Lemon Poppy Seed Doughnuts
Gorgeous photo by Shelby Del Vecchio
Fun fact about me: I lived in Winston-Salem, NC for the majority of my high school years. This was not by choice, of course - the family uprooted for my father's job, and we packed up our things in Dallas, Texas to head off to this obscure, sad-looking city (I don't even know if we should call it a city) in the south, which was a place I'd never been to in all my 15 years. Naturally, I was furious, and I jumped at the opportunity to dramatize any situation I could construe to be "life-ruining."
This was a very fine opportunity, indeed.
We moved a lot as kids in many different ways: states, houses, schools. As a kid, it seemed to me just a normal part of life that I thought all kids went through; as a teenager, it was the worst experience a 15-year old girl could ever undergo. EVER. And it certainly was not normal. It was going to be the end of me.
It wasn't, in fact.
But if you want to know one valuable thing about Winston-Salem (and probably the only thing the town has going for it), it's that the town is the hub of Krispy Kreme. (Did you think I was going to say something about cigarettes? That would really sell it.)
Yep. Those perfect, warm, DELICIOUS glazed donuts... they started in Winston-Salem. And the first-ever Krispy Kreme just happened to be 8 minutes from our home, so as you can probably imagine, I spent a lot of time there with a lot of donuts. So many donuts. But with my history in W-S, you should know that I know my donuts. And I'm picky. These lemon poppy seed doughnz are pretty darn yummy, and although they may be a little too "fancy" for Krispy Kreme, I'd definitely pay money for them.
A few things before you get started: I used lemon oil in this recipe in addition to lemon juice and lemon zest, because I love a good tart lemon treat. If you want your doughnuts sweeter, the oil certainly isn't necessary. I also added poppy seeds to the lemon glaze for a cuter look, but those are optional as well.
Lemon Poppy Seed Doughnuts
INGREDIENTS
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled) 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled 1 large egg, at room temperature 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 Tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon oil, optional 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
Lemon Glaze 2 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, melted 1 cup (120g) confectioners' sugar 1-2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) milk 1 Tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds, optional
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray donut pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside. Whisk the melted butter, egg, sugar, milk, sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice, oil and zest until completely combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
Spoon the batter into the donut pan—you can pipe the batter or spoon it, either way works just fine. Fill the molds 2/3-3/4 of the way full.
Bake for 9–10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Allow to cool for about two minutes then transfer to a wire rack set on a large piece of parchment paper. Bake the remaining donut batter (there is usually enough batter for 1-2 more donuts) and once baked, transfer to the wire rack. Allow donuts to cool down until you can handle them.
Make the glaze: Whisk all of the glaze ingredients together. Dip each donut into the glaze and place back on the wire rack as the glaze sets. (The parchment paper can catch the glaze.)
Eat immediately!