The Absolute Best Way To Refry A Stale Donut Back To Life

Fresh donuts from Krispy Kreme or made in your kitchen are what many imagine to be the foundations of a sugar lover's nirvana. Dipped in chocolate and coconut, filled with creams and jellies, sprinkled with powdered sugar, frosted or glazed, these sweet cakes, which are really just fried dough, are a thing to behold. Soft and delicious, a good donut can leave the pickiest of taste buds longing for more. But as Southern Living notes, fresh donuts don't last long. What was wonderful and moist at breakfast can be hard and chewy within the course of 24 hours — or less. But what causes donuts to go stale so quickly?

According to Food Crumbles, it all comes down to the retrogradation of starch. They explain that when the starches in bread start to become more crystalline and lose moisture, their texture changes like a freshly baked hot potato that has set and cooled. It just doesn't taste quite the same. Luckily there is a way to resuscitate a day-old donut, and this is a lifehack of which every professed donut-lover should take note and commit to memory.

According to Lifehacker, a stale donut is easily solved with a frying pan and some salted butter. They share that when sliced in half and gently fried, the bottom side of a glazed donut takes on a brioche-like flavor. They go on to note that this little trick works best with donuts of the covered in sugar, maple bar, and glazed varieties. And the beauty of this technique is you can use the two donut halves as a base for a breakfast sandwich or even add a little jam, cream cheese, or Nutella to create a whole new sweet treat to have alongside your coffee.

The Donut Whole also recommends this pan-frying method for reviving a stale donut. While they don't mention anything about slicing the donut in half, they do suggest "sprinkling" the donuts with a little water and placing a lid over the pan as the stale donut fries in either oil or butter. Why use a little water and a lid? The Donut Whole explains that this way you are restoring some of that lost moisture with a little steam. However, don't add too much water or you might end up with a mushy mess.