Dulce De Leche Donuts

Give your next batch of donuts a caramel flavored treat with these rich, creamy dulce de leche donuts. The dough is my no-fail recipe for yeast-raised donuts. Then, it's deep-fried before frosting with a dulce de leche glaze. And, a little hint of chocolate drizzle makes them irresistible.

Table of Content

• About these donuts
• My secret to my PERFECT dulce de leche donuts
• Ingredients and substitutes
• Step by step instructions
• Frequently asked questions
• You may also like
• Printable Recipe
• Comments

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It's time to share another donut recipe with you, and boy are you in for a treat. Raise your hand if you don't love dulce de leche. I know! Everyone loves dulce de leche, whether it's in a dessert, cake, cookies, cupcakes, ice creams, Pops, or donuts. In fact, I can eat dulce de leche out of a jar with a spoon. And, I adore dulce de leche on toast.

By now, you know we love making donuts. My Aadi is a donut monster as much as he is a cookie monster. So, yeah we do make a fair share of donuts. Therefore, I get to create so many awesome variations, such as tiramisu, chocolate glazed, jams, jellies as well as fruit creams. Recently, I made these dulce de leche donuts. And, they were out of this world glorious.

About these donuts

The dough uses my no-fail recipe for yeast-raised donuts that works every single time. In fact, I've used it in all my ring-shaped doughnuts, no matter what the flavor. Also, the dough is a bit soft to work with, as you can see in the video. And yet, that's what makes these donuts light, airy and soft on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside.

The dulce de leche glaze is rich, creamy and velvety made using dulce de leche and fresh cream. And, the added hint of dark chocolate as a drizzle cuts into the sweetness and also makes for a pretty presentation.

My secret to my PERFECT dulce de leche donuts

I have two secrets to share with you today for making my donuts. Often, people hate making fried donuts, and that's because they are not easy to handle. I agree. Well, here are my secrets.

1. Keep the dough soft, elastic and slightly sticky. The softness in the mixture (not extra butter) will produce a melt in your donuts when fried. I admit that soft dough is more difficult to handle. So, that's why I have a second tip for you.
2. Chill the donuts before you fry them. Trust me on this little trick. Chilling the dough makes it more stable. In addition, that butter, eggs, sugar, and flour all get a chance to relax. As a result, you can pick the dough, and it won't fall apart even though it is puffed up.

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Ingredients and substitutes

• Yeast - I like to use instant dry yeast because I've always had great success with it. And yet, you can also use active dry yeast in the same quantity. And, if you use fresh yeast, you will need about 21 grams for every 2 ¼ teaspoon (one envelope) of dry yeast. Also, it's not necessary to activate the yeast, but I like to take the guesswork out and make sure my dough will rise.
• Butter - This adds richness to the dough. But, do not add more butter as they will become very dark when frying. 
• Milk - I love adding a bit of richness to the dough and milk works great in this recipe. Water will also work well. And, if you do use water, you may need a little more flour in this recipe.
  Tip - Check for consistency of dough when making yeast dough not the amount of flour. The dough needs to be soft and elastic not sticky. 
• Sugar - White sugar works excellent in this recipe. And yet, you can also try brown or any other sugar. 
• Flour - I always use all-purpose flour for most of my yeast recipes. Because it's the most readily available. And yet, you can also use bread flour for a softer texture.
• Nutmeg - There is nutmeg in the pumpkin spice. And yet, I love that extra dash of nutmeg as it brings out that flavor of fall beautifully in these donuts. Feel free to reduce or omit.
• Dulce De Leche -  This is thick caramelized milk that can be found in cans or jar in most supermarkets these days. And, you can also make it at home using my homemade dulce de leche recipe. 

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Step by step instructions

Activate yeast

• In a bowl combine warm milk, sugar and instant dry yeast.
• Let rest for 3 to 5 minutes until foamy.

Combine wet ingredients

• To the prepared yeast mixture add the egg and vanilla.

Combine dry ingredients

• Combine flour, salt, pumpkin spice, and grated nutmeg.
• Stir to combine well.

Prepare dough

• Next, add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients - Yeast mixture to flour mixture. And, combine well.
• When all the dry flour is incorporated - use the extra flour for kneading.
• Then, add the butter - You can do this in an electric mixer. 
• Or, transfer to a well-dusted work surface and knead for 5 minutes.
• The dough should be soft and elastic. Slightly sticky too (as shown in the video).

Prove dough

• Place dough in an oiled bowl.
• Wrap with plastic/cling wrap.
• Then, set in a warm place to prove for an hour or until double in volume.

Roll and cut donuts

• After an hour, the dough should have been doubled in volume.
• Transfer to a well-dusted work surface.
• Gather into a ball and roll with a rolling pin dusted with flour as needed.
• Roll to about ¼ inch thickness.
• Cut disc using a 3-inch cookie cutter.
• Use a ½ inch cookie cutter for the center hole.
• Next, transfer the donuts to a baking tray that has been lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour.
• Then, gather the remaining dough, roll again using as little flour as possible until all the dough is used up.

Prove the donuts

• Cover the baking tray with a clean kitchen cloth to prevent the donuts from drying.
• Then, place the donuts in the fridge for about 45 minutes to an hour to prove again.
• They will rise and be cold but more comfortable to handle when chilled.

Deep-fry donuts

• Pour oil in a skillet or deep fryer, make sure you have enough oil so the donuts will be at least half immersed in oil when puffed.
• You want the oil hot but not too hot about 370 to 375 F.
• Use the donut centers to test oil. If the dough takes more than 30 seconds to float, it means the oil is still not hot enough.
• And, if it bounces up before 30 seconds reduce heat slightly.
• Then, gently add the cold donuts to the oil - you can add two to three depending on the size of your skillet.
• Let the donut cook 30 seconds. Then, flip, so it puffs the other side too.
• Continue to cook gently turning as necessary until golden brown.
• Remove and drain on a paper hand towel for a minute.

Dust with Dulce de Leche glaze

• Combine the dulce de leche and cream/milk together 
• Add vanilla - mix well.
• The glaze should be a thick pouring consistency - if necessary add a tablespoon or two more of cream/milk. 
• Once cooled dunk each donut in the glaze. 
• Let the excess drip well before you flip it over (this will prevent a messy/drippy side) 
• Melt the chocolate and drizzle over the dulce de leche glaze.

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Frequently asked questions

You may also like

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Printable Recipe