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Thanksgiving Brioche Donuts

Thanksgiving brioche donuts made with a soft, slightly tacky enriched dough, then fried until golden and dipped in three autumn glazes. Expect a pillowy crumb with pumpkin spice, maple, and cranberry glaze options for a festive finish.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
rising 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 12 donuts
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For brioche donut dough
  • 0.75 cup whole milk warm
  • 2.25 tsp yeast active dry or instant
  • 0.25 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs room temperature
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 3.5 cup bread flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • vegetable oil for frying
For glazes
  • 1.5 cup powdered sugar for all three glazes
  • 3 tbsp pumpkin puree for pumpkin spice glaze
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice for pumpkin spice glaze
  • 2 tbsp milk for pumpkin spice glaze
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup for maple glaze
  • 1 tbsp milk for maple glaze
  • 3 tbsp cranberry sauce for cranberry glaze
  • 1 tbsp milk for cranberry glaze
Fall decorations
  • fall sprinkles and edible decorations

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Activate the yeast and mix dough
  1. Heat the whole milk to warm and add it to a mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and yeast, then add the eggs and mix until combined.
  2. Add the bread flour, salt, and pumpkin pie spice to the bowl. Knead for 6 minutes until a cohesive dough forms.
  3. Gradually incorporate the softened unsalted butter into the dough while kneading. Knead for 8 more minutes until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky.
First rise, shape, and second rise
  1. Cover the dough and let it rise for 1 hour at room temperature until visibly puffy. Aim for a dough that springs back slowly when gently pressed.
  2. Roll the dough to 1/2-inch thickness and cut 3-inch circles. Arrange the rounds on a floured surface or tray so they don’t stick.
  3. Cover and let the cut donuts rise for 30 to 45 minutes until they look puffed. They should feel lighter and softer to the touch.
Fry and glaze
  1. Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven to 350F. Fry the donuts for 90 seconds per side until deep golden.
  2. Drain the fried donuts briefly on a rack or paper towels. Dip them in glazes of choice while warm and coat evenly.
  3. Decorate immediately with fall sprinkles and edible decorations while the glaze is still tacky. Let them set until the glaze looks matte and the topping adheres.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the dough slightly tacky—if it feels dry, knead just a little longer rather than adding extra flour. Refrigerate shaped donuts after the second rise only if needed, but best results come from frying the same day; fried donuts keep 1–2 days at room temperature, and up to 3–4 days refrigerated. Freeze unglazed fried donuts for up to 2 months (thaw and warm briefly), and glaze after thawing for the freshest finish. For a dairy-free swap, use a plant-based milk and plant-based butter that measure as 1:1.