Baked Doughnuts

A few months ago, I spied a recipe I knew I had to try.  It's a recipe for baked doughnuts.  I have not had doughnuts in ... gosh, like a decade.  I miss the cinnamon and sugar doughnuts the most, so that's what we decided to make, although you can also make a glaze and top them with cute sprinkles.



The recipe was truly easy to make, and we made ours up the night before so we could enjoy them in the morning.  They were even good the next day, warmed up just a bit.  



Baked Doughnuts - From Proceed with Caution

1 1/3 C warm milk (~100 degrees F)
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
2 T butter, softened
2/3 C sugar
2 eggs
5 C flour*
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp. sea salt (ground finely)

1 T cinnamon
1/2 C sugar
Melted butter (or spray butter)

*You can use half wheat and half white flour.

Mix together 1/3 C warm milk and the yeast.



Stir the butter and sugar into the remaining 1 C warm milk, and then add it to the milk/yeast mixture.



Add in the eggs and whisk lightly to combine.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, nutmeg and salt.



Then, mix the wet and dry ingredients together until just moistened.



If you have a mixer with a dough hook, mix knead the dough using your mixer for a few minutes, at medium speed. If you do not have a dough hook on your mixer, then knead your dough by hand on a lightly floured surface.

We found the dough really easy to work with and fun to knead!







By the time you're done kneading the dough should no longer be sticky. Shape into a ball and place in a greased bowl.



Cover, and let rise at room temperature for an hour until doubled.

Then, punch down the dough and roll it out to 1/2 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.

Be creative if you don't have a doughnut cutter. We used two glasses to make our dough into doughnuts...



Cut the large 3-4 inch circles first



And, then cut the middle "doughnut holes".

Place the doughnuts and doughnut holes on 2 lightly greased cookie sheets.





Cover, and refrigerate overnight. Or, cover and let rise for 40 minutes and then follow the baking directions.

In the morning, remove the doughnuts from the fridge and allow them to rise/rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

Then, preheat the oven to 375.

Bake the doughnuts until the bottoms are just lightly golden, about 8 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE.



While they are baking, prepare the cinnamon and sugar mixture on a plate.



Melt butter (or use spray butter) in preparation for the dunking :)

When doughnuts are done, carefully pick them up and coat them with butter (careful, the doughnuts will be quite hot to the touch). Then coat them in cinnamon and sugar.



Serve warm.



Yum-o.



Makes about 2 dozen doughnuts plus 2 dozen doughnut holes.



*We coated about 1 1/2 dozen doughnuts with cinnamon and sugar, and then froze the remaining doughnuts to be cinnamon/sugared later. This way we can have a special treat again.



These were even delicious the second day, when warmed in the microwave for a few seconds.



A light, airy doughnut at your service :)

This post is linked to:

• Grocery Cart Challenge's Recipe Swap
• Foodie Friday
• Tasty Tuesday
• URS: Baked Goods