These cinnamon sugar brioche donuts are fried to soft, pillowy perfection, then tossed in a generous coating of cinnamon sugar.
These cinnamon sugar brioche donuts are 100% the best donuts I have ever eaten. Made with my go-to brioche dough recipe, these donuts are fried into soft, pillowy perfection, then tossed in a generous coating of cinnamon sugar. With most of the recipes that I create, I normally have one taste and move on, not because they aren't good, but because I just can't eat everything that I make. But these donuts... oh man, I ate 3 of them!! I tried to just eat one and move on, but I couldn't. They're just so so good. The buttermilk makes them slightly dense, yet gives them the perfect soft, pillowy texture we all know and love from a good brioche donut. And you cannot go wrong with a classic cinnamon sugar coating. They are the perfect mid-afternoon snack, dessert (topped with ice cream, of course), or breakfast served with your morning coffee!
Ingredients
The donut dough is a basic brioche recipe, which is my go-to for all enriched breads. The only difference between the other brioche recipes is the addition of malted milk powder. This is optional, but it keeps the donuts softer for longer and provides a little more depth of flavor!
- Active Dry Yeast or Instant Yeast: If using active dry yeast, combine with milk and sugar and allow to sit for 15 minutes. If using instant yeast, there is no need to let the yeast sit in the mixture.
- Buttermilk: The higher fat content in buttermilk compared to whole milk makes these donuts a slightly denser, yet incredibly soft and pillowy texture. Be sure to warm the buttermilk to about 110 degrees F to activate the yeast.
- Granulated Sugar: The sugar will need to be mixed in with the buttermilk and yeast to help activate the yeast.
- Eggs: You’ll need 3 eggs at room temperature.
- Vanilla Paste: A good quality vanilla paste or extract will give these donuts a wonderful flavor!
- All-Purpose Flour: The best way to measure your flour, as well as the rest of the ingredients, is by weight. I use this kitchen scale!
- Malted Milk Powder: This is optional, but it keeps the donuts softer for longer and provides more depth of flavor!
- Unsalted Butter: You’ll need about 9 tablespoon of unsalted butter at room temperature, which will need to be added one piece at a time to properly incorporate into the dough.
Instructions
Step 1: Make the brioche dough.
Step 2: Proof the dough in a warm environment for about one hour or until doubled in size. Alternatively, you can proof the dough overnight in the fridge.
Step 3: Roll the dough out to ½" in thickness. Use one large and one small round cutter to cut out as many donuts as you can. Cover them with plastic wrap as you re-roll and cut out the remaining dough. Allow the donuts to proof at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Step 4: In a cast iron skillet, add enough vegetable or canola oil to cover two inches and bring it to about 365 degrees F.
Step 5: Fry the donuts, two or three at a time, for 30 seconds on each side for a total of about 2-3 minutes (about 1 minute for the donut holes).
Step 6: Dry donuts off on paper towels quickly and then immediately toss in the bowl of cinnamon sugar. Transfer to a cooling rack over a baking sheet to cool completely.
FAQ
1. While the cutout donuts are proofing, place the oil in a cast iron skillet and bring to about 365 degrees F. Keep in mind that when you add the donuts to the oil, the temperature drops about 5 degrees. It is important that the oil does not drop below 360 degrees or go above 375 degrees. If it gets way too hot, add a little more oil to bring the temperature down.
2. Fry the donuts, two or three at a time, for 30 seconds on each side for a total of about 2-3 minutes (or about 1 minute for the donut holes).
3. Remove the donuts and quickly dry with paper towels, then immediately toss in cinnamon sugar.
The best oil for frying donuts is Crisco vegetable shortening. I prefer shortening over liquid oil because it will solidify again after you're done with it, making for easier disposal. I recommend getting the large container, because you will likely need more than you think.
To ensure that your donuts do not turn out too oily, do not fry them in oil less than 360 degrees F. If the oil is not hot enough, the dough will absorb the oil and make your donuts too oily. Check the temperature of your oil before and after you fry the donuts.
Never pour oil down your sink! The best way to dispose of used oil is by pouring it into a closed container and throwing it away in the trash.
If you use a large container of Crisco vegetable shortening, as I recommend, simply pour it back into that container, wait for it solidify again, then throw it away.
These donuts are best eaten the day that they are made. If stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag and kept at room temperature, they will last a day or two. I recommend warming them up in the microwave for a few seconds before eating. You can also store them in the fridge for about 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Other brioche recipes you'll love
Baking in grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed to create incredibly delicious baked goods that you can easily recreate in your own kitchen with success. The only way this is possible is to standardize the way ingredients are measured - by weight. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), I can ensure that you can make the recipe accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If you would like to convert the recipe to volume measurements, this is the best conversion chart. If you chose to do this, I cannot promise a good result as I do not test my recipes with this method.
Trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Print📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Sugar Brioche Donuts
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 9 large donuts + 12 donut holes 1x
- Category: donuts
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These cinnamon sugar brioche donuts are fried to soft, pillowy perfection, then tossed in a generous coating of cinnamon sugar.
Ingredients
For the Brioche Dough:
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry or instant yeast
- 172g buttermilk or whole milk (warmed to 110 degrees F)
- 38g granulated sugar
- 3 eggs (room temperature)
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 450g all-purpose flour
- 30g malted milk powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- 127g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- vegetable or canola oil (for frying) (I use Crisco)
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- 150g granulated sugar
- 16g cinnamon
Instructions
For the Brioche Dough:
- Heat the buttermilk to 110 degrees F and stir in yeast and sugar. If using active dry yeast, allow to sit for 15 minutes. If using instant yeast, simply move on to the next step.
- Mix the eggs and vanilla into the milk yeast mixture.
- Combine flour, malted milk powder, and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and mix on low-medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until it forms a ball around the hook.
- Add in one piece of butter at a time, allowing it to fully incorporate before adding the next. Once all of the butter is incorporated, turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and mix for 8-10 minutes. To check if the dough is ready, tear off a small piece and carefully spread it out to see if you can see the light through it without it tearing. If it tears, mix for another minute and check again.
- Once the dough is ready, transfer it to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow to proof in a warm environment for about one hour or until doubled in size. Alternatively, you can proof the dough overnight in the fridge.
For Frying the Donuts:
- Roll the dough out to ½" in thickness. Use one large and one small round cutter to cut out as many donuts as you can. Cover them with plastic wrap as you re-roll and cut out the remaining dough. Allow the donuts to proof at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- While the donuts proof, add enough vegetable or canola oil in a cast iron pot to fill two inches and heat to about 360-370 degrees F. The temperature of the oil will drop about 5 degrees when you add the donuts, so you want to keep it around 365 degrees.
- Fry the donuts, two or three at a time, for 30 seconds on each side for a total of about 2-3 minutes (about 1 minute for the donut holes). Dry donuts off on paper towels quickly and then immediately toss in the bowl of cinnamon sugar. Transfer to a cooling rack over a baking sheet to cool completely.
Notes
- You can use either active dry yeast or instant yeast. For active, you’ll need to combine the yeast with the lukewarm milk and sugar and allow to sit for about 15 minutes until foamy and activated. For instant yeast you do not need to let it sit.
- I used a 4" round cutter and 1" round cutter, which made 9 large donuts and 12 donut holes. If you'd like you can use smaller cutters to make more donuts!
- Read all of my tips on what oil to use and how to fry donuts in the post above!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 donut
- Calories: 328
- Sugar: 16.7 g
- Sodium: 189 mg
- Fat: 12.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 47 g
- Protein: 7.5 g
- Cholesterol: 71.4 mg
Keywords: brioche donuts, cinnamon sugar donuts, fried donuts, fluffy fresh donuts
Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it turned out!