Homemade Donuts

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the softened butter on medium-high for 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes. (If you use a coarser cane sugar like I do, beat toward the longer end.)

Reduce speed to medium. Add the eggs one at a time, beating 30 to 60 seconds per egg and scraping down the sides as needed.

Add the vanilla bean paste and sour cream. Mix until just combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.

With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture about ¼ cup at a time, alternating with the buttermilk, finishing with flour. Mix only until the dough is shaggy. It will be sticky and not fully uniform. Use a spatula to work in any remaining flour streaks.

Turn the sticky dough out onto a well-floured surface. With floured hands, gently fold and turn the dough, adding just enough flour so it doesn't stick.

Press the dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle, then fold it over itself like an envelope (into thirds). Pat out again and repeat once more.

Pat the dough out one final time to just under ½ inch thick (about ⅜ inch). Cover with a tea towel and let it rest 5 to 10 minutes while you heat the oil.

Pour 2 to 3 inches of oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed pot (a Dutch oven works great). Clip a candy/fry thermometer to the side so it's submerged but not touching the bottom. Heat over medium heat to 350°F to 375°F. High altitude note: Reduce your target temperature by 3°F per 1,000 feet of elevation. At 5,280 feet, I fry at about 350°F.

Set a cooling rack over a paper towel-lined baking sheet. This is where your donuts will drain, keeping the bottoms crisp instead of soggy.

Mix your glaze(s) or cinnamon sugar before you start frying so you're ready to coat the donuts while they're still warm.

Classic or Chocolate Glaze: Sift powdered sugar into a wide, shallow bowl. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. For chocolate glaze, sift the cocoa powder too.

Cinnamon Sugar: Whisk together in a wide, shallow bowl.

Using a 3- to 3¼-inch donut cutter (or a round biscuit cutter plus a smaller cutter for the holes), press straight down and gently shake side to side to release. Do not twist; twisting seals the edges and your donuts won't rise as well. I prefer a larger donut hole than the one that came with my 3-inch cutter, about 1.6 inches / 4.2cm. If your center cutter is small, gently stretch the dough opening a bit after cutting, otherwise it may close up during frying.

Transfer cut donuts and holes to a parchment-lined tray using a spatula. Cut as close to the edges and to each other as possible on the first pass. You should get about 9 donuts from the first roll. Rerolling makes the dough tougher, but it's still totally edible! I use the scraps as test pieces to check my oil temperature.

Slide 2 to 4 donuts into the oil using a spatula (a fish spatula works well), placing them smooth side down first. This gives you that classic craggy, crispy top as the bottoms split during frying.

Fry for 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Flip with a spider or slotted spoon and fry for another minute. Remove to the cooling rack. To check doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer into the center; it should read about 200°F. Fry only 2 to 4 donuts at a time to avoid large temperature drops. Keep an eye on the thermometer; oil temperature can swing quickly. Don't be afraid to turn the heat off briefly, then back to low when it drops.

For donut holes: Fry for 60 to 90 seconds, stirring and turning them continuously, until golden brown. Remove with a spider to the draining rack.

Let donuts cool just a minute before glazing with vanilla glaze and/or cinnamon sugar, it will stick better. Wait about 10 minutes before glazing with chocolate. You want them still warm so the glaze sets with that soft-but-crackly finish. For cinnamon sugar, roll them while still warm, just cool enough to handle.