The hell with it. Let’s make donuts. I say, lemon old-fashioned sour cream donuts.
Like so many of you, I’m sure, I’ve been craving all the carbs and crap that I don’t typically have in the house (for good reason). I made pasta, which I do like….four times a year. Scones a few weeks ago. And this week, my favorite crumby, comforting vanilla on vanilla cake.
But last week I made donuts. I don’t usually eat donuts, and when I do, I save the occasion for when I’m in Chicago and go to my favorite shop. But I wanted donuts, so badly, and I couldn’t think about anything else. I almost even went so far as ordering some from Stan’s. But then I talked some sense into myself, and I realized that it would take me, no joke, likely one year (not exaggerating) to eat a dozen donuts. #FoodHoarder. I did order this cute beanie in the interest of supporting my fave donut shop, but in the interest of supporting my current waistline, I decided against having a delivery of anything perishable.
But I wanted my donuts, so I decided to try and make my favorite ones at home. Lemon old-fashioned sour cream donuts; crispy on the outside, cakey on the inside. I flavored mine with lemon, but orange or just perfectly plain would be likewise excellent.
To be clear, I’m not a regular donut maker. In fact, I’d only made them once before. I don’t like to fry things and that usually keeps me grounded, but we’re in a freaking pandemic here and I’m grabbing the pie in the sky.
The recipe I used is pretty much verbatim from Handle the Heat, adding my own little lemon twist (partially because I love lemon, partially because I had an almost too-far-gone lemon that needed to be used). It’s a good one- no yeast, no rising time. You can have these donuts ready to go in a flash. You can even let the dough rest overnight in the fridge so they are READY to fry in the morning.
I will admit that they still weren’t Stan’s, but they were pretty close and scratched the itch that I needed to scratch. This recipe makes exactly 6 donuts, so if you’re a party of 1 like myself, it is just right.
Lemon Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts
Lemon Old-Fashioned Sour Cream donuts are crispy on the outside, cakey on the inside and tinged with a tang of lemon.
Ingredients
- For the donuts:
- 1 cup plus 2 TB (127 grams) cake flour
- 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
- 1 TB (14 grams) butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolks
- 1/4 c sour cream
- 2 lemons, zested (about 1 TB zest)
- vegetable oil, for frying
- For the glaze:
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 2 TB lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- Step 1 In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until sandy. Add the egg yolk and mix until light and thick. Add the dry ingredients and zest to the mixing bowl in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream, starting and ending with the flour. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
- Step 2 Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 1/2 inch thickness. Using a donut cutter or two differently sized biscuit cutters, cut out six donuts. You can gather and re-roll the dough as needed.
- Step 3 Pour 2 inches of canola oil into a heavy bottomed pot with an oil/candy thermometer. Heat to 325F. Fry the donut a few at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. Cook each side about 3 minutes, watching to ensure they don’t burn. Let drain on cooling rack on top of a paper bag to soak up any excess oil.
- Step 4 While the donuts are cooling (about 5 minutes), mix the sugar, lemon juice and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. Carefully dip each donut into the glaze. Place on a wire rack above a sheet pan to catch any excess glaze. Let sit for 20 minutes until glaze is set. Store in an air tight container at room temperature for a few days or freeze for later.
