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Old Fashioned Donuts W/ Brown Butter Glaze and Sea Salt

Lisa Flinn
Old Fashioned Donuts - Nutmeg and cinnamon scented sour cream donuts are fried until golden, and then dunked in a delicious brown butter glaze and finished with flakey sea salt!
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 3 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Yields 9 Donuts and 9 Holes

INGREDIENTS

Sour Cream Donuts

  • 3 Cups (330g) Cake Flour + extra for rolling dough
  • 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • ½ Teaspoon Salt
  • ¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg
  • ¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • ¼ Cup (56g) Unsalted Butter room temp
  • ⅓ Cup + 2 Tablespoons (92g) White Sugar
  • ⅓ Cup (67g) Brown Sugar
  • 3 Large Egg Yolks room temp
  • 1 Cup (227g) Full-Fat Sour Cream room temp
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • Oil for Frying

Brown Butter Glaze

  • ½ Cup (113g) Unsalted Butter browned
  • 2 Cups (227g) Powdered Sugar
  • ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract
  • 3 to 6 Tablespoons Milk or Water
  • Flakey Sea Salt (optional)

Instructions
 

Sour Cream Donuts

  • Combine Dry Ingredients - In a medium sized bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
    3 Cups (330g) Cake Flour + extra for rolling dough
    2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
    ½ Teaspoon Salt
    ¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg
    ¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • Combine Wet Ingredients - In a large bowl, add white sugar, brown sugar and room temperature butter. With a hand held mixer, whisk until well combined. About 2 minutes.
    ¼ Cup (56g) Unsalted Butter
    ⅓ Cup + 2 Tablespoons (92g) White Sugar
    ⅓ Cup (67g) Brown Sugar
  • Add Yolks - Combine yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
    3 Large Egg Yolks
  • Add Sour Cream & Vanilla - Add room temp sour cream and vanilla and mix until well combined.
    1 Cup (227g) Full-Fat Sour Cream
    1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • Combine Dry & Wet Ingredients - In 2 additions, sift dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, gently mix the flour mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
  • Chill Dough - The dough will be very sticky and will need to be chilled for at least 1 hour to firm up. Cover with cling wrap.
  • Roll Dough - Remove the dough from the fridge and transfer to a generously floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll to a ½ inch to ¾ inch (1.27 to 1.9 cm) thickness.
  • Cut out Donuts - Generously flour your 3-inch (7.2 cm) cookie or biscuit cutter and cut out your donuts. Gently gather the remaining dough, reroll and cut out more donuts. Using a 1 to 1 ¼ inch (2.5 cm) cookie cutter, cut a hole in the center of each donut. I ended up with 9 donuts and 9 holes. Transfer donuts to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
    Make sure to dip your cutters in flour each time you cut out your donuts. The dough will be quick sticky, so you may need to shake the cutter to get the donuts and donut holes out. 
  • Chill Donuts - Remove any excess flour off the donuts with a pastry brush. Place donuts back into the fridge to firm up for at least 30 minutes. This is important as it will make it easier to handle during the frying process.
  • Prep Oil - As the donuts are chilling, fill a heavy-bottomed pot with oil 2 inches deep. Place over medium/low heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350ºF (176ºC). We will also be making the glaze during this time.

Brown Butter Glaze

  • Brown Butter - In a light colored saucepan and over medium heat, add unsalted butter. Swirl the pan and keep the butter moving around constantly. Once completely melted, the butter will foam and sizzle and gradually start to brown and deepen in color. You'll notice a nutty aroma and tiny brown specks at the bottom of the pan. The whole process should take about 5 to 7 minutes. Be careful not to burn it.
    ½ Cup (113g) Unsalted Butter
  • Immediately transfer your brown butter to a medium sized glass bowl. Then add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Start with 3 tablespoons of milk and you can add more (1 tablespoon at a time) depending on how thin you would like your glaze. Keep in mind that this donut is not very sweet, so you can go a little thicker on the glaze if you wish. Whisk until smooth and creamy. 
    2 Cups (227g) Powdered Sugar
    ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract
    3 to 6 Tablespoons Milk or Water

Frying Your Donuts

  • Once your oil reaches 350ºF (176ºC), remove your donuts from the fridge. Carefully transfer 2 to 3 donuts into your hot oil. The donuts will initially sink, but will float after 10 seconds or so. Fry for 1 and half minutes on each side and transfer to a wire rack. At this point, it's important to monitor your oil. You'll want the oil to come back to 350ºF (176ºC) before adding the next batch of donuts. Donut holes will only take about 40 seconds on each side.
  • While still warm, dip your donuts into the glaze and set them on a wire rack to cool. Top with flakey sea salt and enjoy!

Notes

Frying Donuts - When frying your donuts, make sure to monitor the oil after each batch. It should hover around 350ºF (176ºC) Using a deep-fry thermometer is highly recommended.
Storage - These homemade donuts are best consumed the same day. Store any leftover donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days. 
Keyword brown butter, brown butter glaze, fried donuts, old fashione donuts, old fashioned sour cream donuts, sour cream donuts
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