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Pain and Panic Doughnuts

“Pain! Ow.” “And Panic! Gah.” “Reporting for duty!” Venture to the Underworld with these donuts inspired by Hades’ minions! These fluffy yeast donuts are topped with a colorful vanilla glaze and fondant decorations!
Course Dessert
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Rest Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Servings 12 doughnuts

Ingredients

Doughnuts

  • 1 ¼ cups milk
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, divided in half
  • 2 quarts neutral oil, for frying

Glaze

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons milk
  • turquoise gel food coloring
  • pink gel food coloring
  • purple gel food coloring

Decoration

  • white fondant
  • turquoise gel food coloring
  • yellow gel food coloring

Instructions

Donuts

  1. In a small saucepan, heat milk until it is warm, about 90 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the warmed milk and yeast. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
  2. Beat the eggs, butter, salt, and sugar into the yeast mixture. Add in half of the four and mix until combined.
  3. Mix in the rest of the flour. When the mixture is too thick to beat, transfer to a floured surface and gently knead it until smooth.
  4. Grease a large bowl with a little oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let rise until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
  5. Place the dough onto a floured surface and roll it to ½ inch thickness.
  6. Cut out six round doughnuts using a 3-inch round cookie cutter and six rectangle donuts using a sharp knife.
  7. Place the cut out doughnuts on parchment lined baking sheets. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm place until they are slightly puffed and delicate, about 45 minutes.
  8. About 15 minutes before the doughnuts are done rising, pour the oil into a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Heat the oil to 375 Line wire cooling racks with paper towels.
  9. Carefully add doughnuts to the oil, a couple at a time. When the bottoms are golden, about 45 seconds, flip and cook until they’re golden all around.
  10. Use a slotted spoon to remove doughnuts from the oil and place on the prepared cooling racks and let cool.

Glaze

  1. Combine powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk.
  2. Divide glaze into two bowls. Add a few drops of turquoise food coloring to one bowl and a couple drops of pink and purple to the other bowl. Stir until combined.

Fondant Decorations

  1. Roll out fondant on a flat surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar.
  2. Cut out teeth shapes and horn shapes.
  3. Using a small clean paint brush paint the tops of the teeth yellow and the tops of the horns turquoise.

Assembly

  1. Dip the tops of the round doughnuts into the magenta colored glaze. Set on a wax paper lined baking sheet to set. Place yellow fondant teeth onto the tops.
  2. Dip the tops of the rectangle doughnuts into the turquoise colored glaze. Set on a wax paper lined baking sheet to set. Place two turquoise horns onto the tops.

Recipe Notes

adapted from Mark Bittman