Baked Cinnamon Doughnuts

These Baked Cinnamon Doughnuts are the perfect way to start your weekend with a cup of coffee.

I had such romantic notions about how this bank holiday weekend would pan out. I envisaged lazy mornings snuggled up in bed, I’d freshly bake these cinnamon doughnuts, brew a pot of coffee and bring them back to Jon for the perfect breakfast in bed. Instead, I woke up at the crack of dawn and couldn’t get back off to sleep. I sat in bed trawling Pinterest (you can follow my Pinterest boards here) for food styling inspiration and craft ideas while Jon snored sweetly beside me. Isn’t he just the cutest! Eventually I managed to convince him out of his sleepy haze but not with warm baked cinnamon doughnuts and a mug of coffee as planned…

A couple of years a go I would have been annoyed for days that the weekend hadn’t gone precisely to plan but if it’s one thing I’ve learnt over the years its that nothing is ever perfect. I always make grand plans in my head that rarely turn out how I want or expect. As for that rosy glowed ideal breakfast in bed…yeah that just wasn’t happening today! If like us you don’t feel like being an early bird on your weekend, it doesn’t mean you can’t still make baked cinnamon doughnuts…just have them for lunch instead like we did, or perhaps as an evening treat with a cup of cocoa in front of the telly?

Now before I share the recipe I do actually have a confession to make. Of course one benefit of this recipe is that baked cinnamon doughnuts are healthier than the deep fried variety. (Woohoo!) But that’s not the only reason why I prefer to have my doughnuts baked. I hate deep frying things with a passion. It actually scares me.  I am always petrified that I will start a fire. Irrational, yes. But hey, that’s just me! If you too like to avoid large quantities of oil at high temperatures, perhaps you want to make these with your children, or you’re looking for a healthier doughnut variety, then these Baked Cinnamon Doughnuts are for you!

The recipe

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Baked Cinnamon Doughnuts

These Baked Cinnamon Doughnuts are the perfect way to start the weekend.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 471 kcal

Ingredients

For the doughnuts

• 300 grams plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 150 grams caster sugar
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 75 grams butter
• 125 millilitres milk
• 115 grams natural yoghurt
• 2 eggs
• 1 vanilla pod seeds only

For the coating

• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 100 grams caster sugar

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C and lightly grease your doughnut tins with a little vegetable oil.
2. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and rub into the flour as if you are making pastry. do this until the butter is mixed throughout. (Alternatively, pulse the flour and butter in your food processor until combined.)
3. Next, add the other dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly mixed together.
4. Add the milk, yoghurt and eggs (beaten) along with the seeds from the vanilla pod. Stir until the wet ingredients and dry ingredients are combined.
5. Spoon the mixture into your doughnut tins or spoon the mixture into piping bags before piping directly into the tins (this will help you avoid making a mess!) Each hollow in the tin should be roughly 3/4 full.
6. Bake in the centre of the oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch.
7. Cover a plate with the cinnamon sugar and immediately turn the doughnuts out on to the plate. Coat liberally with the sugar and enjoy while still warm!

The doughnuts themselves are the perfect balance of sweet and savoury and the nutmeg gives them a real warming, hearty flavour. They are also the perfect texture: light and fluffy. Rolling them in cinnamon sugar straight after the come out of the oven gives them the hit of sweetness that you crave when you wake up after a long lie in. The perfect lazy day breakfast. Hot mug of coffee optional!

Also, please do note that this batter makes A LOT of doughnuts, if you’re just looking to feed your family for one breakfast then most definitely halve it. I’ve kept the recipe big for those of you who like to treat more than your other half to a freshly baked breakfast. Some of the Baked Cinnamon Doughnuts you see here will be making their way to work with Jon tomorrow and he’ll be sharing with his colleagues.

My favourite thing about these doughnuts though is that they are nice enough to bake on special occasions, but not so naughty that you can’t enjoy them as a regular Sunday morning treat! What do you think of these Baked Cinnamon Doughnuts, can a healthy version of the deep fried treat still taste as good?