Long John Donuts With Fresh Milled Flour
These long john donuts with fresh milled flour are tender, sweet, and perfectly glazed with a rich chocolate frosting. Make them with fresh milled flour for the perfect from-scratch breakfast or dessert.
Servings: 8 donuts
Calories: 667kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Donuts
- 1¼ cups whole milk
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast 1 packet
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup butter melted (1 stick)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 4¼ cups whole grain flour (sub for all-purpose) plus more for kneading and dusting
- Oil for frying I use coconut oil, but canola works great too
For the Chocolate Glaze
- ½ cup butter melted
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Warm the milk: Heat the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until it reaches about 110°F.
- Activate the yeast: Transfer the warm milk to a small mixing bowl and stir in the yeast. Let it sit for 5–10 minutes, until foamy.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, egg yolk, melted butter, and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients: Stir in the flour and salt. Mix until a soft, sticky dough forms.
- Knead the dough: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2–3 minutes. I add about 1/4 cup of flour, and keep my hands floured. It's going to be sticky, but avoid adding too much flour or the donuts are going to be dense.
- First rise: Lightly grease a clean bowl, place the dough inside, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm spot for about 1½-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Shape the donuts: Once risen, punch down the dough and roll it out to about ½ inch thick. Cut into long rectangles with a sharp knife and place them on parchment paper. Cover and let rise again while you heat your oil. (see notes below on how to keep your knife from sticking to the dough)
- Fry the donuts: Heat around a 1/2" of oil in your Dutch oven to 350°F. Carefully add 2–3 donuts at a time and fry for about 1½-2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove and place on paper towels to drain. Keep an eye on your oil and do not let it go over 350°F.
- Glaze: While the donuts are cooling, you can whip up the chocolate glaze (see instructions below), and once they are at least cool enough to handle, you can dip the tops in and let them set before serving!
To Make the Glaze
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until smooth.
Notes
- You want the dough as sticky as possible, but workable. You'll need about ¼ cup of flour while you are kneading it by hand before the first rise.
- Basically, the more flour you add, the denser the donuts are going to be. For light and fluffy donuts, add as little additional flour as you can.
- After the first rise, just lightly dust the surface, your hands, and the rolling pin to roll out the dough. Avoid adding a lot of extra flour.
- Dip your knife blade in water before cutting each strip. This will keep dough from sticking to the blade.
- If your glaze is a bit thick and gloopy, you can put the bowl in the microwave for about 10 seconds. That will thin it out and allow for a smooth, glossy finish on your donuts!
- You can cut the donuts to any size you like, but for a traditional size, cut the dough into 8 pieces.
- You can make this glaze ahead and store it in the fridge for a few days. Just warm it slightly before using.
- If you like a thicker coating, dip the donuts in the glaze twice. Just let the first layer set before going in for round two!
- Be sure to check out the video above to get an idea of the dough texture and how I make it workable while it's still sticky!