Baked donuts are an excellent alternative to traditional fried doughnuts. They’ll seduce you with their cotton-like softness and lightness. These baked doughnuts, rather than being fried in oil, offer you a healthier option without sacrificing flavor or texture.
soft baked doughnut
I’ve often been asked if I had a good recipe for baked donuts. The desire to prepare doughnuts without fat is not only a matter of diet but also economy. With inflation, everything has become expensive, and we’ve seen the price of oil soar. Baking is a great alternative !
Everyone would love to make homemade, soft doughnuts more often without having to use a deep fryer. With this recipe, you’ll be able to treat your kids often, as well as those who are watching their body shape.
A very simple recipe that doesn’t require many ingredients to prepare the dough. donut dough is prepared in the same way as brioche dough. After kneading the dough by hand or with a mixer, let it double in size before rolling it out and shaping the doughnuts
You don’t need any special equipment for this; just use a glass, a cup or a cookie cutter. You can make a hole in them with a small bottle cap or leave them like Bombolonis without making a hole.
Once out of the oven, you can roll them in sugar alone or with cinnamon, glaze them with chocolate, or use royal icing. If you enjoy filled doughnuts, you can also stuff them with pastry cream, ganache, or jam.
I’ve been making this recipe for a few years with always the same satisfaction. They disappear quickly at snack time.
Bite into them and you won’t be able to resist! They’re simply delicious, fat-free, very easy to make, and most importantly, they bake super quickly. No need to keep an eye on them, just pop them in the oven for about twelve minutes, and they’re ready to be filled and enjoyed.
Oil-free Baked Donuts
What you’ll like about this recipe
Table of Contents
Lightness: Contrary to what one might think, baked donuts are very light and fluffy, and they rival those fried in oil. You can indulge without feeling guilty since they will be lower in calories and healthier.
Flavor: If you think they will taste any less delicious, I assure you they retain all the wonderful flavor of a traditional donut, with the same soft dough.
Ease of Preparation: A very simple recipe that will save you the hassle of frying.
It will make you want to do it much more often.
Healthier Option: Baked doughnuts offer a healthier alternative to fried ones, making them an ideal choice for those who want to indulge in a treat while being mindful of their diet or following a cholesterol-friendly regimen.
Versatility: You can customize them any way you like, with different glazes and fillings.
Economical: You can enjoy delicious doughnuts while avoiding the cost of oil traditionally used for frying.
Preparation steps
For 18 baked donuts
The quantity I have prepared in the photos, but I also give you the quantity for 10 to 12 donuts in the recipe card.
| NB: Find the complete recipe with detailed ingredient quantities in the recipe card at the end of the article, which you can also print out. Below are the instructions, which you can also view in images. |
In a small saucepan, combine the milk, sugar and butter. Bring to the boil to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar. Do not boil.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Mix the dry yeast with 2 spoonfuls of orange flower water. If using fresh yeast, crumble it over the flour.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl, sift the flour and mix with the salt. Add the eggs, lukewarm milk, orange flower water and yeast.
Knead for 4-5 minutes until the dough is elastic and smooth. It is slightly sticky. If it is very sticky, it means your flour absorbs less liquid. Add a little flour, just enough to bring the dough together into a ball. You can see its texture below.
Gather the dough into a ball and place in a mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel.
Let it double in size at room temperature for 1 hour in a draft-free place. In winter, you can heat your oven to 30°C (86°F), then turn it off and place the dough inside.
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down with your hand to deflate it. Roll it on the work surface to form a smooth ball.
Flour the work surface and gently roll out the doughnut dough to a 1.5 cm / 0.6 inches thickness. Using a cup or cookie cutter the size you like, cut out rounds.
I used a 8.5 cm / 3.4 inches cookie cutter for the ones with holes and a 7.5 cm / 3 inches for the ones without holes.
Gently place them on the baking tray and, using a piping tip or the cap of a water bottle, make a hole in the center.
Rework the scraps, let the dough relax a little and roll out to form doughnuts.
Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
After this time, preheat oven to 190°C (375°F)
Place a heatproof bowl filled with water at the bottom of the oven.
Brush the donuts with milk using a pastry brush and bake for about twelve minutes. Keep an eye on the baking, they should develop a light golden color to prevent them from hardening and ensure they stay soft. If you cook them too long, they will dry out.
Take them out of the oven, brush each one with melted butter, and roll them in granulated sugar, with or without cinnamon. Place on a serving dish.
Once lukewarm, you can top them with a spread or jam. Enjoy with a cup of coffee! 
Light and Fluffy Baked Donuts
Matériel :
Ingredients :
For 18 beignets
- 500 g all-purpose flour (17.6 oz)
- 10 g dry yeast or 21 g fresh yeast (0.35 oz / 0.74 oz)
- 180 ml whole milk (6.4 oz)
- 30 g butter (1 oz)
- 78 g granulated sugar (2.8 oz)
- 45 g orange blossom water (1.6 oz)
- 2 small eggs
- 2 pinches of salt
- Melted butter + sugar for finishing
- A little milk for glazing
For 10/12 beignets
- 320 g all-purpose flour (11.3 oz)
- 14 g fresh yeast or 5/6 g dry yeast (0.49 oz / 0.18-0.2 oz)
- 120 ml whole milk (4.2 oz)
- 20 g butter (0.7 oz)
- 50 g granulated sugar (1.8 oz)
- 30 ml orange blossom water (1 oz)
- 1 egg
- 1 pinch of salt
- Melted butter + granulated sugar for finishing
- A little milk for glazing
Instructions :
- In a small saucepan, combine the milk, sugar and butter. Bring to the boil to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar. Do not boil.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Mix the dry yeast with 2 spoonfuls of orange flower water. If using fresh yeast, crumble it over the flour.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl, sift the flour and mix with the salt. Add the eggs, lukewarm milk, orange flower water and yeast.
- Knead for 4-5 minutes until the dough is elastic and smooth. It is slightly sticky. If it is very sticky, it means your flour absorbs less liquid. Add a little flour, just enough to bring the dough together into a ball. You can see its texture below.
- Gather the dough into a ball and place in a mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel.
- Let it double in size at room temperature for 1 hour in a draft-free place. In winter, you can heat your oven to 30°C (86°F), then turn it off and place the dough inside.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down with your hand to deflate it. Roll it on the work surface to form a smooth ball.
- Flour the work surface and gently roll out the doughnut dough to a 1.5 cm / 0.6 inches thickness. Using a cup or cookie cutter the size you like, cut out rounds.
- I used a 8.5 cm / 3.4 inches cookie cutter for the ones with holes and a 7.5 cm / 3 inches for the ones without holes.
- Gently place them on the baking tray and, using a piping tip or the cap of a water bottle, make a hole in the center.
- Rework the scraps, let the dough relax a little and roll out to form doughnuts.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
- After this time, preheat oven to 190°C (375°F)
- Place a heatproof bowl filled with water at the bottom of the oven.
- Brush the donuts with milk using a pastry brush and bake for about twelve minutes. Keep an eye on the baking, they should develop a light golden color to prevent them from hardening and ensure they stay soft. If you cook them too long, they will dry out.
- Take them out of the oven, brush each one with melted butter, and roll them in granulated sugar, with or without cinnamon. Place on a serving dish.
- Once lukewarm, you can top them with a spread or jam. Enjoy with a cup of coffee!
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