Mmmmm….doughnuts….
Happy Monday, Noshers! How was your weekend? I was pleasantly surprised that the weather here in NYC was unseasonably warm (um, hello global warming) this past weekend. I had a delicious time at Plate by Plate NY (recap coming soon!), got a ton of errands done, and went apple picking with my nephew and niece! While I didn’t have a chance to get my favorite apple picking snack, cider and doughnuts, I thought I’d make my own to bring in for my coworkers. I try to avoid deep-frying when possible, and I found a baked recipe that looked absolutely delicious. And they taste delicious too – win! If you’re not going apple picking any time soon (or even if you are and just like doughnuts), give these a try. Yum!
You will need:
Baked Doughnuts with Cinnamon Sugar
From Doughnuts by Lara Ferroni
makes 10-14 doughnuts (Nosh Note: I squeezed 20 out of the recipe – maybe I was a little overzealous with the rolling the dough?)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup whole milk, heated to 115F
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided, plus more for kneading
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 1 inch cubes
for topping:
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 1 cup superfine sugar + 2 tablespoons cinnamon (more or less, depending on your taste), mixed together
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg and sugar on medium speed until blended, about 1 minute. Add the milk, yeast, salt and vanilla, and stir to blend. With the machine on low speed, add 2 cups of flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, and beat until the dough is thick and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
2. Switch to the dough hook. With the machine on medium speed, add the butter one piece at a time, and beat until no large chunks of butter are left in the bottom of the bowl, 3-5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add the additional flour until the dough gathers around the hook and cleans the sides of the bowl. It will be soft and moist, but not overly sticky.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently until the dough no longer sticks to your hands. Lightly grease a large mixing bowl.
4. Transfer the dough to the bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
5. Punch down the dough and roll out to 1/2 inch thick. With a doughnut or a cookie cutter, cut out 3 inch diameter rounds with 1 inch diameter holes. (Nosh Note: I used a mug to cut the doughnut and a water bottle cap to cut the hole)
6. Preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the doughnuts at least 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot until nearly doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
7. Bake until the doughnuts are light golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes, being very careful not to overbake them.
8. Immediately out of the oven, dip into butter, then directly into cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve immediately!
These were fun to make and absolutely mouthwatering – give this recipe a try and let me know what you think of it!
Have you made your own doughnuts before?
