Baked Doughnuts
Imagine the fluffiest, chewiest morsel of homemade doughnut goodness you have ever had, and you have these baked doughnuts.
I can’t go another minute without telling you that these baked doughnuts…well, they will probably change your life just like they did mine.
Imagine the fluffiest, chewiest morsel of doughnut goodness, warm from the oven and coated in a glorious butter, cinnamon-sugar mixture. And the doughnut holes? Utterly unreal.
Baked not Fried
The astounding thing is that they are baked. BAKED! Baked and not fried.
I’m not arguing that these baked doughnuts are healthy, by any means, but compared to their fried cousins – well, I’ll take these soft, tender baked doughnuts any day.
Baked Doughnut FAQs
Yes! You can freeze the dough prebaked (shaped into doughnuts) or after they are baked.
Probably 3/4 inch to 1 inch.
I grate nutmeg on a rasp grater, the same tool I zest a lemon/orange with. If you absolutely can’t find whole nutmeg (it should be fairly widely available at grocery stores) go ahead with your ground nutmeg.
One Year Ago: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Two Years Ago: Strawberry Cream Puff Cake
Three Years Ago: Creamy Chicken Fettuccine
Homemade Baked Doughnuts
Ingredients
Doughnuts:
- 1 ⅓ cups warm milk, 95 to 105 degrees
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 5 cups (710 g) all-purpose flour
- A pinch or two of nutmeg, freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon salt
Topping:
- ½ cup (113 g) butter, melted
- 1 ½ cups (318 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Place the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and sugar. Add the butter. Mix the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt.
- Beat the dough with the dough hook attachment (or with a wooden spoon and eventually your hands) for 2-3 minutes at medium speed. Adjust the dough texture by adding flour a few tablespoons at a time or more milk. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl and be very soft and smooth but still slightly sticky – don't overflour! Knead the dough for a few minutes (again, by mixer or by hand) and then transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for about an hour or until it has doubled in size (the exact time will depend on the temperature of your kitchen).
- Punch down the dough and roll it out to about 1/2-inch thickness on a lightly floured counter. Using a doughnut cutter or a 2-3 inch circle cookie cutter, cut out circles in the dough.
- Carefully transfer the circles to a parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. Be sure to make the holes large enough that as the doughnuts rise again and bake, they don't fill in the doughnut hole with the puffiness of the dough.
- Cover the tray with lightly greased plastic wrap. (At this point, you can refrigerate the doughnuts overnight or proceed with the recipe.) Let the doughnuts rise for about another 45 minutes, until they are puffed and nearly doubled.
- Bake in a 375 degree F oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Start checking the doughnuts around minute 8. They should still be pale on top, not golden and browned, and just barely baked through.
- Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes. Dip each one in the melted butter and toss or sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar. Serve immediately.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Tartlette who snagged it from 101 Cookbooks
Totally delicious! I found it much easier to dip these and then toss them with the sugar mixture in a paper bag. I put about 4 doughnut holes at one time, and 2 doughnuts at once. Worked beautifully and was less messy than trying to dip each one. They taste more like a super-soft cinnamon sugar pretzel than a doughnut, but we love them (I mean, does anything compare to a hot glazed Krispy Kreme??).
FOr that person who wanted to know if you could fry these–Thought I’d let you know I found a copycat recipe for Dunkin Donuts Glazed Yeast donuts and it was almost identical to yours, but fried.
*Here it is:*
Makes 1 dozen DONUTS
– one 1/4 ounce package active dry yeast
– 2 tablespoons warm water (98 degrees Fahrenheit)
– 3/4 cup warm milk (3o seconds in the microwave will do)
– 2 1/2 tablespoons margarine or butter
– 1 egg
– 1/3 cup granulated sugar
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
I am a big fan of maple bars and hope this recipe will work….love the “baked” part of the whole thing. Thank you!
Can I fry this dough also? Suggestions?
Anna – you’d have to experiment with that. A good idea would be to compare the recipe to a traditional fried, yeast doughnut recipe. I haven’t tried it…good luck if you do!
Hi…I just wanna ask, do I need to put the yeast in a warm water with the sugar?oh by the way ur site is awesome 🙂
Eeya – you only need to proof the yeast with the sugar and warm milk if you are using active dry yeast. If you are using instant yeast you can put everything together without proofing the yeast first. The note below the recipe title gives a bit more information.
If I want to make a batch of all donut holes, how long should I plan to cook them?
~Anne
Anne – I would check the doughnut holes after about 6 minutes. Depending on your oven, since ovens vary in exact temp, it might take anywhere from 6-8 minutes.
I definitely will be trying again…:) I’ll let you know how it works. maybe second time will be the charm. I think the milk was not warm enough the first time around….
I knew there was such thing as baked doughnuts! I asked my husband that I wanted to find a recipe for baked doughnuts and he looked at me funny and said, “there’s no such thing!” I was bummed then what do I see on your blog? Those doughnuts look sooo goood! I am definitely making them soon!
love these! I did make some and dipped them and froze them, popped the in the microwave for a few secs and they were good as new. since they are so much like rolls, they are great frozen and reheated. I’m even making another batch now to freeze shaped (after you have punched them into donuts) and I’ll take them out the night before to rise slowly overnight. I’ll let you know how that turns out!
Thank you for another great recipe – my husband said he likes these better than cinnamon rolls (I don’t know if I’d go that far – I love the brown sugary goodness in your vanilla pudding rolls). Anyhoo, I wasn’t sure if the butter in the dough was to be melted, or room temperature – so I melted it and it worked fine. Unfortunately the butter for coating the outside of the donuts wasn’t enough, I used a whole stick of butter – so they will definitely be a treat! Thank you!
oh Mel..I am sooo disappointed..my dough didn’t rise :(….boo hoo..LOTS of anticipation over these yummy doughnuts from my boys :(….help?! The only thing I can think of is that my milk might not have been warm enough to activate the yeast? The dough didn’t rise much on the first rise and not at all on the second rise in the fridge overnight….
melanie
Melanie – so sorry your dough didn’t rise! The rising issue could have been due to the yeast not activating (milk too warm or not warm enough), as well as too much flour in the dough. A really stiff dough won’t rise as well as a soft, tender dough. I hope they work out better if you try them again!
You’ve just reminded me how very long (since Helen first posted them a couple years ago!) I’ve had these doughnuts bookmarked. I think I keep trying to forget about them because I’m going to be in trouble once I do, I just know it. You’ve only convinced me that I was right… and that I may very well just not care any more and go lookin’ for some cinnamon-sugary trouble! 😉
Okay, so I overbaked the bottoms *slightly* on one batch, and the second was undoubtably better because there was no browning at all. Super soft and scrumptious, like something you’d get from a doughnut shop! (Minus all the grease and stickiness!)
Since I was late to make them today, we didn’t eat many (My 17 month old daughter INHALED them… to the point that she has cinnamon sugar stuck in her hair and under her shirt, and had to get a mid-day bath) so, I definitely wanted to try freezing them.
After an hour of freezing on the sheet pans, then transferred to freezer safe baggies for 4 additional hours, these babies were JUST as heavenly as they were right out of the oven! I plopped a doughnut onto a plate, popped it into the microwave, and nuked it for MAYBE 30 seconds. You have to be careful though, cause if you overcook them, the doughnut comes out dry. The cinnamon sugar comes out like a glorious glaze on the top… Now, maybe heating it with a wet paper towel would help? I’ll have to try it out 🙂
Seriously guys, if you are even CONTEMPLATING making these, DO IT. I’m not big on cinnamon, but these are HEAVEN. This is a perfectly sized preggo snack, and it HAS to be healthier than the triple chocolate brownies I’ve been craving! Especially since we live out in the boonies, and for the life of me, I can’t remember the last time I had a freshly made doughnut!
this is good. real good. this is real good because i have an irrational fear of hot oil and a rational love of anything coated in cinnamon-sugar. 🙂
oh yum! I can do baked doughnuts! I cannot bring myself to make or eat fried doughnuts, but I am so excited to try these. Probably should wait until After our family pictures next week to make these as to not gain 5 lbs from eating them all. 🙂 Thanks for another fun recipe, Mel!
Oh my! These donuts look soooooooo good! My son keeps mentioning that I need to make them. This baby weight is never going to come off! We will be making these soon.
if we put them in the fridge, what is the rising time? still 45 min?
Anna – you can refrigerate the doughnuts up to 10-ish hours, just make sure to take them out of the refrigerator 1-2 hours before you want to bake them.
hey!
super glad I found your site. your recipes look delish!!
-Jessica
Mine are on their second rise right now. Can’t wait for them to be done!
Wow, I just finished breakfast and now you’re making me hungry again! These look and sound amazing!
These look so so good. I love doughnuts. Yum. Gonna have to make these, hopefully they come out as good as yours. I’m not much of a baker. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Will let you know how they come out. Have a good day. 🙂 Rochelle.
I have not made these donuts, but I did make your delicious caramel apple cheesecake bars! I followed the recipe exactly, except I used a 9″ spring form pan to make it a traditional cheesecake shape. The dinner club loved it and there was caramel sauce leftover. My girls are loving that with sliced apples. Thank you for your great recipe site!
Your pictures are soooo yummy I want to eat my computer screen! Thanks for many great recipes!!
I’d like to see the recipe for the Pumpkin Baked Doughnuts Renee mentioned. I wonder how different it is from this one. Gotta try these. My 7 yr old loves cooking breakfasts so I know she’ll enjoy helping with these.
Yumm! Can’t wait to try! Happy Birthday to meeeee!! =)
These look great! Ironically enough, I have been searching the web for a good doughnut recipe lately, and voila! You pull through once again! Thanks for all the good recipes you post here! 🙂
Just a quick answer to the yeast questions. The only difference in “rapid rise” or “instant” yeast (they are the same) and regular yeast is that the quick and rapid variety have a smaller grain. This means that they do not need to be “proofed.” You can mix them in with the flour in your recipe and they can combine with the moisture in the dough as it is mixed. This happens quickly and so the dough rises faster. Proofing just means that when you use regular yeast you add it to warm water (110 degrees- no hotter please!) and wait about 10 minutes until you see it beginning to bubble and make a froth on top. This means that it is still good and will cause your bread to rise when you add it! My question is: The doughnuts in the picture look like they are golden but it says not to let it become even golden in the recipe. Does it make them dry out or become tough? Shouldn’t it look at least a little golden? Thanks! p.s. I love your blog, everything I have tried has turned out great!
Sandra – actually the doughnuts are very pale. The cinnamon and sugar might make them look golden but they had absolutely no color on top when I took them out of the oven. Baking them to the point of golden browning on top will make them less chewy and soft. Hope that helps!
Thank you! I was just thinking last night why on earth people do people not make baked donuts? I’d heard it can be done, and I’m so glad to find a recipe from a source I trust!
I have a silly question. What does “proof” the active dry yeast mean? How do you do it? Thanks and I can’t WAIT to try these. I love your site by the way!!!
Hi Brenda – as Sandra explained above, active dry yeast needs to be proofed in warm water (and it helps to add a bit of sugar) in order to activate the yeast. Proofing means to let the yeast bubble and foam in the water/sugar mixture and then add it to the rest of the ingredients. If using instant yeast (or rapid rise yeast) you don’t need to proof the yeast first, you can add it in with the dry ingredients and it will still activate as the dough is mixed together. I hope that helps!
Actually, although this is a popularly-held belief, it is a misconception. Proofing is merely a step that “proves” the yeast is alive and ready to be activated. Proofing was commonly done in earlier times when refrigeration was not what it is today. Many recipes and their procedures were first written decades, or even more than a century ago.
Back in the infancy of home refrigeration, cooling came from the iceman delivering a block of ice to your icebox, which was just a relatively small box, as the name indicates, every couple of days. Dry yeast in packets was still not around, and yeast came in a “cake” form, a moist, pressed square. When the temperatures rose in the summer, the yeast quickly became spent, or inactive/dead.Therefore, the baker needed to “prove” the yeast was still alive and could be activated before adding and potentially wasting costly ingredients.
This step is not necessary if you have stored your yeast in the fridge or freezer. I offer as proof (no pun intended!) that when making bread in a bread machine, for example, you add all ingredients together and mix. The yeast is not dissolved separately in liquid and rested, then added to the rest of the ingredients. It rises quite well, even so.
There are any number of sources on the web and in print to verify this, so check them out if you need further corroboration.
The bottom line is that proofing yeast in no way makes it more effective. There is no magic in proofing yeast as so many think. Provided the yeast has been handled properly, a baker may feel free to skip that step, and know that the final product will be every bit as well risen and tasty as one in which the yeast was proofed.
I’m making these right now! and Breaded Garlic Chicken in Lemon-Butter Sauce for dinner. Your website is becoming a way of life for my family. Thanks!
You are KILLING ME, lady! I have been low-carb for almost a year now and doughnuts – OH. I miss them so. As it turns out, we have company coming in for the weekend. I probably should make these for them. It’s the right thing to do, don’t you think?
The only thing better than baked donuts is having warm fresh donuts without having to leave the house! Oh, you wonderful woman, you. I can’t wait to try them!!! Donuts for dinner anyone?
Fabulous, thanks for this.
Okay, so one more baking related question from me because I am trying to earn my baking merit badge: how do you measure your flour? Do you just scoop it up in a cup or do you fill a cup with spoonfuls? Or does it really matter? Thanks so much!
Sarah – I measure flour by dipping and sweeping (I fluff up the flour slightly before doing so). It actually does matter (to the nerdy bakers like me…although I swear I still haven’t received any merit badge!). Check out this post for more information on measuring flour:
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/01/kitchen-tip-measuring-flour.html
oh my…I have been looking for a baked donut recipe using a donut cutter for a while now and these look heavenly. Absolutely can’t wait to bake them this Saturday morning! thank you!
I bought a donut pan a few months ago and have had fun making a variety of baked cake donuts (S’mores and Caramel Apple have been my favorite flavors to experiment with so far). I am defiantly going to try this recipe though, because although I like dense cake donuts nothing beats an airy, yeasty donut. I like that these have that texture but are baked (frying is just so messy).
I wonder how these would do in the freezer, and then popped in the microwave in the morning?
Bliss – that is definitely worth a try! Warmed up properly and they might even taste just as good as fresh. Let me know if you try it!
Hooray for grease-free doughnuts! They look so scrumptious!
Oh, yum! These look perfect as usual Mel!
Question- who did your website for you? This is WordPress, right? Thanks!
Double Dipped Life – yes, I am on WordPress. I did my own website after I bought the Thesis Theme which is basically a theme that fits on WordPress and you can customize the way you like it. I’ve done all the graphic design elements and html/css stuff but just recently started working with a company (www.webfitters.com) who have helped me with some back end server stuff and helped me code a new footer for each post. Let me know if you have any other questions!
So use one packet of active dry yeast?
Yes, one packet (about 2 1/4 teaspoons). And make sure you proof it and let it foam and bubble before adding to the recipe.
youre kidding me! i just searched pinterest the other day for a baked donut recipe. my mom always fried donuts on halloween and i wanted to keep up the tradition…. without all the grease. thanks, mel!
I was JUST thinking last night, man, I should figure out how to make doughnuts! Thank you for reading my mind. 🙂 I’ll have to try these ASAP!
What is “instant” yeast? How is that different from the rapid rise dry yeast in the little packet? Thanks!
Terry – instant yeast is the same as rapid rise.
Baked doughnuts? I think I might cry. You are a saint! I will most certainly be trying these.
Kevin will be so happy that you posted this recipe! His children lovingly refer to him as “Donut Man”. I will make these for him this weekend! Thanks!
I cannot wait to make these! They look and sound amazing.
I am making baked pumpkin doughnuts right now for a friend. I just started on the baked doughnut thing and I love them! My kids do too. Thanks for the post.
Yay! Like Kim, I LOVE that these don’t require a specialty pan. I hate buying stuff like that because I know it will gather dust most of the year (and if it ISN’T, then I’m probably eating way too many doughnuts!). I’ll have to give these a try soon!
Baked yeast doughnuts-who knew? (well, you of course!). I’ve been seeing baked doughnut recipes all over the internet lately, but they all require a special doughnut pan. I love that these doughnuts are baked on a baking sheet. These look absolutely amazing, and I can see why you couldn’t eat just two doughnut holes! 🙂
These look wonderful – your pic is great. I like that you rolled these in the cinnamon sugar – my favorite.