½gallon(2Litres)frying oilnot needed for the oven-baked version
Glaze
½cup(60grams)powdered sugar
2tablespoons(2tablespoons)almond milkor another non-dairy milk
MAKE THE YUDANE
Add ⅓ cup all-purpose flour to a heat-proof bowl. Bring ½ cup almond milk to a boil and pour it over the flour.
Mix well with a spatula until you get a thick gel-like mixture.
Let cool down in the fridge for 15 minutes.
MAKE THE DOUGH
Add ¾ cup almond milk to a small container and warm it up for 10 seconds in the microwave until lukewarm. Add 1 tablespoon instant dry yeast and stir until dissolved.
Pour the milk-yeast mixture into a larger mixing bowl and add ½ cup sugar, ⅓ cup melted vegan butter, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon salt.Stir until combined.
Add 3 cups all-purpose flour and the yudane.Mix until the liquids are absorbed.
Transfer the mixture to a lightly floured worktop and knead by hand for about 5 minutes.
Try to add as little flour as possible while kneading the dough. The dough should not stick to your hands, but it should still be soft and not dry.Now, shape it into a ball and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl.
Cover with a plate and put it to proof in a warm place (turned-off oven with the light turned on) for about 1.5 hours or until it doubles in volume.
SHAPE THE DONUTS
Turn the bowl with the dough upside down and let the dough fall onto a clean worktop. Lightly stretch the dough with your hands.
Fold it from left to center.
Then right to center.
Then top to center, and finally bottom to center.
With the help of a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/2 inch or 1 cm.Cut the dough into discs with a 3-inch or 8-cm pastry cutter. Then, make a hole in the center of the discs with a 1-inch or 2.5-cm cutter.
Transfer the donuts onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.If you want, you can do the same for the donut holes.Put the leftover dough scraps back together, flatten them, and make more donuts until you run out of dough. You should get 12 to 16 donuts.Cover with a cloth and let proof a second time for 30 minutes in a warm place before deep-frying or baking them.
OVEN-BAKED VEGAN DONUTS
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.Brush the donuts with non-dairy milk and bake them in the middle rack of the oven, one tray at a time, for about 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly golden on top.
You can optionally dip them in plant milk and coat them with cinnamon sugar (which is 3 tablespoons of sugar plus a teaspoon of cinnamon).
DEEP-FRIED VEGAN DONUTS
Add ½ gallon frying oil to a medium pot with medium-tall edges. Fill the pot with oil up to half its height.Heat the oil to 340°F (170°C). Fry 2 to 3 donuts at a time.
Gently lower the donuts into the oil. Fry for about 40 seconds, then turn them around and fry for 40 more seconds. They should be golden brown on both sides.
When you take them out, let the oil drip, then transfer them onto a cooling rack or baking tray lined with kitchen paper.
While the donuts are still warm, you can dip them in cinnamon sugar or glaze them.
To make a simple sugar glaze, stir ½ cup powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons almond milk (hot) until you get a smooth white cream.Dip the donuts in the glaze while both are still warm. Let it set on a cooling rack.
Nutritional values are an estimate for 1 baked donut out of 16 without glaze.SUBSTITUTIONSAll-purpose flour: substitute cake flour.Almond milk: substitute soy milk, oat milk, rice milk, regular milk, or any other non-dairy milk.Sugar: substitute brown sugar.Vegan butter: substitute 1/4 cup vegetable oil like avocado oil or canola oil for vegan butter.Vanilla extract: substitute with grated orange or lemon zest.Yeast: substitute fresh yeast for instant dry yeast. If you use fresh yeast, you'll need 3 times the amount. Avoid using rapid-rise yeast.STORAGERoom temperature: Store donuts in a plastic bag for up to 4 days.Freezer: Freeze them before the second proofing. Then thaw in the refrigerator and proof a second time in a warm place before baking them or frying them.You can also freeze baked donuts. Let them cool down then freeze in a freezer-friendly bag for 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the microwave with the thawing function.