Baked Vanilla Doughnuts

Jan 23

Jan 23 Baked Vanilla Doughnuts

Coffee shop style baked goods are my favorite comfort food and these baked doughnuts are no exception. Tender cake with warm notes of vanilla and nutmeg. Simple yet really satisfying. Because they’re baked, you get all the flavorful fun of a traditional fried doughnut but not that oooogh feeling in your stomach afterwards from all the oil. And because they’re vanilla, they pair well with a variety of glazed: chocolate, fruit, vanilla, caramel. It all works. Make no mistake though, these are not diet food. They are just as deliciously decadent as the classic.

I’ve tested a few recipes for baked doughnuts and the best flavor and texture came from King Arthur Flour’s recipe. I’ve tried it just as written and with a few variations on ingredients and each time has been successful. A bonus is that you can make these baked doughnuts from start to finish in 30-40 minutes. Plus, your friends and family will think you’re a kitchen goddess. Homemade doughnuts?! Amazing.

Baked Vanilla Doughnuts Recipe:

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/baked-doughnuts-three-ways-recipe

A few tips:

I use this donut pan that I bought on the King Arthur Flour site. You can find them on amazon too. The pan holds six donuts and the recipe makes more than that so if time is an issue you might want to buy more than one.
Make sure you grease the pan well. A spray with vegetable oil and flour like Bakers Joy works really well. Just make sure the bubbles have died down or you’ll have bubbles your doughnuts. You could also grease with butter and then lightly dust with flour.
Make sure you clean the spray out of your pan really well afterwards or you’ll end up with sticking problems on the next batch.
A lot of recipes say to fill up the doughnut wells 3/4 of the way. I’ve found that the shape is better if you go almost to the top.
Almost every recipe will say to use a piping bag to pipe the batter in the doughnut wells. I’ve tried that method but the batter doesn’t lend itself well to piping. I’ve had better luck just pouring it in slowly with a just a standard glass measuring cup with a spout like this one. And it’s faster than dealing with the piping bag. But see what works for you.
The King Arthur Flour recipe says it makes twelve, in my pan it makes 9 or 10. If you need more I’d suggest making 1.5 times the recipe. Or just double it.
Cool the doughnuts in the pan on the rack for 5-6 minutes before turning them out. They’ll break if you try taking them out too early. Give them a gentle tap if they don’t pop out right away.

Variations:

Add chocolate chips. I think KAF recommends this too. They compliment the recipe really well. I’ve made them with mini ones and big ones. The big ones were surprisingly satisfying. You get a nice chocolatey bite, especially good with a chocolate glaze.
Skip the nutmeg and add 1/2 to 1 tsp ground ginger and 1 Tablespoon lemon zest. Add a Lemon Vanilla Glaze.
Try it with buttermilk instead of whole milk. A one to one swap made for a nice, rich flavor.

Recommended glazes: