Create these yummy sugar doughnuts in celebration of National Doughnut Day

Each year on the first Friday of June, people all over the world head over to a bakery to buy and indulge in their favourite doughnuts to celebrate the delicious treat, and to honour the American Army Lassies who served doughnuts to soldiers during WWI.

Here are some fun facts about doughnuts shared by UberEats, which you may not know about:

• Doughnuts did not always have holes
• Doughnuts are a popular holiday treat
• The largest doughnuts bakery is in Pennsylvania, America
• Doughnuts were originally called oily cakes
• More people buy doughnuts on a Saturday than any other day of the week

In celebration of National Doughnut Day, order in some delicious doughnuts from your favourite doughnut store, or recreate these simple homemade sugar doughnuts and gift some to your closed friends and family as tribute to the Army Lassies.

Simple homemade sugar doughnuts

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk warm
• 2½ teaspoon dry active yeast
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Corn oil for frying

ALSO READ: Recipe of the day: Creamy chicken and mushroom linguine

Instructions

For the yeast

1. Start off by making the yeast mixture first. In a large measuring cup, add 1 cup of warm milk (42 degrees Celsius), 2½ teaspoon dry active yeast, and 2 tablespoons of sugar.
2. Whisk it up and let it froth up for about 5-10 minutes.

For the dough

1. Now, in a stand mixer, add 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 large egg, 2 large egg yolks, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and the frothy yeast mixture.
2. Using the hook attachment, begin mixing the dough on low speed. Once there are no more dry patches of flour visible, pick the speed up to high. Continue mixing the dough for about 10-15 minutes. Yes, it takes time to get the right dough consistency. The dough should be just a little sticky and tacky to the touch.
3. Then take the dough and place it into a large greased bowl (I greased mine with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil).
4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise for about one to two hours or until it doubles or even triples in size. The more the dough rises, the fluffier your donuts will be.
5. Once the dough is done rising, punch it down and place it onto a floured surface. Then use a rolling pin to roll the donut dough to about 1/2 inch thick.
6. Now cut out circles using a 3-inch biscuit cutter or glass cup. After you’ve cut out the donuts, reshape the scraps, then roll them out and cut out some more circles. You should get about 16 donuts from the recipe.
7. Place the cut out donuts onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then cover them with a thin kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rise for 30 minutes.
8. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat 2 inches of corn oil to 170 degrees Celsius. I recommend using an instant-read thermometer to monitor the oil temperature.
9. Now fry each donut for about 2 minutes per side. You want them to be golden brown. Then use a large slotted spoon to transfer the fried donuts to a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
10. Once the fried donuts cool to a warm temperature, roll them in a bowl of granulated sugar. 1 cup of sugar should be more than enough for all the donuts.

This recipe was found on simplyhomecooked.com