Gordon Ramsay's Essential Tip For Making Homemade Donuts

Some folks hate him. Others love him. Regardless of which camp you fall into, you have to give Gordon Ramsay his props. He may be loud, insulting, and hide his kind heart behind a slew of shouting obscenities, but the man knows food. Per his website, the celebrity chef has built a food empire of over 50 eateries worldwide. This does not include the entertainment portion of his success. When Gordon Ramsay gives advice on preparing a dish, it's best to sit up and take notes.

If that advice has to do with donuts, we're doubly invested. At the best of times, it's hard to prevent your mouth from watering when you smell them baking. In fact, according to Statista, in 2020 alone 201.02 million Americans ate donuts, and the Baltimore Sun reports that we consume enough for the U.S. to average 63 dozen donuts each year. That's a lot of donuts.

In a video published as part of his "Ultimate Cookery Course," Ramsay explains how one key ingredient is the secret to homemade donuts as good, or better than any you can buy in a store. 

While most cooks recognize the idea that fresh is always better, in Ramsay's video he applies this tenant to an ingredient many rarely think of; yeast. He stresses that using fresh yeast is one of the secrets to creating the best light and fluffy donuts. He doesn't go into depth on why.

For the reason behind using fresh yeast instead of dry, we turn to MasterClass where we learn that fresh yeast acts very differently than the various types of dry yeast. It has many more active yeast cells, and because of this, it begins to work more quickly and produces more carbon dioxide faster. More gas in less time means that the doughs rise quicker, is less dense, and is softer, too. Just what you want for bread that is going to be quick-fried.

Fresh yeast can be more difficult to find than dry but has a limited shelf of only a few weeks, while when stored properly, dry yeast lasts a bit longer. Considering the benefits its use offers, though, it might be worth the extra effort to use. 

Using fresh yeast in your donuts will significantly improve their texture, but if you are shooting to create the best donuts available, there are a few other tricks you may want to try. Ramsay offers tips on how adding butter to your dough helps create a silky texture. He also stresses the importance of not over-mixing your dough. Overworking will cause your donuts to come out denser and less fluffy.

For those with less time, Celebrity Chef Jamie Geller offers one of the sweetest hacks you might find. She suggests you completely skip making batter and buy frozen pizza dough. Allow the dough to thaw, cut it, and then fry it. All that is left is to top the dough off with your favorite jams or powdered sugar. There you go, fresh, hot, homemade donuts in less than thirty minutes. While you might appreciate quality over convenience, and we wouldn't blame you, this trick could be a lifesaver when unexpected friends drop in for coffee or you want late-night comfort food.