The Timing Rule To Know Before Adding Toppings To Fried Donuts

Freshly fried donuts are one of the best desserts around. Sinking your teeth into a warm, sweet circle of dough is absolutely delectable and even better when you've made them yourself. If you want to fry up donuts in your own kitchen, we have plenty of recipes for you — like this strawberry jam donut — but we have an important tip, too. When it comes time to add your toppings, be sure to know how long your donuts should cool before adding them; otherwise, they may not end up how you imagined.

Donut toppings come in many shapes and sizes, from sugar dustings and powders to icings and glazes. For each type, there is a specific temperature at which the donut should be in order for the topping to be applied successfully. This is because each topping has its own consistency, texture, and composition. Apply a heat-sensitive topping to a donut that has come fresh out of the fryer, and you will destroy it. Apply certain toppings when the donut is too cold, however, and they won't stay on. Knowing which is which is the key to success for perfectly decorated desserts.

All toppings fall into one of these two categories: added when warm or added when cooled. The first category includes both granulated and powdered sugars, as well as anything else finely ground. You want to add these toppings to donuts when they are very warm to the touch and still giving off steam. This is because the steam from the fried dough helps these toppings stick to the surface of the donut, rather than just falling off.

Meanwhile, the second category includes all things frosting, icing, and coating — as well as any toppings applied using icing, like nuts and sprinkles. Whether you want to slather your donut in glaze or dip it in chocolate, you will want to wait until the donut has reached room temperature. Any residual heat spells disaster, as it will melt or loosen these types of toppings and cause them to either slide off of the donut or be absorbed into the dough. Cooled donuts don't run this risk, allowing the toppings properly set and leading to beautiful results.