How To Make Baked Glazed Donut?

Let’s be honest, donuts are delightful comfort food, but the amount of calories and fats that they obtain from frying is so high that an average person shouldn’t eat them on a regular basis. Yes, eating one donut per week is okay, but over time it can cause you to gain weight.

There is a solution for that problem as well, just change the way you prepare them, and you will get an almost guilt-free dessert you can indulge in quite often. The great thing about them is that they are still as tasty as the originals, but way better for our weight and health.

Since we all need to work a bit on our diets, I decided to surprise you all with the best baked glazed donut recipe. These are so good, that you won’t even notice that much difference, I guarantee you!

Why Do We Love Baked Glazed Donuts?

There are a lot of reasons why we love baked glazed donuts. They are tasty, soft, easy to make, and dipped in a decadent glaze. Oh, yes, the most important – they are lower in calories and trans fats!

To be more accurate, one homemade baked glade donuts have around 160 calories and only 3 grams of fat per piece, compared to the commercial version that has at least 260 calories and 14 grams of fat! But we will talk about nutrition facts a bit later.

If you take some time and Google “baked glazed doughnuts” you will find so many recipes that in the end, you won’t be able to decide which one to make. However, the good thing is that most of these recipes are simple and flexible, so no matter which one you choose you can accommodate it to fit your dietary needs and preferences.

Kitchen tools you will need

Making homemade baked glazed donuts from scratch is simple. All you need is a few ingredients, and a bit of creativity when it comes to decoration. The great news is that this recipe doesn’t require a lot of skills or time.

Since these are baked donuts, they will have a cake-like texture, and you won’t need to kneed and wait for the dough to rise. You will make a batter similar to a pancake batter, the only difference is in density.

Seriously, the most complicated part is melting the butter, and making the glaze, so as you can see, even the kids can do it. Prepare all the kitchen tools beforehand to speed up the process even more. You will need:

• Two large mixing bowl
• One medium mixing bowl for glaze
• Hand mixer
• Whisk or wooden spoon (depends on what you prefer)
• Saucepan
• Piping bag
• Donut mold
• Parchment paper
• Cooling wire rack

 

This recipe can be easily transformed into a dairy-free version, just switch the butter and milk with substitutions of your choice. Also, if you want to make the chocolate batter just add ½ cup of cocoa.

For the batter:

• 1 ¼ cup of plain all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup of granulated sugar
• ½ cup of whole milk
• 1 tablespoon of butter (melted)
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon or nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

For the glaze:

• 2 tablespoons of butter (melted)
• 1 cup of powder sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 tablespoons of whole milk

If you want you can leave the laze in plain white color, or you can add some food coloring and aroma of your choice.

Step-by-step on how to make baked glazed donuts

1. Before you start mixing the batter, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and make sure to grease up the donut pan or silicone pan.
2. In one large mixing bowl sift your flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Take the wooden spoon and combine these ingredients well.
3. In a second large bowl, whisk together sugar, vanilla, and room temperature egg. Add in melted butter and mix until it becomes frothy and smooth.
4. The next step is to add dry ingredients and whisk them all together on a medium speed. Gradually add in the whole milk until the batter is well combined and without any lumps.
5. Place the batter into a large piping bag and fill in each donut mold up to ¾ since they will rise a bit while baking. You can do this with a spoon as well, but it will be messy and it will take a bit more time.
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes depending on your oven. You can check if they are done by poking them with a toothpick, if it comes out clean they are baked. Place the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.
7. While the donuts are cooling off a bit make the glaze. Mix the melted butter and icing sugar in a medium bowl, then add vanilla and milk. Mix until the glaze becomes smooth and gooey. If you added too much sugar just add more milk, or add more sugar if the glaze is too runny.
8. Dunk your donuts in the glaze and place them on a wire rack with a piece of baking paper under it to prevent mess. You can decorate donuts with sprinkles or dried nuts.

Notes

As you may notice you won’t be needing yeast in this recipe. You will use baking powder for leavening and you won’t need to wait for your doughnuts to rise, they will rise in the oven. That means you can make the batter a day before and leave it overnight in the fridge and bake them for breakfast in the morning for example.

Don’t swap whole milk with skimmed version if you want your donuts to be tender and fluffy. If you will make a dairy-free version of this recipe I advise you to use coconut milk since it has the most creamy texture of all plant-based kinds of milk.

Also, you can make traditional sugar glaze, or you can make honey and maple glaze. In case you are not a big fan of glaze coating simply dip your donuts in melted chocolate, it is not big of a difference.

Nutrition

Logically not all baked glazed donuts have the same nutritional value. Of course that the one you make with buttermilk will be higher in calories and fats than the one you make with almond milk, for example.

The average homemade baked glazed donut has from 160 to 180 calories. Since you only use butter in the batter and you don’t fry them, the fat content is surprisingly low, only 2 grams per piece.

Sugar content is approximately 13 grams per donut, but that depends as well, you can reduce this by switching sugar with sweetener. Keep in mind, that type of glaze and coating you use affects the amount of sugar content.

FAQ

How long can I store these donuts?

Once you bake these donuts you can store them in an airtight container for about 1 to 2 days at room temperature, or you can place them in the fridge and keep them fresh for 3 days.

You can also freeze them after baking, but let them cool off completely. Store them in the ziplock bag in the freezer for up to a month. Don’t glaze them if you know you will freeze them!

Can I swap granulated sugar with brown sugar?

Yes! In fact. Brown sugar is a way better option than regular sugar. Sugar does not only sweeten the donut, it also enhances the flavor and texture.

If you use brown sugar your donuts will be more soft and extra flavorful since brown sugar is rich in molasses.

Baking powder or baking soda?

The answer is both or only baking powder. This combination will help your donuts to rise while they are baked. If you decide to use baking soda as well, swap milk with yogurt since the acidity from it will activate the baking soda and enhance the rising process.

Can I glaze completely cool donuts?

No! Your donuts must be warm so they can properly soak up the glaze. If you keep them in the freezer, thaw them completely and then reheat them in the microwave before dunking them in the glaze. You can dip both sides in the glaze, or only one but dip it twice then.

Let them sit on the wire rack for at least 20 minutes in some colder place of the room, so the coating will set and become crunchy and crackling.

Conclusion

You have to love this recipe, it is easy and straightforward, and there is no risk of over-kneading the dough, which can really ruin the test and texture of your donuts. Just so you know this is a basic recipe, and there is plenty of room for you to improvise.

You can add some flavorings, and chocolate chips, you can add peanut butter, yogurt, and coconut, and you can add whatever comes to your mind. The only thing you need to do is notify us of what great combination you come up with and motivate us to try it as well.