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Glazed Donuts with Milk Bread Dough

Glazed donuts with milk bread dough are made with a cooked tangzhong paste for a soft, pillowy interior and a pale-golden fry. Dip warm donuts in a thin vanilla glaze for a crackly white shell that sets quickly on a rack.
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Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 15 minutes
resting 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 280
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

tangzhong
  • 3 tbsp flour Use bread flour for best structure.
  • 120 ml milk Milk for tangzhong; use whole milk.
donut dough
  • 2.75 cup bread flour
  • 0.25 cup sugar
  • 2.25 tsp instant yeast
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 120 ml warm whole milk Warm to about 100–110°F (38–43°C).
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tbsp butter, softened
  • 1 neutral oil for frying Enough for frying; keep oil at 350°F.
glaze
  • 2 cup powdered sugar
  • 60 ml milk For thinning; add to reach dip consistency.
  • 1 tsp vanilla Vanilla for flavor.

Equipment

  • 1 saucepan
  • 1 deep fryer
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Make tangzhong
  1. Cook tangzhong: in a saucepan, heat flour and milk, stirring constantly, until it turns into a thick paste. Continue 1–2 minutes until glossy, then cool to room temperature.
Mix the dough
  1. Combine the dough base by mixing tangzhong with bread flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt, warm whole milk, and egg until a shaggy dough forms. Mix until no dry flour remains.
  2. Knead in the butter by kneading until the softened butter is fully incorporated and the dough is soft and tacky. Knead for 8 minutes.
  3. Rest the dough until doubled by covering and letting it rise at warm room temperature for 1.5 hours. The dough should look puffy and swell in volume.
Shape and second proof
  1. Roll the dough to ¾ inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Aim for even thickness so the donuts fry uniformly.
  2. Cut rounds and place them on a lined sheet pan, leaving space between each. Cover and rest for 45 minutes until noticeably puffed.
Fry and glaze
  1. Fry at 350°F by carefully placing donuts into hot neutral oil and cooking 60–75 seconds per side. Fry until pale golden, watching closely so they do not darken.
  2. Dip while warm: stir glaze ingredients into a smooth, pourable glaze, then dip each warm donut into the glaze. Dip twice for a thicker shell, then set on a rack until the glaze is just set.

Notes

Key pro tip: keep the fry color pale golden—milk bread donuts continue cooking quickly, and darker color can make the crumb feel drier. Store glazed donuts in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day; for best texture, refresh lightly the next day. Freezing: freeze unglazed donuts up to 1 month; thaw and glaze after thawing. For a lighter option, use low-fat milk in the dough and glaze (texture stays soft, though the crumb is slightly less rich).