Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Baked Doughnuts



I have searched high and low for a doughnut pan for years. I would be able to find one faster than you could say 'fractured prune' if I was in the USA. But I live in Australia-land now, and although dreams do come true here as well, the selection of most things is somewhat less extensive. I wandered into The Essential Ingredient the other day with the intention of buying a cookie dough scoop, and stumbled upon a lone doughnut pan amongst bundt pans, shell-shaped tins, and all kinds of the usual baking paraphernalia. Oh boy, was I excited!

My pal Jessie and I organised a baking day soon thereafter, and the rest is chocolate icing, sugar+cinnamon, and sprinkles.

As it was my first time, I wrote down four or five different recipes and went with the most promising. The only change I made was to omit the nutmeg and double the cinnamon-- I find nutmeg to be overpowering and didn't want it to dominate the doughnut.

Baked Doughnuts (makes 12)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup milk (I used soy)
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 egg
1/4 cup butter (I used Nuttalex)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C)
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon
3. In a saucepan, combine milk, vinegar, egg, and butter over medium-low heat until the butter is melted and it's well-combined
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined
5. Scoop into greased doughnut pan, filling each thingy 2/3
6. Bake for 12 minutes

Allow them to cool for a couple minutes in the pan, then tip them out. It's the best part-- they look so cute when they bounce out and roll around the table. I know doughnuts are best warm, but if you ice them when they're warm, the icing thins and melts all over the place. But if you're doing a glaze, cinnamon sugar, or powdered sugar doughnuts it's fine to dress them and devour them right away.



Chocolate Glaze
1/2 cup chocolate morsels
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons boiling water

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler
2. Remove from heat and add the sugar, vanilla, and melted butter
3. Add boiling water

Dip the doughnuts into the glaze to the halfway point and sprinkle some sprinkles before the icing hardens!

For cinnamon and sugar doughnuts, brush them with melted butter and roll in a bowl of sugar mixed with cinnamon to coat.



You can use white sugar or powdered sugar-- both were delish, but I found myself particularly enjoying the powdered sugar doughnuts.



2 comments:

  1. I can personally vouch for the deliciousness of your donuts!!

    All I can say is you have very lucky housemates.

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  2. you should have partaken in that last sugar-cinnamon one... it looked at me all cheeky-like all day. well, for a few hot minutes, then I ATE IT!

    ReplyDelete