Baked Doughnuts with Cinnamon-Sugar
Today’s post comes from Tracy at Sugarcrafter. Tracy lives in upstate NY with her husband, kitty, and brand new puppy. Her blog, Sugarcrafter, is a baking and cooking blog that features from-scratch recipes using wholesome ingredients with step-by-step directions to give you the confidence you need to conquer any recipe. She also enjoys canning, hiking, camping, and quilting. You can follow Tracy on Twitter @sugarcrafter and become a fan on Facebook.
Recipe, text and photos from Tracy.
As a kid, I loved when my mom and I would stop by our local bakery on special occasions to pick up a box of fresh doughnuts. Upon walking into the bakery, I always delighted in the smell of fresh bread and pastries baking in the oven and the sweet smell of powdered sugar in the air. We usually picked out an assortment of doughnuts – everything from glazed to chocolate to my personal favorite, custard-filled. And of course, nothing could beat the ones that came fresh out of the fryer. Or so I thought.
It wasn’t until I came upon this recipe from Doughnuts by Lara Ferroni that I converted to an oven-baked doughnut lover. I’ve made cake doughnuts in the oven before, and while delicious in their own right, I decided that they still had nothing on fried doughnuts. These doughnuts, however, are not cake-based but are yeasted doughnuts…and though they take a bit longer due the rising time needed, they make for what I feel are the lightest, fluffiest doughnuts you’ll ever taste. Coated with a glaze, a drizzle of chocolate, or a simple cinnamon-sugar mixture like I used, your guests will be scrambling to get their hands on these before they’re all gone!
Ingredients:
For the doughnuts:
1 egg
ยผ cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk, heated to 115 degrees
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2ยฝ to 3ยฝ cups unbleached flour, divided, plus more for kneading
1 stick butter (4 ounces), cut into 1" cubes
For the cinnamon-sugar coating:
1 stick butter (4 ounces), melted
1 cup granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons cinnamon, mixed together
Directions:
1. In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the egg and sugar on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add in the milk, yeast, salt, and vanilla. Turn the mixer to low, and then add in 2 cups of the flour. Attach the dough hook and then on medium speed, add the butter one piece at a time until smooth. Reduce the speed to low, and then add the rest of the flour until the dough sticks to the hook and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It should be soft and moist, but not sticky.
2. Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Place in a mixing bowl coated with cooking spray and cover with a damp towel. Let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3. Punch down the dough and roll it out to about ยฝ" thickness. With biscuit cutters, cut out 3" circles with 1" holes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place the doughnuts 1" apart. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit on top of the preheating oven until almost doubled in size, about 25 minutes.
4. Bake until light golden in color, 5-8 minutes. Dip the hot doughnuts in the melted butter and then coat with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve immediately; doughnuts are best eaten the same day they are made.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
(Recipe adapted from Doughnuts by Lara Ferroni)
All images and text ยฉ
These donuts were delish! They turned out super light and fluffy! However, If you are planning on making these, don’t add the yeast and salt together. When the salt comes into direct contact with the yeast, it will deactivate it it and your donuts won’t rise.
Great recipe
Made these for my husband’s seminary class this morning and they were AMAZING! It was my first time doing yeast donuts and it was easier than I expected. Thank you for sharing!
I made these last weekend and made the dough in my bread machine-they were outstanding!!
I’d just like to testify to the fact that these are delicious! After moving to England I thought I’d never be able to recreate the amazing cinnamon donuts sold in Australia. Frying donuts is such hit-and-miss process, and I don’t really like the oily flavour. But I made these and they are incredible! Perfect texture, not dry at all, and identical to the Aussie ones. My go-to recipe from now on. thanks Michelle.
I made these doughnuts today and felt I just had to comment. They were wonderful! Definitely best eaten fresh and warm from the oven :) I put everything in my bread machine on the dough cycle (I was feeling lazy). Ended up using about 3 and 1/4 cups of flour and I changed the dry active yeast for 2 teaspoons of instant. I got 24 small doughnuts out of the recipe (12 are in the freezer for later!) Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe, it’s definitely a keeper!
These look sooo delicious! I did have a question though–Would the doughnuts still turn out if I added 1 cup of raisins to the dough?
Hi Sarah, I haven’t tried any add-ins, but let me know how yours turn out!
I cannot praise this recipe enough! I still can’t get over the fact they’re baked and not fried. Shall add this recipe to my collection and definitely use it again. Thank you!
Made this for the first time today – we don’t see baked doughnuts in Australia! They are divine and sooooo easy. Was my first time using yeast too and the recipe was perfect. Thank you!
Does anyone have any suggestion on how to store them over night for the next morning after they are baked? Thank you
This recipe is appalling. Nothing like a doughnut in looks, taste or texture. They taste of nothing. I am not even going to waste my time melting the butter and sugar.I was surprised there was so much praise for the recipe looking at the ingresients and I was right. If just dipping them in the butter and cinnamon sugar makes them edible then there is somerthing very wrong. I was gioing to use a sugar glaze but they taste like bland bread, nothng could improvethem much. So disappointed and a waste of half a morning.
This recipe is amazing! I love to bake any my husband loves doughnuts, but I just cannot bring myself to deep fry (I work in nutrition and diabetes and just cannot do it). I was hopeful but admittedly a bit skeptical that they would actually taste good. You were right – they are the fluffiness, tastiest doughnuts ever! They actually taste like doughnuts, but without the thick, fried, fatty outside. I will definitely be making these again!
The only issue that I had was with the rising. To let the dough rise, I placed it in an oven that I had heated to 100 degrees and then turned off. It still took more than two hours to double in size. Next time I will proof the yeast in the warm milk for before mixing it with the sugar and egg That may help…but otherwise, this is a 10 out of 10 recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Hi it looks so delicious,wanna try it,can u plz tell me the cup in grams
Hi Sania, You could find some guidelines for conversions here: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/conversions/