Recipe – Baked Donuts

Just a Quick Note

I’ve decided to begin posting every other week instead of every week. This should allow me more time to plan posts, get organized, and write a bit more thoroughly! Now then, on to the baking! This week it’s baked donuts!

I’m a HUGE sucker for donuts. When I was little I loved maple bars (and still do!). A maple-bacon cronut? My vice. Since moving to Orange County, I’ve frequented The Donuttery, Mag’s Donuts and Bakery, DK’s Donuts, Stan’s Donuts, Kelly’s Donuts, Downtown Donuts…you get the idea. I would love to eat more and not feel like I ate my couch, so I decided to try my hand and baking some lighter donuts. These baked donuts are very light and fluffy. Also, the addition of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves just elevates the overall flavor profile. And just look at that batter and that rise!

The Decoration

As I said, I’m a HUGE fan of maple. I actually made additional maple glaze just so I could mold some maple candy with the extra. If dunking the baked donuts, just make sure the donuts are completely cool beforehand, and have a good grip (again, the donuts are very light). Alternatively, you can just get a good grip on the sides of the donuts and dunk the donuts (and your fingers) into the glaze and just lick your fingers afterwards! I might be guilty of that.

Minhan loves a good chocolate topping and, as you may know, I also love German chocolate. So why not add those to the toppings? For the chocolate, I didn’t want to bust out a piping set, so I just loaded up a ziplock bag with some melted 60% cacao chocolate and cut a hole in the corner!

Here’s the finished set of baked donuts, in all its glory:

Materials (makes 6 baked donuts):

Donut:

• • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup soymilk
  • 1/8 tsp white vinegar

• • 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tbsp margarine, melted

Maple glaze:

• 1 tbsp margarine, melted
• 1/8 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

Methods

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

1. 1. Make the glaze first: in a sauce pot, melt margarine, add maple syrup, and combine over medium heat for 5min. Pour into a bowl and whisk in confectioner’s sugar. Set aside to cool.

1. 1. In one bowl, whisk the dry ingredients except the brown sugar.

1. 1. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients, including the brown sugar.

1. 1. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, whisk to combine.

1. 1. Spoon mixture into donut baking pan and 3/4 full, level the batter, and bake for 8min.

1. Let cool in the pan for 2-3min, then cool on a rack completely before dipping in glaze and other toppings.

A Bit of History of Donuts

First things first: using “donut” vs. “doughnut”. I use it both ways, and the origin of the name is debated. Some say it refers to the nuts placed inside a dough ball to prevent uncooked centers, while others say the name refers to “dough knots”, which were another popular shape for “olykoeks” (see below). Dunkin’ Donuts is typically credited for shortening “doughnut” to “donut”.

Early references to the donut were made in the early 18th century as the Dutch pastry called “olykoek” (kinda sounds like “oily cake”) arrived in New York. These olykoeks began looking like the donuts we know and love today in the mid-19th century when New England Captain Hanson Gregory first punched out the middle of a donut, supposedly solving the problems of uncooked centers, although the exact details of that moment are debated. Donuts started becoming mass-produced in the early 20th century.

The first donut machine came along in 1920 by refugee Adolph Levitt. In the 1930s, a Frenchman named Joe LeBeau sold his donut recipe, which was just written on a piece of paper, and the name Krispy Kreme. Krispy Kreme opened in 1937 and in the 1950s made the “Ring King Jr.” automated donut machine, which could make 60 dozen donuts per hour! The Ring King Jr. was donated to the National Museum of American History in 1997.

National Doughnut Day is November 5th!

Comments, conversations, feedback, and messages are always welcome!

References

“Glazed America: Anthropologist Examines Doughnut as Symbol of Consumer Culture”. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Retrieved March 4, 2018.
“Krispy Automatic Ring-King Junior Doughnut Machine”. National Museum of American History. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
“The History of the Doughnut”. David Taylor. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
“The History of Doughnuts”. Bethany Moncel. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
“NATIONAL DOUGHNUT DAY – November 5”. National Day Calendar. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
“‘Donut’ vs. ‘Doughnut:’ The Most Delicious Spelling Bee of All Time Rages On”. Denver Nicks. Retrieved March 4, 2018.