cover the donuts in the fridge overnight, pull them out in the morning, bring them to room temp and continue with the steps.
8. Final rise: Place the cut donuts on a parchment lined baking sheet, and cover with a damp cloth. Let them rise for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size and puffy. If your kitchen is colder this may take a bit longer, and if it’s warm it may go much quicker. You just want them to be noticeably puffy. It’s important to let them rise fully if you want a soft, open crumb. They will be slightly more dense if they don’t rise enough.
Final Steps
9. Make the glaze: Towards the end of the final rise, make the glaze of your choosing. Warm the butter in a medium saucepan until just melted, remove from heat and slowly whisk in other ingredients besides the milk until smooth. Add milk 1 tbsp at a time if needed, to adjust for a pourable consistency.
10. Heat oil: Heat tallow or avocado oil in a deep pan to 350°F (use a thermometer for accuracy).
11. Fry: Carefully add donuts to the oil 1 at a time, be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Fry donuts 1–2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a cooling rack.
12. Glaze: While the donuts are still warm, dip them into the glaze, then set them on a cooling rack to let the excess glaze drip off.
13. Serve and enjoy: Finally, let glaze set slightly before serving.
These donuts are best served warm and fresh, but you can place them in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days as well.
Serving fresh milled donuts
These warm donuts pair perfectly with an ice cold glass of milk. They make the best breakfast, dessert, or afternoon snack.
Final Thoughts
Once you taste a donut made with freshly milled flour, it’s hard to go back. The superior texture, enhanced nutrition, and easy digestion set fresh milled donuts apart from anything made with store-bought flour. If you’ve been curious about milling your own grains, donuts are a wonderful place to start…approachable, rewarding, and incredibly satisfying.
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Fresh Milled Donuts
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer
- 1 grain mill
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 2 Mixing bowls
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Cooling rack
- 1 Silicone liner
- 1 Dutch Oven
- 1 Kitchen Scale
- 1 thermometer
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 500 g fresh-milled hard white wheat flour about 4 cups
- 240 g warm milk 1 cup
- 1 tsp salt
- 67 g sugar ⅓ cup
- 112 g softened butter ½ cup / 8 Tbsp
- 2 eggs
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 packet instant yeast 2 1/4 tsp
For frying:
- 3 cups tallow or avocado oil
For the vanilla glaze:
- 120 g powdered sugar 1 cup
- 60 g melted unsalted butter ¼ cup / 4 Tbsp
- 30 –45 g milk 2–3 Tbsp, start with less
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
For the chocolate glaze:
- 120 g powdered sugar 1 cup
- 30 g cocoa powder ¼ cup, sifted
- 30 g melted unsalted butter 2 tbsp
- 45 –60 g milk 3–4 tbsp, start with less
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Mill the flour: Mill your hard white wheat flour so it’s fresh and fine.
- Warm the milk: Gently warm 240g (1 cup) of milk to about 90°F (lukewarm).
- Combine ingredients: In a stand mixer, combine the freshly milled flour, warm milk, salt, sugar, melted butter, egg, and nutmeg. Mix on low speed for 1–2 minutes until just combined.
- Autolyse: Cover and let the dough rest in the mixer bowl for 15-30 minutes. This is the autolyse phase.
- Add yeast and knead: After the autolyse phase, sprinkle the instant yeast over the dough and knead on medium speed for 5–20 minutes. This time will vary based on your mixer, you want to knead until the dough is soft, elastic, and passes the windowpane test.*The windowpane test means when you stretch a small piece, if it forms a thin, translucent membrane without tearing, it’s ready.
- First rise: Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise & relax slightly, about 30-40 minutes.
- Shape donuts: After the initial rise, roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface, into a sheet about ½ inch thick. Use a donut cutter or two round cutters to cut out circles and center holes. *If you want to make these donuts overnight, stop here and cover the donuts in the fridge overnight, pull them out in the morning, bring them to room temp and continue with the steps.
- Final rise: Place the cut donuts on a parchment lined baking sheet, and cover with a damp cloth. Let them rise for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size and puffy. If your kitchen is colder this may take a bit longer, and if it's warm it may go much quicker. You just want them to be noticeably puffy. It’s important to let them rise fully if you want a soft, open crumb. They will be slightly more dense if they don’t rise enough.
- Make the glaze: Towards the end of the final rise, make the glaze of your choosing. Warm the butter in a medium saucepan until just melted, remove from heat and slowly whisk in other ingredients besides the milk until smooth. Add milk 1 tbsp at a time if needed, to adjust for a pourable consistency.
- Heat oil: Heat tallow or avocado oil in a deep pan to 350°F (use a thermometer for accuracy).
- Fry: Carefully add donuts to the oil 1 at a time, be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Fry donuts 1–2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a cooling rack.
- Glaze: While the donuts are still warm, dip them into the glaze, then set them on a cooling rack to let the excess glaze drip off.
- Serve and enjoy: Let glaze set slightly before serving.
