I love the idea of these doughnuts because they are baked, not deep fried. I made them for Easter this year, as a change from hot cross buns. The recipe is from delicious. magazine, April 2015.
The baked doughnuts are dipped in cinnamon sugar and then in a rich chocolate sauce. I think I preferred them just sugar dipped – that was sweet enough for me.
They end up more like a sweet bun than a traditional doughnut – there’s nothing wrong with that, so long as you are hanging out for that “doughnut” taste.
Ingredients
2.5 tsps instant yeast
1/4 cup milk, warmed
2/3 cup caster sugar
3 1/4 cups plain flour
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg lightly beaten
40g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For dipping:
2 tsps ground cinnamon
2/3 cup caster sugar
Chocolate glaze:
100mls milk
200gms dark chocolate
1 tbls caster sugar
Extra milk for brushing
Method
Combine yeast and warm milk with a pinch of sugar in a bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes or until frothy. Combine the flour and remaining sugar with a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Gradually add the yeast mixture, buttermilk, egg and butter, and knead on low speed for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knock down. Roll into a sausage and cut into 10 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball. Divide between 2 baking trays lined with baking paper. Lightly flatten each ball into disc. Using a round cutter, cut out the centre of each ball. You can bake the centres as “additional” doughnut balls on the trays as well. Cover the baking trays with cling film and set aside in a warm place for a further 1 hour or until risen.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Bake the doughnuts one tray at a time for 8-9 minutes or until light golden. Remove from the oven and move to a wire rack to cool slightly.
For the glaze, combine milk, chocolate and sugar in heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water). Stir until melted and combined. remove from heat and cool slightly.
Brush doughnuts with the extra milk. Toss the doughnuts in the sugar mixture, then dip the tops in the chocolate glaze.
The Quirk and the Cool 