Potato Donuts

The original recipe for potato donuts is from the book that my friend brought me from her trip to Italy. Of course I converted it into a sourdough version. And oh my… these potato doughnuts came out so delicious! They are the most fluffy, light and they just melt in your mouth.

Ingredients

Sourdough starter 

• 10g sourdough starter
• 50g water
• 50g bread flour

Dough

• 250 g boiled and mashed potatoes
• 100 g milk
• 100g sourdough starter
• 500 g all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 large eggs
• 50 g sugar
• 75 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 g active dry yeast(optional)
• 10g salt
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Vanilla Donut Glaze

• 170g powdered sugar
• 30g melted butter 
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions 

Day 1

Starter 

• 10 pm add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let it sit at a room temp 74-78F for about 8-10 hours until starter reaches its peak (at least triples in volume).
• Learn how to make starter from scratch here).

Day 2

Dough

• 7 am boil the potato, until soft, let cool off. Mash it before using in the dough.
• 8 am mix starter, milk, eggs, flour, sugar, yeast, mashed potatoes(let it autolyse for 30minutes).
• During the autolyse period the flour becomes fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.

• 8.30 am mix the dough on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 minutes, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 minutes until well incorporated.
• Add salt and mix for a couple more minutes. The dough should form a ball.
• Add soft butter, increase the speed, mix for 10-15 minutes until the dough comes up together. If its not coming up together, feel free to add a little more flour (20-40g).
• 9 am  cover and let it proof for 3- 4 hours at 76-80F/ 24-28C.
• During that time perform 2 stretches and folds.
• The dough should become slightly puffy.

• 12 pm transfer the dough to the fridge for cold fermentation for 8-10 hours.
• 10 pm remove the dough from the fridge.
• Roll the cold dough on the floured surface about 1/2 -1 inch thick.
• Cut the donuts with donut mold or just a regular glass.
• Transfer each donut to a parchment paper.
• Cover the doughnuts, let them proof overnight on the countertop. Temperature should be 72-73F. 
• Next morning they should increase in size and become puffy.

Note : if it’s hot in your kitchen, better to put doughnuts in the fridge overnight, and make them proof next morning for 2-3 hours at 78-82F until they will become puffy and light.

Day 3

Morning

• If the doughnuts were proofing at room temperature, then they should be ready to be deep fried.
• Preheat the oil for about 30 minutes, and fry the doughnuts for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown.
• Prepare the glaze, by mixing all ingredirnts until smooth.
• Then dip doughnuts into the glaze and enjoy.

Note : if doughnuts were slowly proofing in the fridge, bring them back to the room temperature, let them proof for 2-3 hours, then deep fry them. 

Potato Donuts with Sourdough Starter

192kcal

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Prep 30 minutes mins

Cook 12 minutes mins

Prep & Mash Time 40 minutes mins

Total 1 day d 12 hours hrs

Converted from a traditional Italian bakery recipe, these sourdough potato donuts are extraordinarily light, fluffy, and tender. Incorporating fresh mashed potatoes into an enriched sourdough dough locks in moisture, creating melt-in-your-mouth donuts that stay soft for days.

Servings 18 Donuts

Cuisine Italian / Sweet Sourdough Pastry

Ingredients

1x2x3x

Sourdough Starter Levain (Night 1)

• ▢ 10 g Sourdough starter
• ▢ 50 g Water
• ▢ 50 g Bread flour

Enriched Sourdough Potato Dough (Day 2)

• ▢ 100 g Active sourdough starter levain from the stage above
• ▢ 250 g Boiled and mashed potatoes cooled completely
• ▢ 500 g All-purpose flour plus 20–40 g extra if needed while mixing
• ▢ 100 g Milk
• ▢ 2 Large Eggs
• ▢ 50 g Granulated sugar
• ▢ 75 g Unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• ▢ 10 g Salt
• ▢ 2 g Active dry yeast optional, for faster rise
• ▢ Vegetable oil strictly designated for deep frying

Vanilla Donut Glaze

• ▢ 170 g Powdered sugar
• ▢ 30 g Melted butter
• ▢ 1½ tsp Vanilla extract

Equipment

• ▢
  Kitchen Scale
• ▢
  Stand Mixer fitted with dough hook
• ▢
  Potato Masher or Potato Ricer
• ▢
  Donut Cutter (or a round glass)
• ▢
  Rolling Pin
• ▢
  Baking Sheets & Parchment Paper
• ▢
  Deep Fryer or Heavy Dutch Oven
• ▢
  Slotted Spoon & Wire Rack

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

1. Night 1: Build Levain (10:00 PM) Whisk 10 g sourdough starter into 50 g water, then stir in 50 g bread flour. Cover loosely and let ferment at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 8–10 hours until peak volume (at least triples).
2. Day 2: Mixing & Fermentation Boil & Mash (7:00 AM): Boil potatoes until tender, drain thoroughly, and mash until completely smooth. Let cool to room temperature. Autolyse (8:00 AM): In stand mixer bowl, combine 100 g active levain, 100 g milk, 2 eggs, 500 g all-purpose flour, 50 g sugar, 2 g optional yeast, and 250 g cooled mashed potatoes. Mix into a shaggy mass, cover, and rest for 30 minutes. Mix & Salt (8:30 AM): Knead on low speed (or KitchenAid speed 3) for 3–4 minutes. Add 10 g salt and mix for 2 more minutes until a ball forms. Butter Integration: Add 75 g softened butter and knead on medium-high speed for 10–15 minutes until smooth and glossy. (If dough remains overly sticky after 10 minutes, add 20–40 g extra flour). Bulk Proof (9:00 AM): Cover and proof at 76–80°F (24–28°C) for 3–4 hours, performing 2 stretch-and-folds during the first 2 hours until slightly puffy. Cold Retard (12:00 PM): Transfer covered dough to refrigerator for 8–10 hours.
3. Shaping & Overnight Pan Proof Shaping (10:00 PM): Roll cold dough onto a floured surface to ½–1 inch thickness. Stamp out donuts using a donut cutter or glass. Transfer shaped donuts onto individual parchment squares. Pan Proof: Cover loosely and let proof overnight on the counter at 72–73°F (22–23°C) until expanded and puffy.
Note: If your kitchen is warmer than 75°F, place shaped donuts in the fridge overnight and proof at 78–82°F for 2–3 hours the next morning.
4. Day 3: Precision Frying & Glazing Preheat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or heavy pot for 30 minutes until hot. Fry donuts for 1–2 minutes per side until golden brown. Drain on a wire cooling rack. Whisk 170 g powdered sugar, 30 g melted butter, and 1½ tsp vanilla extract until smooth. Dip warm donuts into the glaze and serve!

Nutrition

Calories192kcalCarbohydrates39gProtein5gFat6gSaturated Fat3gPolyunsaturated Fat0.4gMonounsaturated Fat1gTrans Fat0.2gCholesterol31mgSodium237mgPotassium109mgFiber1gSugar3gVitamin A182IUVitamin C3mgCalcium18mgIron2mg

Notes

• The Chemistry of the Spudnut Crumb: Incorporating potato flakes completely transforms the interior structure of traditional fried dough. Because potato starches absorb and hold significantly more water than standard wheat flour, they keep the gluten network from drying out under high heat. This results in an incredibly moist, melt-in-your-mouth interior that resists staling much better than ordinary pastries.
• Why Temperature Control is Absolute: Frying donuts requires strict heat management. If your oil drops below 350°F (177°C), the enriched dough will absorb the grease like a sponge, leaving you with heavy, oily donuts. If the oil runs hotter than 375°F (190°C), the exterior sugars will scorch quickly, leaving you with a burnt crust and a raw, doughy center.
• Handling Sticky Potato Dough: Do not get discouraged if the dough looks unmanageably sticky during the first few minutes of adding the butter. Potato starches take slightly longer to fully bind with fats under mechanical friction. Resist the urge to dump in cups of extra flour; simply keep your mixer running on medium-high speed, and the dough will cleanly clear the sides of the bowl by the 10-minute mark.
• Using Real Leftover Mashed Potatoes: If you don’t have instant potato flakes on hand, you can substitute them by using real, leftover mashed potatoes. Simply replace the 40g of dry flakes and 200g of whole milk with 200g of fully cooled, plain mashed potatoes mixed with roughly 80g of milk. Ensure the mashed potatoes are completely smooth and free of any lumps, butter, garlic, or salt seasonings.

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