Simple Farmhouse Style Doughnuts

There’s something about a warm jelly doughnut on a Sunday morning that just sets my day off on a hopeful course.  I’m not alone in that belief.  Just ask the citizens of the world who enjoy filled pastries of one name or another, all of them sharing a few key traits.  They may be called by different names, but they rely on a small round of dough fried to golden perfection and filled with a delicious surprise.

In Austria, they enjoy Krapfen.  In Germany, they make Pfannkuchen and Berliners.  Polish cuisine includes the Paczki while they call a similar treat Bomboloni in Italian. Here in the United States, you might find a jelly doughnut, a Bismarck, or Bavarian Cream.  You’ll also find as many of these treats named “donut” as “doughnut”.  No matter what you call it, they’re delicious.

Traditional versions of these delicious pastries are usually made with yeasted dough that is allowed to chill and proof overnight in the refrigerator.  I have made those on many occasions and they are delicious.  A few years ago, I discovered a much easier method for creating a batch of homemade doughnuts that doesn’t require me to have had the forethought to have created the dough for Sunday’s doughnuts on Saturday evening.

My shortcut involves a humble tube of refrigerator biscuits from the grocery store.  I keep several of them on hand in the refrigerator so that we can decide at the last minute on Sunday morning that our day needs to start with a warm batch of doughnuts.  While the doughnuts I make using this shortcut don’t follow a traditional doughnut tradition and are unconventional, these simple farmhouse style doughnuts are perfect for our busy weekend schedule and always delicious.

Homemade doughnuts are special at our house for a reason beyond how simple they are to make and what a delicious treat they add to our weekend.  We live and eat around multiple food allergies here at the farmhouse.  Those food allergies make it impossible for us to buy doughnuts from the local doughnut shop.  We simply can’t safely enjoy the doughnuts they make. 

Thankfully, I can make a safe homemade version now with very little effort and equally delicious results.  In mere minutes, the fryer is warming up, the counter is filled with delicious filling options from the fridge and pantry, and doughnut making is underway.  By the time the coffee pot has finished brewing our morning coffee, the first batch of doughnuts is usually frying up and on its way to deliciousness.

We fill these homemade doughnuts with whatever we have on hand.  We’ve used homemade strawberry jam, fig jam, sweetened whipped cream, pastry cream, chocolate ganache, and leftover buttercream frosting from treats made earlier in the week.  Your family can make their own creations based on what you have in the house and the flavors that they love.

These doughnuts have become a much beloved weekend treat here at the farmhouse.  When my children wake up to the scent of warm doughnuts, it doesn’t take long for them to bound down the kitchen staircase to help themselves to one and find a spot at our kitchen table.  As a mom, any food that puts a smile on their faces and is safe to serve at our table is something I want to make time and time again.  Thanks to the simplicity of this recipe, I can easily make them any time my children ask if we can have doughnuts for Sunday breakfast.

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Simple Farmhouse Style Doughnuts

Jennifer from 1840 Farm

Course: Breakfast

Author: Jennifer from 1840 Farm

Ingredients

• 1 tube Refrigerator Biscuits
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
• neutral tasting oil for frying (I like to use canola)
• jams, jellies, and fillings of your choosing

Instructions

• Begin heating your frying oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Choose a deep pot that will allow for the oil to expand as the doughnuts are fried. Take care to not overfill the pot with oil as it will expand as new pieces are added. Hot oil expands when cold or room temperature foods are added, so always leave plenty of room for expansion in your pot or fryer. Less is more when it comes to frying oil. You only need enough to float whatever you are frying in the hot oil without it resting on the bottom of the pot. For these doughnuts, 1 ½ to 2 inches of oil is more than enough.
• As the oil comes up to temperature, open the roll of biscuits. I like to choose the larger size as they are easier to fill, but the smaller size is equally delicious. Separate the biscuits and lay them on a piece of parchment or waxed paper.
• Combine the granulated and powdered sugar, stirring to mix. I find that the sugar is easiest to coat the fried doughnuts when placed in a paper lunch sack or a shallow baking pan. Either will work equally well and allow you to gently coat the warm doughnut with sugar without breaking the tender doughnut apart.
• We usually make filled or jelly doughnuts, so I leave the biscuits whole. If you prefer, you can cut out the middle of each biscuit to give them a traditional doughnut shape. I find that an apple corer works very well for this job. Save the small circles of dough to fry as doughnut holes if you like.
• When the oil has come up to temperature, transfer a few of the biscuits to the hot oil, taking care not to splash the oil out of the vessel and making sure not to overcrowd them. Each biscuit should be able to float freely in the hot oil without touching another biscuit to prevent them from sticking together. I tend to fry the larger sized biscuits two at a time.
• Fry each batch for 2-3 minutes, until medium golden brown. Flip the doughnut carefully and fry for another 2-3 minutes until it is medium golden brown. Remove the fried doughnuts from the hot oil carefully to a paper towel lined tray. Repeat until all of the biscuits have been fried.
• After the fried doughnuts have cooled, add them to the sugar blend and turn gently to coat the entire surface. Place the sugar coated doughnut on a wire rack to cool. Using a spoon, spatula, or piping bag with a large tip, fill the doughnut with your choice of filling. We love to let each family member choose their favorite jam, jelly, or other delicious fillings from the fridge and pantry.
• Serve the doughnuts and enjoy!

Notes

Leftover doughnuts (if there are any) can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. They are best on the day that they are made, but no one turns them down at our house on the next morning. If you are planning to store the doughnuts, I find that they keep best when they are not filled until you are ready to serve them.

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