Hack Your Way Into A Plate Of Delightful Donuts With A Loaf Of Bread

Donuts should, by all means, be considered a dessert, but isn't it wonderful that they're a breakfast food? They're sweet treats that pair perfectly with bitter coffee, and you can even dip them into your morning brew. A good donut is fluffy, sweet, and slightly warm with a soft, pull-apart consistency. Many people satisfy their cravings by picking up donuts at the gas station because making donuts from scratch can be rather time intensive. However, the internet, with its endless recipe shortcuts, has finally found a quick donut hack that takes less than 10 minutes to complete.

As shown above, TikTok user @thefastfoodie.tv prepared a recipe shortcut for donuts using only a few common household ingredients. The water softens the bread and makes it malleable enough to form into donut shapes, which are then cooked and tossed in a bowl of sugar. The video doesn't show us which heat source is used to cook the donuts, but a deep-frying technique (skillet with oil) will likely yield the best results. This bread-into-donuts hack benefits from its quickness and accessibility, making it a convenient option that even inexperienced home cooks could master.

This TikTok donut hack does work, but you'll want to keep a couple of notes in mind. First, recipe shortcuts are indeed shortcuts. Ingredients and the order they're put together and heated are all important parts of the cooking process. Bread has already been cooked as a finished dish, and adding water back into it is just rehydrating the product, not turning it into the typical, super-stretchy donut dough. It also takes a few minutes to fully rehydrate the bread and make it malleable, so you'll want to really work the water into it and then let it sit in donut form for another minute before frying.

When cooked, the inside of the donuts will likely be a bit dry at the center. For this hack, it'll be best to use a soft cut of bread that won't turn crumbly, such as plain white bread, as shown in the TikTok video. Brioche would be another great choice because it's receptive to absorbing moisture, which is why it's the standard slice for bread pudding.

Another way to improve the consistency is to use a liquid with fat instead of plain water. Half-and-half softens bread much quicker without drying out as you mold it, and it creates a fluffier texture. That being said, you'll want to deep fry a milk or cream-soaked bread on a lower heat (otherwise, it might cook unevenly). Regardless of how you slice it, the TikTok shortcut is still quicker and easier than making donuts from scratch.