Baked Doughnuts

1 ½ cups milk
1/3 cup shortening

2 TBSP dry active yeast
1/3 cup warm water

¼ cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 TBSP flax seed (optional)
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 ¾ cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar mixed with 1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine milk and shortening in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave until shortening is melted (about 1 ½ minutes). Set aside and cool to lukewarm (between 105° and 115° F, any hotter will kill the yeast. It is helpful to have a digital thermometer to test liquids when working with yeast. If you don’t have one, let the milk cool until it feels cool enough for a warm bath).

While milk is cooling, combine warm water and yeast in mixing bowl. Pour milk mixture into yeast mixture. Stir in sugar, salt and eggs. Gradually mix in flax seed and flour (adding more if needed) until dough forms a smooth ball. Cover bowl with a damp cloth (to prevent dough from drying out) and place in a warm place and allow dough to double in bulk, about an hour (if your home is cool, turn the oven on for 1-2 minutes, then turn it off. Place the bowl in the oven to rise).

Dust counter with flour and pat the dough into a ½ inch thick rectangle (this dough is soft and needs flour on the surface to prevent sticking). Cut into doughnuts with a doughnut cutter or form into golf ball size balls to make doughnut holes. Place 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet. These don’t spread much; they rise.

Let doughnuts rise for 20 minutes, uncovered. Bake at 425° F for 7-10 minutes or a little longer, until they have a touch of golden brown. Remove from oven and have melted butter and cinnamon sugar mixture ready. Brush each doughnut and doughnut hole with butter and roll in cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.



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These are a great alternative to deep fried doughnuts. They are light and tender and from start to finish they take just under two hours to make. Surprisingly these freeze well too! We prefer the doughnut holes but the doughnuts are good too. This recipes makes 98 doughnut holes (40 calories and 1.2 grams of fat each). Recipe adapted from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook.