Most baked sweet doughs end up more like bagels than doughnuts, but these, based on a Finnish sweet dough recipe, are so soft and light you may not realize they were baked. A quick dip in glaze will keep the crust from becoming too chewy, but they are still best eaten straight away.
Ingredients
MAKES 10 TO 14 DOUGHNUTS | ACTIVE TIME: 20 MINUTES | READY IN: 2 HOURS
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 grams) superfine sugar
- 1 cup whole milk, heated to 110 degrees F
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2½ to 3½ cups (300 to 420 grams) all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, at room temperature
- Vegetable oil for greasing
Directions
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg and sugar on medium speed until blended, about 1 minute.
Add the milk, yeast, vanilla, and salt and mix on medium speed to blend. With the mixer on low speed, add 2 cups of the flour about ½
cup at a time, and beat until the dough is thick and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes.
• Switch to the dough hook attachment. With the mixer on medium speed, add the butter one piece at a time, and beat until no large
chunks are left in the bottom of the bowl, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add additional flour until the dough gathers around
the hook and pulls completely away from the sides of the bowl. It will be soft and moist, but not overly sticky. You may have flour left over.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently until the dough no longer sticks to your hands. Lightly grease a large mixing
bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until
doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough and roll out to ½ inch thick, lightly flouring the surface if the dough sticks. With a doughnut or cookie cutter, cut out 3-inch rounds with 1-inch holes (for filled doughnuts, don’t cut out the holes).
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the doughnuts at least 1 inch apart on the
baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let them sit in a warm spot until nearly doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
• Bake until the doughnuts are a light golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes, being very careful not to overbake them. Immediately glaze them, or
brush with butter and dust with superfine sugar, and eat while still warm.
