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..seriously u are soo cute.
And fun loving.its soo satisfying to watch u cook snd prepare.seriously naughty.well done..
Thank you for that wonderful compliment!
Thank you so much for this recipe!! What beautiful, soft, and delicious doughnuts!! I filled mine with a custard type filling. This recipe is a definite keeper and one to be passed through the generation Bakery doughnuts cannot compare in my opinion. These aren’t greasy or heavy. Perfection to me!! Thank you for this recipe !!
I bet that was so delicious filled with custard! Thank you for sharing that great feedback with us, Laura!
Delicious recipe. It was my first time making a yeast dough so I was a little scared, but it turned out really well. Thanks a lot! Greetings from Chile
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Javiera!
Thank you for that great recipe!
I would like to know if I could make them earlier and freeze them for Christmas! Without the melted butter and sugar coat but with the preserve in it?
Hi Madeleine, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Why do I not receive any more of Natasha’s videos? It has been more than a month that I haven’t seen anything of her.
Hi Vickie! We post a new video every Friday on our channel. This is the latest Video we shared here.
The key to Natasha’s recipe is that as far as flour goes, less is more. Fluff your flour and spoon it into your measuring cup. It’s going to be really sticky but don’t be tempted to over flour it. I used my stand mixer and scraped the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, dusted the top just enough to be able top get it into an oiled bowl for the first rise. Also, be patient and give your dough plenty of time to rise on both the first and second rise. When you bake, keep a close eye on your doughnuts (or donuts…:P). If you want a super soft doughnut, pull them out when they just start getting a little golden, if you like a little crust let them go an extra minute or two. I threw in a tablespoon of veggie oil and I am telling you these came out like the soft, fluffy fried doughnuts we all love! Thanks Natasha!
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful review and tips! I absolutely agree.
You’re welcome Natasha! And thank you! Your website and YouTube channel are keeping me really busy in my kitchen!
I’ve made a few batches using your recipe and I would have to say other than adding a little veggie oil (which is really just a personal preference), it is about as perfect as you can come.
One tiny little tweak I made was to add 1 tsp of baking powder. This gives a little extra kick to the rise when baking and yields a slightly fluffier, puffier doughnut that literally melts in your mouth. And who can say no to a fluffy, puffy doughnut?
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hi Natasha,
Thank you for sharing this wonderful donut recipe, I made them for the first time today and they turned out perfectly, I cook from scratch for as many things as I can and I have tried many baked donut recipes and they have been disappointing. I will be making yours regularly for my family thank you
Isn’t that the best when the entire family likes that! Thank you for that great feedback.
I made a batch today and I’m a little uncertain. The donuts were airy and fluffy, but all in all very dry. Is that normal or did I mess up somewhere along the line?
Hi Kate, I haven’t had that happen to advise. Was something altered in the recipe?
These are not even close to donut texture. Kids ate it. But would not be making these again. Probably first recipe I didn’t like.
Hi Zoya, I’m sorry to hear that they didn’t work out for you. I am always happy to help troubleshoot. I have a section just above the video tutorial with how to ensure soft donuts which should help.
I been dying to try this out and had the chance today. I think i did something wrong. The first step with mixing the dry and wet ingredients its not as liquid as the one in the video. After adding the 1 1/2 flour, I didn’t add all since its already to dry (maybe 1 1/4cups). Tried kneading it, really I think I put too much flour even though I measured it. Did pretty much everything and it turned out bread-like. Haha! I even called it donut bread. I’m still going for a second try. Can you help me? Still my roommates love it soft bread. J just put some with glaze and some with powdered sugar.
Hi Kristine, if everything else was the same (no ingredient substitutions and using all-purpose flour), the most likely culprit was in how the flour was measured. Stir your flour with a spoon then spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level off the top. Often if you push your measuring cup into the flour bin, you can get 25% too much flour. Also, make sure you are using a dry ingredient measuring cup that you can level off the top. I hope that helps to troubleshoot!
Hi Natasha , really fabulous recipe , it’s one of my favourites now , made it quite a few times already , thanks for a wonderful recipe
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Asiah!
Easy instructions to follow. They turned out amazing. I’m sure I will gain a few friends to share them with.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Just made these and they are great! Very soft, light, and fluffy. My kids love them and they are are quite the food critics (I bake for them a lot). I bet this dough recipe could even be adapted to savory fillings.
As far as the jelly running out of the donut, I just tipped them upward with the jelly side up and store them like that.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review And for sharing those tips with us, Andrea!
Can this recipe also be used to make ring donuts by following the recipe but cutting with a ring-shaped cutter forming a hole in the middle (and baking the donut holes too)?
Hi William, I haven’t tested taht but I imagine that should work! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Can I freeze this dough?
I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Excellent recipe
I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
These are delicious and easy to make. Next time I’m going to try and use a thicker jam though. The Jam kept running out of the donut but it was still yummy.
Thank you for that feedback, Lindsay!
I don’t have a tea towel to cover the doughnuts while they rise so is it okay if I replace it with a regular towel?
Delicious! So easy to make and tastes much healthier than the deep fried ones!
For sure! Thanks Carina!
Amazing donuts, thank you Natasha for sharing soooo much love with us
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Rita!
I would never make this again. Tough, great homemade hamburg roll density, but a light fluffy donut? Not even close. I bake bread all the time and never have issues. I followed the recipe as stated. I even gave it extra rise time at BOTH rises because they didn’t see high enough, but then I thought, oh maybe it’s one of those that needs the heat to finish the rise. NO. For the amount of time and effort, a huge dissapointment.
Hi Diana, I’m sorry to hear it didn’t go as expected, but I have tested this recipe many times and am always happy to help troubleshoot. Be sure when measuring flour to measure correctly, otherwise, you can get up to 25% too much flour if it compacted into the measuring cup which will produce dense results that won’t rise as well. I hope that helps! Also, be sure your yeast is still active and keep it at 100˚F (no hotter) while proofing. If yeast doughs are overheated, it will deactivate the yeast causing it to stop rising. Lastly, if your room temperature is cooler and you let them rise at room temperature, you will need to let them rise longer – the visual cues are more reliable than a timer for dough rising.
Wow, just wow! I love baking so asked my dad what he would like for dessert on Father’s Day to which he replied jam donuts. This recipe is marvellous, I love how even though they are baked they turn out SO fluffy and light. You wouldn’t notice they arent fried. I had to wait longer for them to proof but its cold where I am in Australia. I filled them with homemade strawberry jam. Thank you Natasha, these are just yum!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Hello Natasha..my son is highly allergic to eggs..is there any satisfying donut recipe without eggs that you could recommend…thanks so much for what you do..sharing your talent…Hod bless you always
Ooops..terribly sorry..I meant..God bless you always
Hi Priti, I have not tested that without eggs so I cannot advise. We do have this amazing Chocolate Cake Recipe that is eggless.
Hi Natasha,
My mother-in-law (God bless her soul) always made her fried doughnuts without eggs – although she had a full henhouse in her yard – and those doughnuts were incredibly fluffy and with a big hole in the middle, ready to be filled with jam.
Maybe if Priti try and substitute eggs with a few tablespoons of yoghurt? Although it’s only yolks in this recipe, so they probably just add this fine color to the dough, so a two or three tablespoons of milk should be enough (to replace yolks as a quantity of “wet ingredient”, so to speak).
At least this is my opinion – but I’m not a professional cook, so…
Thank you for sharing that Tanya, I haven’t tested that but I think it could be worth the experiment.