Baked Doughnuts

Shelley's notes:  These doughnuts were so fun to make!  I loved the fact that the were baked for two reasons:  1- Healthier than fried; 2 - I do not have a deep fryer and frying on the stove just doesn't cut it for me as it's hard to reach and maintain the correct temperature to work optimally. 

The original doughnut recipe (below) just did the cinnamon/sugar coating.  I decided to try a glaze also, and included that recipe after the doughnut recipe below.  I personally preferred the cinnamon ones with this recipe but all were good and it seemed to be a toss-up for the rest of my family.  For the glazes I did a plain glaze and a chocolate glaze.  If I'd had some maple flavoring on hand I would have definitely made some maple frosting too, but I used it all up the other day.  I'm still not sold on the glaze recipe and may try a different one next time...  But anyway, here are the recipes that I used this time around. Enjoy!

*I didn't have the liners on hand for the baking sheets (parchment paper or silpat liners) so I sprayed my pan with cooking spray and then dusted it with flour and that seemed to work well.  Although I did brush the flour off the bottoms  of the doughnuts and holes before glazing and coating.

BAKED DOUGHNUTS
recipe source: www.melskitchencafe.com


*Note: These little beauties are best made and eaten the same day, preferably warm right from the oven. The great news is that you can make the dough, roll and cut out the doughnuts the night before and let them do their second rising in the fridge, covered. Remove them from the refrigerator and put them on the counter about an hour before baking. I used instant yeast in the recipe. If you only have active dry yeast on hand, proof the yeast with 1/3 cup of the warm milk and the sugar until it is foaming before adding in the rest of the milk and proceeding with the recipe.



*Makes about 1 1/2 dozen doughnuts/doughnut holes


INGREDIENTS:

Doughnuts:
1 1/3 cups warm milk, 95 to 105 degrees
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
5 cups all-purpose flour
A pinch or two of nutmeg, freshly grated
1 teaspoon salt


Topping:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon




DIRECTIONS:
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.


GLAZE

source: www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com

Ingredients:
3 cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 cup Cold Water Or Milk


Directions:
Mix all ingredients together until smooth. If the glaze seems a big too runny, add more powdered sugar. If the glaze seems too thick, add a bit more water or milk. Dip 1/2 of the doughnut into the glaze, and then rest glaze side up on wax or parchment paper to dry. Top with nuts or sprinkles before the glaze sets up.


To make the Chocolate glaze, simply add a bit of cocoa powder to taste. A little goes a long way!

Shelley's Note:  I also added a little less than 1/2 tsp of almond extract just because I like that flavor with some recipes.  It was good, but the glaze was still a little lacking in my opinion.  Still need to search for a better one. :)