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5 from 3 votes

Krapfen (German Donuts)

Krapfen (German donuts) are a fluffy, classic German pastry, you can get at any bakery. A simple fried yeast dough filled with jam and dusted with sugar.
Prep Time1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
Course: Baking
Cuisine: German
Servings: 20

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup milk
  • 4 tsp instant yeast or active dry yeast
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 egg yolks
  • ½ tsp vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp rum (optional)
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 6 cups frying oil
  • 1 cup jam or your favorite filling
  • powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Heat up the milk until it’s lukewarm (100°F). Pour the warm milk into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment and sprinkle the yeast and the sugar on top of the milk. Give it a light stir (with a spoon) and let it sit for 2 minutes.
  • With the mixer running at low speed, add the softened butter, eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, salt, and rum. Mix until everything is well incorporated.
  • Add the flour and knead on low speed for 3 minutes until a soft, slightly sticky dough has formed.
  • Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it in a warm environment to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  • Once doubled in size, remove the dough from the bowl and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough to release any air bubbles and then roll the dough out until it’s about as thick as a finger. Use a glass or something else approximately 3 inches in diameter to cut out 20 dough circles. Arrange them on your lightly floured surface so they don’t stick to it, then loosely cover them with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size and puffy, about 30 minutes.
  • Heat oil in a deep fryer to 320°F (160°C). If you don’t have a deep fryer, you can use a normal deep pot. Be careful, don’t fill up the oil higher than 1/3 and be sure to control the temperature with a cooking thermometer. If the oil gets too hot your donuts will get too dark and if it’s too low they won’t cook through.
  • Put 2-3 dough balls into the hot oil. Fry them for 3 minutes on one side. Try not to get oil on the top of the donut while frying the bottom, it won’t rise properly. Flip them and fry the other side for 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the donuts to paper towels to drain. Test the first donut to be sure it is completely cooked and adjust the frying time if necessary.
  • Fill the German donuts with your favorite filling. A piping bag with an extra-long tip works best.
  • Dust with powdered sugar and serve on the same day!

Notes

  • Ingredients - Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. I recommend using a scale and switching to the metric measurement in the recipe card for the best results.
  • Yeast - For the best results make sure your yeast is not over its expiration date and make sure the milk is not too hot otherwise the yeast will not work.
  • Rum - Adding a tablespoon of rum to the batter makes the Krapfen soak up less fat during frying.
  • Frying - Make sure the oil has the right temperature. You can use a deep fryer or a pot. If you're using a pot like I do don’t fill up the oil higher than 1/3 and be sure to control the temperature with a cooking thermometer.
  • Filling - The filling should be in the middle so you need a piping bag with a long piping tip (affiliate link) to fill the Krapfen, you could also use a plastic squeeze bottle. Use a skewer to poke a hole into the donut so it will be easier to fill. You can use any jam or filling you like (see more ideas below) but it shouldn't be chunky.
  • Topping - Wait until the Krapfen have slightly cooled down before dusting them with powdered sugar otherwise the sugar will melt.

Nutrition

Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 76mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 135IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg