Name: Drop Doughnuts
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: 2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; ¼ teaspoon salt; ½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg; ½ cup whole milk; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil; Confectioners' sugar , for dusting

Why This Recipe Works

For quick, tender cake-style doughnuts, we first did away with rolling and stamping out the dough into rings. Instead, we merely dropped generous spoonfuls of batter into hot oil, creating round doughnut “holes.” The perfect ratio of flour to baking powder produced a light, airy batter. All-purpose flour gave these doughnuts the right amount of structure, and just 2 tablespoons of butter and some milk added richness and tenderness without weighing the batter down. The most important factor in preventing greasy doughnuts was making sure we fried them at the right temperature; we were careful to keep the oil between 325 and 350 degrees while cooking each batch. The excellent heat retention of a Dutch oven made it the ideal vessel for frying, since it was able to keep the oil nice and hot. A dusting of confectioners' sugar made a nice final touch.

Instructions

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. In separate bowl, whisk granulated sugar, eggs, and nutmeg together until smooth, then whisk in milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture with wooden spoon until evenly combined. (Batter can be refrigerated for up to 12 hours.)

Add oil to Dutch oven until it measures about 1½ inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Using small ice cream scoop or 2 large spoons, carefully spoon 6 golf ball–size batter portions into hot oil. Fry doughnuts until crisp and deeply browned on all sides, 3 to 6 minutes. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 350 degrees.

Using wire skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to prepared sheet and let drain. Repeat with remaining batter in 3 batches. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve warm.