Baked Donuts filled with jelly are incredibly soft, airy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Just like our donut holes, this homemade donut recipe is easy and always gets rave reviews!
Donuts are the ultimate comfort food. The aroma from the oven and the little hint of jelly peeking out of the side make these irresistible. I am a sucker for classic home-baked treats like blueberry muffins or chocolate chip banana bread and these baked donuts do not disappoint!
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Baked Donut Recipe:
Baked donuts are cotton-candy soft and fluffy. I remember my Mother making apple piroshki (Russian fried doughnuts) after school and it is one of the food memories I will always treasure. Baked yeast donuts are even easier and is a tradition I’m continuing with my own family.
I’ll take one of these over a Krispy Kreme any day because they are way more satisfying – the perfect balance of fluffy center to sugar coated surface without the greasy mouth feel and my belly is always happier eating a homemade baked donut!
Is it Donuts or Doughnuts?
Which is the correct spelling? This is heated debate because donuts… mmm doughnuts! There’s even a National Donut Day and it’s the first Friday of June. It is the ultimate comfort food. The real question is – when were doughnuts invented? ‘Doughnut’ is the original old-school spelling but ‘donuts’ took off when Dunkin’ Donuts launched in 1950.
Most people will search for “donuts” online and it is the clear winner in popularity. The dictionary now recognizes ‘donut’ as a variant of doughnut so the word doughnut came first but both terms are technically correct.
Here’s our argument – old school doughnuts are deep fried, but these are new school baked donuts so we called them so.
Are Baked Donuts Healthy?
To put it delicately, baked donuts are the healthier option compared to traditional deep-fried donuts. They don’t leave you feeling as guilty about your choices. You only need 1 Tbsp of melted butter to coat all 12 donuts! Are donuts good for you? In the end, they are still sugar covered carbs… glorious carbs! Eat responsibly.
What is the Best Filling for Donuts?
We enjoy changing up the type of jelly in these baked donuts; strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, huckleberry,.. you name it! Whether you are using jam, preserves or jelly, pick one that is:
- Thick – a thick jelly won’t run out of the donut as easily
- Fairly Smooth – so the piping tip doesn’t get clogged
- Your favorite flavor – these are, after all, for you!
How to Make Cream Filled Donuts:
For a cream filling, you will need a stable, thick cream that won’t ooze out. The pastry cream from our eclairs is easy and excellent. Let the cream cool then fill the pastry bag fitted with a sharp tip and generously pipe into each donut.
For Cinnamon Sugar Donuts:
If you choose to omit the jam inside, you can add more flavor with a cinnamon sugar coating. In a small bowl, stir together and roll hot buttered donuts in this mixture:
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Love Glazed Donuts?
We enjoy these without glaze but if you desire glazed donuts, you can skip brushing with butter and rolling in sugar. Once donuts are cool enough to handle, dip into this glaze mixture then place on racks until glaze hardens:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup milk or water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
More Classic Home-Baked Treats:
- Baklava – once you try homemade, there’s no going back
- Chocolate Chip Cookies – soft, moist and perfect
- Snowball Cookies are melt-in-your-mouth good
- Russian Tea Cookies – buttery and studded with walnuts
- Italian Cookies a chocolate filled sandwich cookie
How to Ensure Super Fluffy Donuts?
The correct balance of wet to dry ingredients is critical in any dough recipe. Be sure to measure the ingredients correctly. Stir your flour with a spoon then spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup. Pushing a measuring cup into a flour bin can result in 25% more flour than is called for which will result in dense donuts.
Also, be sure to allow your dough to proof in a warm room (never more than 110˚F) or you will deactivate the yeast and the donuts will not rise properly.
Baked Donut Video Tutorial:
Watch Natasha make this easy and super fluffy baked donut recipe. P.S. There’s a guest star in this episode!
I hope this becomes your go-to baked donut recipe! They are irresistibly soft and there is nothing like warm homemade donuts.
Baked Donuts Filled with Jelly
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting*
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast, quick acting, (1 packet = 7 grams)
- 2/3 cup warm milk, 110˚F - microwave 35 sec.
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, divided
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup jelly or jam, (no large fruit pieces)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar , to roll donuts
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) instant yeast and 1/4 tsp salt.
- Add warm milk, 3 Tbsp melted butter, 2 egg yolks and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and whisk vigorously to combine well.
- Cover with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature 10 minutes, until some bubbles form on the surface.
- Add remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, adding just enough until dough holds together and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl (Add the last 2 Tbsp of flour only if needed) and knead in the bowl 5 minutes. If dough is really sticking to your hands, dust lightly with flour then continue kneading with clean dry hands. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a 100˚F oven for 45 min or at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 375˚F with rack in the center of the oven.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll the dough out to just under 1/2” thick. Cut circles using a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter. Re-roll scraps if needed to make 12 donuts total. Place donuts on prepared baking sheet, cover with a tea towel and let rise in a 100˚F oven for 20 min or at room temperature 45 min, or until puffed. Bake uncovered in the center of a preheated oven at 375˚F for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
- Right out of the oven, brush a hot bun all over with remaining 1 Tbsp melted butter and roll in a bowl of sugar to coat lightly with sugar. Cut a deep slit in the side of each donut and pipe jam with a pastry bag into each one.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Enjoy your home-baked donuts and “Do-nut Worry, be Happy!” I couldn’t resist! 😉
Hi Natasha, I love your recipes and usually they turn out yummy! I made the baked donuts and they turned out more like soft rolls than donuts…is that how they’re supposed to be? Did I do something wrong? Thanks!!
Hi Orit, it is difficult to say without being there, but comparing them to rolls – I guess you could say they are the softest rolls I’ve ever tried :). They should be light and airy. In my testing, I did notice when I skipped the kneading of the dough or didn’t let the dough double or puff up per the instructions here, they didn’t rise as well and did seem a little more like rolls. Hope that helps to troubleshoot.
Got it! Thank you for your reply!! I will them again:)
You’re so welcome!
WOW Natasha ! Those donuts came out absolutely amazing! So fluffy and delicious. Thank you for another awesome recipe 😊
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
This recipe did not happen for me. It was incredibly tough and did not rise at all. Flour measured correctly, yeast not expired, dough rested on the counter in the corner of a warm kitchen for 3 hours. Nada. Sorry :/
Hi Rebecca, I haven’t had that experience but I am always happy to help troubleshoot. The dough is normally very soft. If it was tough, I suspect too much flour was added, maybe either from losing count when measuring the flour or compacting the flour into the measuring cup. Be sure to spoon the flour into a measuring cup and then scraping off the top. Also, did you possibly use a different flour than what is called for in the recipe? One other thought – adding milk that is too hot can inactivate your yeast or using regular active dry yeast rather than instant yeast could be the issue if the yeast doesn’t have an opportunity to bloom/proof before adding the flour. I hope that helps to troubleshoot. I would also suggest watching the video again to see at what stage maybe your dough started to look different.
I just love watching your quick videos on Pinterest.. Have yet to try any of your recipes, but I have pinned quite a few! And these donuts look look fabulous!
Thank you for entertaining us😊
You’re so welcome, Jasmine! I hope you get to try these recipes soon!
Can I make these in a donut pan to get the traditional looking donut🍩. My boys like donuts with chocolate glaze.
Hi Val, I honestly haven’t tried this in a donut pan but I think it would be worth experimenting! Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Hello, I made these this afternoon, I just had to make them when I saw them but there is just the two of us. How long can you keep these fresh?thank you Hannah
Hi Hannah. You can store these for a day or two at room temperature. To make them last longe, store these in an airtight container in your fridge for up to a week.
Hate seeing you knead the dough with rings on.
Hi Dee, half the time I just forget with dough. I’ve been pretty good with mixing meat though! ha! 🙂
Hi!
I’ve initially made this recipe from Jenny can cook site and I’ve noticed than she used only 1 3/4 cup of flour, that I think makes a more donut consistency. I find this recipe using 2 1/2 cups flour seems more like bread texture (I’ve just made them). Did you consider to use less flour (just a suggestion) ? Thank you for all your great recipes and keep up the great work!
Hi Ingrid, I haven’t tried Jenny’s recipe so I can’t speak to it, but these have a very good airy and soft consistency and are not supposed to be bread-like in texture. The only thing that comes to mind is in the way flour is measured – if you scoop your measuring cup into the bin, it can compact the flour and you can end up with up to 25% more flour than what the recipe calls for so be sure to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off the top. I tested many batches before I posted these and I don’t think it would be possible to knead this dough or have it form properly with only 1 3/4 cup flour. I hope that helps!
LOVED these. Made them for breakfast and they were gone so fast!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
Fried doughnuts can be so heavy. Love this baked option!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
These look so delicious. Can I use coconut milk for the milk ingredient?
Hi Tina, I haven’t tried that substitution so it’s hard to guess, but I think it’s worth experimenting to make these dairy free donuts. Let me know if you try it!
Hello,I don’t have Rapid Rise Yeast on hand :/ How would I use regular yeast in your recipe?
Hi Abby I have always made these with instant yeast, but typically, when substituting with active dry, you would use 25% more active dry yeast and you would need to let it proof first in the warm milk for 7 minutes or so. Mix the other dry ingredients together in step 1 (except for the yeast). Add warm milk to a bowl and sprinkle the top with yeast and let that sit for 7 minutes then add remaining wet ingredients and whisk together per the recipe. Here is an article that helps with understanding the various types of yeast and how to substitute.
You are awesome and super fun!!
I wanted to know if I can glaze the donuts with chocolate instead of sugar and butter?
Also, can I fill these with Creme Patisserie instead of jelly?
That should work great!! I hope you get to experiment with those soon!
Would gluten free flour work for these?
Hi Jane, I haven’t tested that with gluten-free flour so I can’t advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Hello! Can i make them the night before until the part you cut the circles and then let them raise overnight in the fridge so I can bake them fresh in the morning? Thanks!
Hi Imma, I haven’t tested them that way but being a yeast dough, that should technically work. If I were to experiment making them as overnight donuts, I would place the rounds onto a prepared baking sheet, cover them and refrigerate before the last rise. Let them puff/rise the next day at room temperature before baking.
My family gobbles these right up every time I make them!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Suzy 🙂
I love that I can make a fantastic donut at home!
Yes and it’s healthier (not deep fried), the house doesn’t smell like deep frying and the cleanup is nicer. Winning!
Hi Natasha, these look absolutely delicious. Can I use active dry yeast? Is it the same as the one in the recipe.
Thank you.
Hi Fazia, I have always made these with instant yeast, but typically, when substituting with active dry, you would use 25% more active dry yeast and you would need to let it proof first in the warm milk for 7 minutes or so. Mix the other dry ingredients together in step 1 (except for the yeast). Add warm milk to a bowl and sprinkle the top with yeast and let that sit for 7 minutes then add remaining wet ingredients and whisk together per the recipe. Here is an article that helps with understanding the various types of yeast and how to substitute.
Thank you Natasha.
Hi natasha,
If i only want 6 donuts should i half the yeast too?
Hi Fatima, I have always made the full batch but if I were making half of the doughnuts, I would cut the entire recipe in half but keep the rising and bake times the same.
No mention of the Jelly in the directions just in ingredients list
Hi Barb, you are absolutely right!! Thanks for pointing that out. I added that to the written instructions. Hopefully you were able to watch the video in time which has a visual on that. Enjoy the donuts!
I have tried so many of your recipes and they have all been absolutely amazing. Can’t wait to try these donuts as well!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing that with me!
These look so delicious!! I cant wait to make them! 🙂
We look forward to your feedback, Elena!
Thank you so much Elena!! I hope these baked donuts become a new favorite for you!