Krispy Kreme Style Sourdough Glazed Donuts
These donuts are ultra soft thanks to a Japanese-style tangzhong (cooked flour paste) and are naturally leavened with a sweet, bubbly sourdough starter. The result? Incredibly fluffy donuts with just the right amount of tang, fried until golden in coconut oil, and dipped in a rich vanilla glaze that sets beautifully after cooling.
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer with dough hook (or strong hands!)
- 2 Medium sized pots (for the tangzhong and glaze)
- 1 Kitchen scale (optional)
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 1 Rolling Pin
- Large and small round cookie cutters
- 12 4x4 parchment papers
- 1 Large deep pot or Dutch oven
- 1 Frying thermometer very helpful to properly fry
- 1 Slotted spoon
- 2 Chopsticks (optional: for flipping donuts)
- 2 Cooling racks
- Paper towels for draining oil
Ingredients
Sweet Levain:
- 25 g (1 Tablespoon) sourdough starter 100 % hydration
- 100 g (3/4 cup and 2 Tbsp) filtered water
- 100 g (3/4 cup and 2 Tbsp) all-purpose flour
- 25 g (1 Tbspn) white granulated sugar
Tangzhong Paste:
- 20 g (2 Tbspn) all-purpose flour
- 100 g (1/3 cup) whole milk
Main Dough:
- 275g (1 cup + 2 Tbspns) whole milk
- 200g (3/4 cup) sweet levain
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 25g (1 Tbspn) raw honey
- 60g (1/4 cup + 1 Tbspn) white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- All of the tangzhong paste
- 500-550 g (4-4 1/4 cups) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp (6g) sea salt
- 57g (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened cut into 1 Tablespoon pats
Vanilla Glaze
- 240g (2 cups) powdered sugar
- 61g (1/4 cup + 1 Tbspn) half and half (or 1/4 cup milk 1 Tbspn cream)
- 57g (4 Tbspns) salted butter if you use unsalted, add a pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Make your Sweet Levain:
- The night before mixing your dough, prepare your sweet levain. Add the water, flour, sourdough starter and sugar to a clean glass jar. Mix well, and allow to rest at room temperature for 8-12 hours or until doubled and bubbly.
Make your Tangzhong:
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk and flour over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly to avoid burning on the bottom, for 2-3 minutes. When internal temperature has reached between 148-155 F remove from heat and allow to cool.
Mix your Dough:
- Fit a stand mixer with a dough hook, or gather a large bowl if mixing dough by hand.
- Add the sweet levain, tangzhong, egg, honey, sugar, and vanilla to the bowl. Give it a stir- it's okay if it's lumpy.
- Add 500g all-purpose flour and salt. Mix on low or knead with your hands until a rough dough forms.
- Add butter 1 Tablespoon at a time working butter into dough slowly with mixer or hands until all the butter is added,
- Continue mixing on low or knead with hands 8-10 minutes and dough is smooth and elastic. If dough is very wet, add 25g of flour to make it less sticky. Work flour into dough and add up to 50g (do not exceed) at this step. Dough should be tacky not sticky.
- Spay a clean bowl or clear container with oil, and transfer dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap.
- If using stand mixer, perform 1 set of stretch and folds after 30 minutes.If mixing by hand, perform 3 sets of stretch and folds at 30 minute intervals at the beginning of bulk fermentation.
Bulk Fermentation:
- After stretch and folds are completed, allow dough to proof close to double in size (90 percent in volume). This will take approximately 6 hours if dough is at 75-80 degrees. If needed, transfer bowl to oven with light on to help warm dough and proof.
- After bulk fermentation is over, you can cover dough and refrigerate overnight for longer fermentation or skip this step and go straight to shaping your donuts.
Shaping Donuts and Final Proof:
- Flour your surface. Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thick. Flour your cutters and cut out 12 large rounds, then cut out smaller circles in the centers to form donut holes.
- Transfer to a baking sheet lined with your 4x4 parchment squares or a large sheet of parchment or a silicone mat. Flour surfaces and place donuts and donut holes on prepared baking sheets.
- Cover donuts with plastic and allow to proof in a warm spot for approx 2 hours. Don't skip or cut this step short if you want a fluffy donut.
Frying your Donuts:
- Fit a deep pot or Dutch oven with your candy thermometer. Add 3-4 cups of organic coconut oil to the pot. Heat on medium-low, until oil has reached 340-350 F. Monitor and adjust flame as needed to keep oil in this heat range.
- Transfer 3 donuts at a time into the oil when hot. If using individual parchment, allow parchment to separate and then remove with tongs. If using hands, lightly oil your hands and gently transfer to the pot.
- Gently flip donuts every 30 seconds, until a golden brown. This make take a few minutes, I generally have to flip mine a few times.
- Once golden, transfer donuts to baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
- Repeat with remaining donuts and donut holes until done frying.
- Allow donuts to cool and mix your glaze.
Make Your Glaze:
- In a small pot add the powdered sugar, half and half (or milk and cream), butter, and vanilla extract. Stir on low heat until completely smooth and just warm to touch. You want glaze thick but still dippable.
- Dip donuts rotating to cover each side, then transfer to a clean cooling rack to allow excess glaze to drip off. Repeat with remaining donuts and donut holes until all of them are coated. You can toss in additional powdered sugar if desired.
- Allow donuts to set up 30 minutes to 1 hour to allow glaze to firm. Enjoy your fresh donuts!
Notes
These Krispy Kreme Style Sourdough Glazed Donuts are everything a donut should be—light, airy, perfectly fried, and irresistibly sweet with a soft vanilla glaze. The sourdough gives them flavor depth that makes store-bought donuts feel flat in comparison.
Whether you’re looking to impress guests or just treat yourself to something next-level, these are the donuts to make.
Storing Tips:
- These are best served fresh, but you can store in a single layer in an airtight container for enjoying the next day.