Whole Wheat Doughnuts (Update)

 

Jump to Recipe

 

Makes 6 (1/2 dozen) doughnuts 

 

Hello again! If you liked my oven-baked whole wheat doughnut recipe, you'll love that I found a way to make it just a little bit easier. Trial and error revealed that they will be perfectly fine with whole eggs, so no need to separate out egg yolks anymore. It's not much, but it keeps me from having to figure out what to do with leftover egg white.

 

I've also included a brief "recipe" for a basic glaze. Feel free to start with that, but feel even more free to experiment with whatever you think sounds interesting. For some of my doughnuts, I'll use a fruit juice instead of water. In the picture above, the leftmost pink doughnuts use pomegranate juice in the same amount as the water in the basic glaze. Likewise, the yellow-orange doughnuts with spots use passionfruit juice. The two sets on the right are chocolate and maple syrup; those use a slightly different glaze.

Equipment

• Measuring cup(s) and spoon(s)
• Medium bowl
• Large spoon
• Doughnut pan (half-dozen)
  

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 cup warm milk, minus 1 tablespoon
  
• Reduce depending on size of egg
• (Optional) 1/3 teaspoon active dry yeast
  
• 1/4 cup melted butter or oil
  
• 1 whole egg
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• Basic glaze for six (1/2 dozen):
  
• 2/3 cup powdered (confectioner's) sugar
• 2-4 teaspoons water
  

Doughnut Directions 

1. Warm milk, then dissolve yeast in the warmed milk. Let sit and stir occasionally for five minutes.
   
2. While waiting for the yeast to dissolve, combine egg yolk and oil. I find a whisk helpful with this. Add brown sugar, salt, and vanilla extract, mix well. Add the milk with dissolved yeast, as well as the baking powder, and whisk very well. The baking powder will clump, so whisk until there are no clumps at all.
   Add the whole wheat flour to the bowl and mix well. No dry spots. Make sure to check the under the dough at the bottom of the bowl.
   
   • At this point, the dough may seem more like a batter, and you may think there is too much moisture. This is fine. The moisture will be absorbed into the flour during the rest/rise.
3. Rest 20-30 minutes in a warm place.
   
   • This allows the yeast to work (if used), but not to its full potential because it is not the sole rising agent. Do not rise longer, as the yeast will consume more of the sugar you added for sweetness.
4. Scoop dough into lightly greased or buttered oven doughnut pan(s). Try to make the tops smooth and fill each section to the same level.
   Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes.
   
   • The time will likely vary depending on your oven and natural variation of ingredients.  The doughnuts are done when they are solid throughout.
5. Remove from the doughnut pans as soon as possible. They will become soggy if left too long.
   
6. Let cool completely before glazing, or coat with cinnamon sugar.
   

Glaze Directions

1. Once doughnuts have cooled, add powdered sugar to a small bowl, then a small amount of water. If you think you need more water, do not add more water. Thoroughly mix the powdered sugar and water together until a sticky (not runny) mixture is formed.
   
• If you follow the basic glaze recipe I've provided, it will be thick. I haven't yet figured out how doughnut stores get their glaze so thin without it soaking into the doughnut, but feel free to enlighten me if you know an easy trick.
  
2. If you are certain the doughnuts have cooled, apply the glaze by hand, using whichever implement you used to mix the glaze in step 1.
3. Ideally, let the glazed doughnuts set for a few minutes before eating.