1
Use a digital scale to weigh your ingredients
Using a scale is a smart idea for just about every recipe. Any issues I hear about doughnut dough being too dry or sticky are likely due to inaccurate measuring! If your doughnuts aren’t as fluffy and light as you’d like, it’s due to compacting too much flour into your measuring cup. You can learn more about how to measure flour the RIGHT way here.
2
Use real cake flour – not DIY cake flour!
Purchased cake flour will yield light and delicate doughnuts like the ones from the bakery. DIY substitutions don’t really cut it, and AP flour will not create doughnuts with that same soft texture. Also, bleached cake flour will work best. Unbleached (like King Arthur Baking) won’t absorb as much moisture, and you may end up with doughnuts that crumble while frying. You can learn more about cake flour here.
3
When frying doughnuts, use FRESH oil!
Oil goes rancid quickly, often before the date on the bottle. If your oil has any unpleasant smell, don’t use it. Your doughnuts won’t taste good.
I don’t personally own an air fryer but recently had a reader message me that she had success air-frying some of my doughnut recipes.
