Fat Tuesday BAKED Donuts

I decided while in school yesterday that I wanted to make donuts for Fat Tuesday today (but I hate frying things and was not going to find & buy the cool new donut pan). After talking to my resident baking expert in my building, I decided to find a recipe for a baked donut! After much searching for lots of different variations on ideas, I finally settled on giving the Baked Doughnuts from 101 Cookbooks a try…..

These doughnuts are very “bread-like” (one co-worker compared them to an apple dumpling type dough while I think they are kind of like that dense sweet [Easter?] bread that I have had). Overall they were pretty tasty & easier to make than I thought. I would have liked something a little sweeter and lighter, so next time I make baked donuts I will try a more cake-like recipe (that I can still roll out instead of needed fancy pans) with a thicker frosting too I think. I was quite happy to bring in a healthier donut for my (weight conscious Biggest Loser co-workers) – Happy Fat Tuesday (Fashnaught Day around here in Pennsylvania Dutch Country!)

RECIPE (from 101 cookbooks)

• 1 1/3 cups warm milk, 95 to 105 degrees (divided) *I don’t have a candy/kitchen thermometer, so just made sure this was the temp of my mouth/slightly warmer!
• 1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• A pinch or two of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Topping A

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Topping B

• 1/8 cup (ish) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup (ish) water
• 1 cup (ish) powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Place 1/3 cup of the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and set aside for five minutes or so. Stir the butter and sugar into the remaining cup of warm milk and add it to the yeast mixture. With a fork, stir in the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt – just until the flour is incorporated. With the dough hook attachment of your mixer beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed. You want your dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl & eventually become soft & smooth, so play to get it right (add flour or milk a tablespoon or so at a time) Dump onto a floured counter-top, knead a few times (the dough should be barely sticky), and shape into a ball.

Transfer the dough to a oiled bowl, cover, put in a warm place and let rise for an hour or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and roll it out 1/2-inch thick on your floured countertop. Cut out with your largest cookie cutter (the size of a large coffee mug to) then  transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter (a pill bottle lid works well, size-wise). Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.

Bake in a 375 degree oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes. While the doughnuts are baking – make your choice of toppings. Then remove doughnuts from the oven and let cool for a minute or two. Dip each one in your choice of topping & eat ASAP (or let cool – we liked them cooler, actually!?)

A. melted butter one bowl & the sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.

B. condensed milk, water, & powdered sugar

C. condensed milk, water, powdered sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, all in one bowl to create a thicker topping… play and enjoy!

Remember… even when watching your weight & eating healthy, you must still enjoy ‘good’ food now and then so you don’t fall off the wagon (just be sure to not splurge every day!)