What is the best oil for frying donuts?

I like to use vegetable shortening, but you can use any oil with a high smoke point. You can use canola oil, avocado oil (very expensive though), grapeseed oil, vegetable oil or sunflower oil.

How do you safely dispose frying oil?

Allow the oil to cool completely in the pot, then pour back into its original container or a plastic bag and throw it away in the trash. It should never be poured down the drain, as it could potentially clog your pipes.

What's the difference between a yeast donut and cake donut?

A cake donut contains baking powder to help them rise when fried, whereas yeast donuts rely on yeast to rise. The texture of cake donuts are more cakey and yeast donuts are more like bread.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Donuts

Description

Soft and fluffy fried Cinnamon Toast Crunch Donuts dipped in a cereal milk glaze and coated in cinnamon toast crunch cereal crumbs! A craveworthy treat perfect for any time of year!

Ingredients

Donut Dough

1 1/2 Cup (61g) Cinnamon Toast Crunch
1 Cup + 3 Tablespoons (270g) Whole Milk, will be divided 3/4 Cup for donuts dough & the remainder will be for glaze
1 1/2 Teaspoon (5g) Active Dry Yeast
1/4 Cup + 1 Teaspoon (37g + 4g) Granulated White Sugar, divided
3 Tablespoons (42g) Unsalted Butter, melted
1 Large Whole Egg + 1 Yolk, room temp
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cups + 2 Tablespoons (195g) Bread Flour
1 1/2 Cups (180g) All-Purpose Flour
3 Tablespoons Dry Milk Powder
3/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
3/4 Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt

Cereal Milk Glaze

1 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
2 Tablespoons (28g) Melted Butter
3/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
3 to 4 Tablespoons Reserved Cereal Milk

Coating

1 Cup (41g) Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal, finely crushed

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Instructions

Bloom the Yeast - In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, add warm buttermilk, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and active dry yeast and stir well to combine. Let bloom for 5 to 7 minutes. see note below for instant yeast
Combine all Ingredients - To the frothy yeast mixture, add bread flour, all-purpose flour, melted butter, egg, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice and salt. With a spoon or spatula, mix all the ingredients together until it becomes a shaggy ball.
Knead the Dough - Fit your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment and knead on medium/high speed for about 15 minutes or until it passes the window pane test. If it's a bit sticky, you can gradually add 1 to 2 tablespoons of bread flour. see notes below for kneading by hand and window pane test
Let Double in Size - Form dough into a ball, then place into a lightly oiled bowl (I used the same stand mixer bowl). Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for about an hour or until it doubles in size. If using instant yeast, it will take less time.
Prep the Parchment Squares & Twine - When the dough has almost doubled in size, cut out 10, 4x4 inch (10x10 cm) parchment paper squares.
Divide the Dough - Gently deflate the dough and transfer it onto a lightly floured work surface. Cut the dough into 10 equal pieces. Weigh the entire dough with a kitchen scale and then divide that number by 10. Mine came out to 75 grams per piece.
Roll into Smooth Balls - Grab a piece of dough and press it flat to get rid of any air bubbles. Gather and pinch the edges together and then place it on your work surface seam side down. Form your hand into a relaxed “claw” shape and cup it over the ball of dough. Then move your hand in small circular motions, gently dragging the ball along. It will tighten and the top will become smooth. Please see the photos in the body of the post as a reference.
Shape the Donuts - Dip your pointer finger into some flour and create a hole in the center of the bun, piercing all the way through. Then twirl it around your pointer finger, rotating several times. As the hole gets larger, wrap it around both pointer fingers and roll in a circular motion. You'll want it to be at least 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) wide as the hole will shrink a little.
Proof Donuts - Place donuts on parchment paper squares and transfer to a large baking tray. Loosely cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with a bit of oil and allow to rise for about 45 minutes or until it passes the “poke” test. See note below.
Prep the Oil - With 25 minutes left of proofing, fill a medium to large sized pot with at least 2 inches of vegetable shortening or neutral oil such as canola, vegetable, or avocado oil. Clip a thermometer on the side of the pot and heat until it registers between 350ºF (167ºC) and 360ºF (182ºC). If donuts are not ready to be fried, but the oil is ready, just keep the oil on medium-low heat.
Prep the Glaze - In a bowl, combine powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla and cinnamon and add a few tablespoons of the reserved cereal milk. Whisk well until you reach your desired consistency. If you'd like a thicker glaze, add less milk, if you'd like a thinner glaze, add more milk. If you run out of the cereal milk, you can use regular milk. Set glaze aside.
Prep the Coating - Add a cup of cinnamon crunch cereal to a sturdy ziploc bag and seal it. Use a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy pot and crush the cereal until you have fine crumbs. Pour into a shallow bowl or plate and set aside.
Additional Prep - Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside. Grab all the tools you'll need such a kitchen spider or slotted spoon and tongs for removing the parchment paper.
Fry the Donuts - Once the donuts are proofed and the oil reaches 350ºF (180ºF), carefully place 2 to 3 donuts into the hot oil with the parchment paper. After a few seconds, use tongs and remove the papers. Fry for 45 seconds on each side. Then flip the donuts and fry for an additional 30 seconds on each side. Set a timer! Scoop and drain the donuts well and then transfer to your prepared cooling rack.
Glaze & Crumb Coat the Donuts - When the donuts are cool enough to handle, dip the tops of the donuts into the glaze, allowing the excess to drip off. Then immediately dip the donuts into the cinnamon toast crunch cereal crumbs. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Instant Yeast - If you are using instant yeast, there is no need to activate it. Just combine all the dough ingredients into your mixing bowl, making sure your cereal milk is warm (105ºF). Keep in mind your rise and proof time may be a little shorter.

Cereal Milk - Please note that you'll only need to use 3/4 cup of the cereal milk for the dough. The remaining will be used for your glaze, although you may not need to use everything.

Window Pane Test - The dough is properly kneaded when it's passes the window pane test. Take a small ball of dough and stretch it thin enough to let light pass through without tearing. If it tears, knead for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.

Proofing Note - The warmer the kitchen, the quicker the donuts will fully proof. When I use dry active yeast, it generally takes about 40 to 45 minutes. In order to know when the donuts are done, you should always perform a "poke" test. Gently press your pointer finger on to the dough and if it springs back slowly and leaves a slight indentation, then it’s ready to be fried. If the dough bounces back immediately, then it needs more time.