A few weeks ago a couple of friends came down from Chiang Mai and so I invited them over for brunch. Since they don’t have an opportunity to enjoy good old fashioned American breakfasts that often, I decided to make something special for them: baked donuts. (Recipe here at 101cookbooks.com)
Left: the dough about half-rised; Right: freshly-cut donuts starting the second rise.
Baked donuts start out very similar to their more common, Krispy Kremed cousins. They are a basic yeast dough that is allowed to rise, is rolled and cut out, and then allowed to rise a second time before cooking. But instead of going through the hassle of deep frying (and having your house smell for days afterwards), you put them into the oven. While you can glaze them, I opted for a brush of butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar. The end result is fluffy and delectable – different from deep-fried donuts but still very enjoyable – and with the cinnamon-sugar, it has a classic element.
We couldn’t be bothered with a tripod so as to fit all three of us into a single picture.
For dessert, I thought it would be nice to do something refreshing and relatively healthy. It was a bit of a splurge to buy raspberries and blueberries, both of which are imported, but they were really sweet and juicy. Paired with a bit of natural yogurt and homemade granola, the berries made for a very celebratory parfait and a tasty concusion to a special brunch.
christao408 
Baked doughnuts = brilliant! I think the yogurt parfaits look delicious and I’m betting they tasted even better… I need to go eat breakfast now. oy.
My breakfast will pale in comparison… that looks *great*!
Yogurt + fresh fruit + granola = the breakfast or champions well it is mine as often as possible. The baked donuts are more healthy than the greasy ones but I need stay away from both – ok I cheat and bake some from time to time.
You should try doughnuts with no holes.
Thank you for sharing! =D
By the way, what ever happen to your vegetable garden ?
I’m trying to imagine a “fluffy” donut.
Dang, those all look so good! *note to self: future bf/hubby must be amazing cook* LOL and as for fitting everyone into 1 pic, should’ve squished together and held the camera out at arm’s length
@The_Eyes_Of_A_Painter – I’ve been taking pictures along the way and will do a fourth entry in the series soon. There are five tomatoes ripening on my vines, although three or four had blossom rot so the bottoms of the fruits are black. Small eggplants have been quite productive and carrots are ready for harvest soon. Beets have been a waste of space, though.@Inciteful – Well, very light versus very dense texture.@hilabpartnerxD – That would have been a solution, huh… Well, I’ll remember that next time.@bmojsilo – And then fill them with jelly!@Fatcat723 – Yeah, you cheater! =P@murisopsis – One of those things that I really, really miss is fresh berries.@Passionflwr86 – Time to crank up the oven, Meg.@nov_way – You are welcome.
Compliments for your culinary competence . Your guests look happy with your homemade food..In another way I like watching the clock on the side bar . Bangkok hour!In friendshipMichel
The baked donuts look amazingly fresh and I can almost smell the cinnamon sugar. The parfait is to die for it seems!
Do you think this would work with whole wheat flour?
@ZSA_MD – Thanks for the recommendation. I’d like to try these donuts again soon and maybe glaze them.@ElusiveWords – If you use whole wheat flour, you would probably need to up the yeast to compensate. A better option might be to do a mixture of whole wheat and cake flour to keep them from becoming too dense.@fauquet – Thanks Michael – I, too, am fascinated with the idea that elsewhere in the world it is an entirely different time of the day or, moving north-to-south, an entirely different season.
Now you’ve made me hungry and it’s past my bedtime!!! Darn, those look good. I’d like to try them someday. Used to do a lot of baking of yeast breads, sweet rolls, Sweedish tea rings and sticky buns but never tried to make yeast doughnuts. My G’ma Bessie used to bake bread and rolls every week but always made the fried doughnuts that you shake afterwards in a paper bag filled with cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar to coat….always funny shapes to them. You could open your own gourmet food shop or restaurant, Chris!
OH MY GOD. put it in my mouth now :(. I want it sooo bad.
hahaha i like how your yogurt parafait is a “dessert” to your meal of baked doughnuts =P
Hmmm…never even heard of a baked doughnut before but the cinnamon sugar definitely sounds delicious.
@Gma_Joyce – It is nice of you to say that, but I don’t know that I’d want to deal with the hassles of running a restaurant or shop. I like to be able to experiment with whatever catches my attention at the moment, and then move on whenever I like to.@kunhuo42 – We did actually eat some other stuff, too… relatively healthier. Kind of.@brooklyn2028 – I’d like to try with nutmeg and a maple glaze.@Devilzgaysianboi – You’re funny. I think there is an app you can use to find a nearby donut you can put in your mouth! LOL
mmmm….. they look scrumptious!! especially when you topped it off with some cinnamon. gosh, can’t remember the last time i had a donut.
@rudyhou – Donuts aren’t usually on my to-eat list, but these baked donuts are a lot lighter than the fried ones.
@christao408 – which is how i prefer mine. light. when it is dense or firm i find it like eating a cake or bread.
that looks awesome.Haven’t had doughnuts in years!