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!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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! 😉
Turned out perfect, doubling the recipe next time!
Would this recipe work if we fill it with apples/ sugar/ cinnamon before baking, letting it rise first, like slavik piroshki ?
Hi Mila, I haven’t tried those fillings with these donuts, but I imagine that may work. If you experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Hi Natasha! This looks awesome! I was wondering if I can coat it with powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar after baking? If so, do I still have to put butter before putting it? Thank you!
Hi Sherry, I bet the powder sugar will work great! If you experiment I would love to know how you like this! Also, one of our readers wrote in saying they used non melt powdered sugar, I’m curious if that will make the difference of needing to brush it with butter or not.
Hi Sherry, you could coat in powdered sugar but I would probably wait to add powdered sugar until they are cooled. I brush with butter to give the donuts better color. The heat from the fresh hot donuts. helps the sugar stick more than the butter does.
If anyone is wondering if you can bake these in a donut pan/tin you can! I followed the recipe exactly and when it came to rolling and cutting out I cut out the donuts and a little hole in the centre with a piping tip to make rings and just placed them in the donut pan moulds. Came out beautiful, so well risen and fluffy and soft yum! Such a good recipe!
Hi Charlotte, I honestly haven’t tried this in a donut pan but I think it would be worth experimenting with! Let me know how it goes! 🙂
What is the best temperature for the warm milk? Trying this tomorrow!
Hi Katie, warm milk is usually 105 – 110 degrees.
Never really liked doughnut but these are yum! Came out really light and soft . Totally loved them! I’ve tried 3 of your recipes they are all no fail and delicious ❤️
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Natasha!
Hi Natasha,
This is the best baked donut recipe. I made them with holes which baked in about 9 minutes. They were melt in mouth soft and so yummy. I also made a batch filled with vanilla custard. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe 😋
You’re welcome, GK! I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with me!
Can i use a silicon donut mold for this?
Hi Lourdes, I’m honestly not sure and I haven’t tried that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
After making this, all that’s left is 7 egg whites, some crumbs, and a happy family. 🙂
That’s the best feeling — a happy and fed family! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
Simple and superb….
I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Ann!
Would love to try this recipe but could I cut them with a 1” cookie cutter instead of the 21/2” one. Will they still rise and be fluffy!?
Hi Aly, I haven’t tried with the smaller ones, but they should still rise and be fluffy. They may bake a little faster being significantly smaller.
I love the recipe but mine are coming out almost bread-like. Is there a way to get them lighter? Am I under kneading? Over kneading? Do you have any suggestions?
Hi. Frank, be sure to measure the flour correctly to avoid adding too much flour.
I tested this and this is probably the best-baked donut recipe out there. I tried other recipes and they aren’t as delicious as this one. I got more than 12 donuts out of this batch lol.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Donuts are one of my favorite comfort foods. My friends and I always get donuts, and a homemade donut will surely be great. Especially when it looks this good. I am so excited to make these. Thank you so much for sharing this 🙂
I hope this becomes your new favorite!
We tried this recipe to make healthier donuts and they turned out great! Thanks for the delicious recipe.
You’re welcome, Maha! I’m happy you enjoyed that!
Donuts, or doughnuts…or “dough-naughts.” Originally they were called dough-naughts. A “naught” is an archaic word for zero…or “not.”
Can you make these without using eggs?? If so what do you use in its place?
Thank you!!
Hi Carol, I haven’t tried any substitute for eggs to advise. If you do an experiment and find another substitute, please share with us how it goes.
I just found this recipe and looks amazing. I know fresh is best, but what if I made these the day before and served them for an early morning breakfast the next day? Would they be too dry at that point? Regardless, I will make them at some point. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Jennifer, I haven’t tested them as make-ahead donuts but being a yeast dough, that should technically work if you refrigerate it before baking. If I were to experiment with 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 husband lazily asked for doughnuts with jam today, so never having made them before, (because I hate the idea of deep-fat frying!), I did a quick bit of research on the computer, and came across your recipe.
Had them baked for brunch this morning! And they were truly delicious – your recipe worked perfectly. Thank you. 🙂
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review & I’m so glad you discovered our blog!
I made these Yesterday. They turned out really good, soft AND pillowy
When I pushed them down the donut bounced back. The flavor was really good, but i was wondering if I can add More sugar to the recipe to have a sweeter bread. Please let me.know.
Sorry for my english
Hi Mery, a little more sugar should be ok in the dough. I’m so glad you loved the baked donuts recipe!
Thank you for a delicious (and foolproof) recipe. They taste every bit as good as the fried ones. A question from a hopeful relative: will the recipe still work with rice/gluten-free flour?
Hi Hazel, 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.
What can we substitute for the eggs in this recipe?
Hi there, I haven’t tried any substitute for eggs to advise. If you do an experiment and find another substitute, please share with us how it goes.
It was good! But it kinda just asd like sweet bread and was a little tough, it was my first try so I think I might have messed up! The recipes great though!
Oh no, I’m sure it will be perfect on your next try. I suggest re-watching the video tutorial and making sure that the ingredients are measured correctly.
Surely you must know that no one measures flour like you do Natasha. What makes this correct? I ruined my first batch even after cutting back the flour. It was like bread 🙁
Hi Loulou, it is the most consistent way to measure flour unless you have a kitchen scale which is even better. We always include weight measurements as well to double check, just click metric in the recipe card.
I loved this recipe!! It was delicious and super easy. Just a quick question, i feel that mine came out slightly more dense than I would like them. My dough wasn’t as wet as yours looked though it was still moist and easy to knead and roll. What could I do to make them more airy and melt in mouth?! Thanks 🙂
Hi Yamini, using too much flour will cause them to be denser and bread-like. Be sure to measure by fluffing the flour first with a spoon then spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you push your measuring cup into a flour bin, you will get up to 25% too much flour. Also, do not tap the flour down in the measuring cup.