Poppyseed Lemon Donuts

Donuts
March 9, 2014
Donuts
March 9, 2014

Poppyseed Lemon Donuts

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Poppyseed Lemon Donuts

I’m sitting here eating a poppyseed lemon donut while oggling over homewares. It’s my new thing — not donuts, but homeware (OK well maybe donuts, too). Right now boyfriend and I live in the shittiest of apartments in Ann Arbor. And by shittiest I mean it has necessities and is safe and has heat, but it’s not me at all. And since we will be moving next year (location TBD, look forward to that, lovies!), I have become prematurely obsessed with homeware. I’m talking glass jars, persian rugs, ceramic bakeware of all sorts, butcherblock islands, chaise lounges, luxurious comforter sets, wine glasses (reminder to self: also want wine fridge. A girl can dream, right?), bookshelves-turned-shoe-racks. You know, the usual.

On my second lemon donut now. I think I’m getting tired of this small apartment with no dishwasher and carpeting and slanted ceilings and can’t help but think about our inevitable move into a new space. And even if we end up in some box somewhere, how fun will it be to redecorate that box? So excited.

Tips for making homemade lemon donuts

The biggest hangups I had when making these homemade glazed donuts was actually cutting the donuts (I don’t have a biscuit cutter or anything like that) and knowing when the oil was the right temperature to fry the donuts (because I don’t have a thermometer). Here’s how I got around those roadblocks:

To cut the donuts out, I used a measuring cup to create the larger donut shape. Simply press down hard on the dough and you should have no problem cutting out the circles. If for some reason the measuring cup isn’t cutting it, trace a sharp knife around the outside to cut out the lemon donuts. For the donut hole, I used a bottle cap to cut out the center of the donut. Genius, right?

To tell when the oil was hot enough to fry the lemon donuts, I first heated the oil on high for about 10 minutes. I then took some dough scraps and gently placed them into the oil. If the oil is hot enough, the dough should immediately start bubbling and get brown within 10 seconds. Once the oil is hot enough to fry the scraps, turn the heat to low (if it were on a 10/10 scale, put the temperature knob at 2/10), and let the oil cool for another 2-3 minutes. Test again with more dough scraps.

If you have any questions about making these homemade glazed lemon donuts, leave me a comment below!

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Poppyseed Lemon Donuts

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These lemon donuts are glazed with a tart lemon icing and topped with crunchy poppyseeds. This is the ultimate spring and summer donut recipe!

These lemon donuts are glazed with a tart lemon icing and topped with crunchy poppyseeds. This is the ultimate spring and summer donut recipe!

  • Author: Sarah | Broma Bakery
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Author: Sarah | Broma Bakery
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Units:

Ingredients

For the donuts:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon poppyseeds, plus more for garnishing
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup butter at room temp
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 quarts oil for deep frying (I used canola)
For the glaze:
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

    1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and poppyseeds.
    2. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg, butter, and vanilla. Mix until well combined. The mixture will be sticky, but this is OK!
    3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
    4. On a heavily floured board, roll chilled dough out until it’s 1/2 inch thick. (The flour you use here should eliminate all unnecessary stickiness from the dough.)
    5. Use a 3-inch round cutter (I used a cup measurer) to cut out donuts. Use a smaller cutter (I used a bottle cap) to cut holes from center. Don’t forget to fry those centers — they make perfect donut holes!
    6. Heat oil in a deep, heavy skillet or deep-fryer to 370ºF. I used a le cruset and filled it about 2 inches high with oil. 
    7. Fry the donuts in hot oil until golden brown, turning once after about 45 seconds. Remove from oil and allow donuts to drain and cool slightly on paper plates or paper towels.
    8. Make the glaze: Combine powdered sugar with lemon juice. You’re looking for a little bit of a thicker consistency, less so than frosting but not thin so it is super water-y. 
    9. When the donuts are slighly cooled (2-3 minutes), dip them in the glaze, coating the tops evenly. You may have to dip your donuts twice to achieve a nice, thick frosted layer on top. Immediately sprinkle with poppyseeds. 

Notes

Recipe adapted from All Recipes

More lemon desserts from Broma Bakery:

Blackberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Blueberry Lemon Curd Pop Tarts

One-Bowl Lemon Cake with Coconut Cream Icing

Lemon Coconut Tart

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Ginger Lemon Bars

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  1. Hi, this might very well be a stupid question but I’m going to ask anyway ? Can these be baked as opposed to fried?

    • Hi Katie! Not stupid at all. These ones cannot be baked, as the batter is a completely different consistency. I have some other great baked donuts on the blog you can look through though! I will consider making a baked version this summer 🙂

  2. aw, you’re pre-nesting! completely understandable: i’m in a bit of that phase myself, as we’ll be moving in the next year or so (hopefully), and the house we are currently in is not my taste at all (b/c it was my husband’s when we got married, and i’m ‘making do.’) 🙂 It’s a fine house, but it really is hard to make something your own when you fundamentally don’t like it, so i can sympathize.
    donuts are wonderful company to homewares-dreaming, for sure. especially these, which i imagine are just delightful; lemon poppyseed is one of my favorite flavor combos.

    • your comment made my day! it’s so comforting to know there are others out there who feel similarly. best of luck in your move, as well. hopefully we’ll both find houses we can create beauty in!