Nutella-filled baked doughnuts
Soft and springy baked doughnuts filled with Nutella or Jam.
I posted a baked doughnut recipe in September last year. To achieve a soft fluffy airy texture for old-fashioned fried donuts without frying, the batter has to be lighter and the baking heat high with enough rising agents to lift up the dough. I am more than happy with the non-yeast recipe of making baked donuts as they taste more like donuts rather than soft bread.
However, if you like filled doughnuts, this recipe produces a less fragile and more elastic dough that is easy to pipe in any filling you fancy. It is a yeast- based recipe hence needs a resting period for the gluten to develop and doubles its volume, just like making bread. To avoid the doughnuts tasting like bread, I add egg yolks and some melted butter to enrich the dough.
So these are really ' dough'nuts . You end up with a dough that you roll out flat into 1/2 inches thick, then cut them round using a 2-3 inch cookies' cutter. The other recipe gives a batter rather a dough which needs a pipping bag and a donut mould.
Now we have two options. If you like your doughnuts with fillings, use this yeast dough recipe. If you like a traditionally-shaped doughnut with just glazing, my previous post will serve you better.
Makes 12 filled doughnuts
Ingredients
300g plain flour
a pitch of salt
50g granulated sugar
7 grams fast action yeast
150 ml tepid milk
60 ml melted butter
2 egg yolks
1/2 vanilla extract
a cup of warm Nutella or Jam
a cup of granulated sugar for dusting on top
Methods
Put yeast, milk and sugar in a small bowl and leave it for 10 minutes until you see some foam forming at the top
In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour and salt. Make a well in the middle then add butter, egg yolks and the yeast mixture. With a dough hook, knead on low speed for 2 minutes until everthing blends into a ball. Increase the speed to medium low for 5-6 minutes until you get a smooth and elastic ball. Leave in a bowl cover with damp tea towel for 1-2 hours until the dough doubles in size.
Knock back the dough with your knuckles to remove any air and turn it onto a floured work surface.
Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick then cut into rounds using a 1 1/2 inch cookie cutter and lay them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cover with a damp tea towel. Leave to rise up for 25 minutes in a 40'c degree oven or about 40 minutes in warm room temperature.
Bake in 190c oven for 10- 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt 2 tbsp of butter in a small bowl. Warm up Nutella in a low power in microwave and transfer it into a piping bag.
Brush with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven. Coat them in grunulated sugar.
Cut a slit on the side of each doughnut and pipe in some Nutella or Jam. Best serve on the of baking.