Vegan Baked Jelly Doughnuts
We have gathered here today to discuss a rather delicate matter. In front of us is a plate of very fluffy, filled doughnuts. We'll probably spend half an hour debating whether we should call them vegan „Berliners“, doughnuts or pancakes. Personally, I would say pancakes, but I've realized that the term „doughnut“ is what most people call them. So that's how it should be.
But there's this one thing that I find much more fatal and almost causes me a little physical pain. Because as fluffy as they are... they do have a secret. And that is: THEY COME OUT OF THE OVEN AND WERE NOT FRYED! – Moment of silence –
Yes, let's all leave that for a moment. You were probably already wondering why it doesn't smell so deliciously greasy in the kitchen. But now it's out, and I can even imagine that one or two of you might be pleased. That's exactly why we actually have this new doughnut recipe on the blog. We know that many people don't dare to use hot fat, and I accept and respect that – I really do! But for those who can't do without frying, here's our alternative recipe for vegan jelly doughnuts.
I prepared a particularly soft, fluffy yeast dough for the baked doughnuts – it shouldn't be sticky, of course, but you should be patient, a little more careful, and also spar with additional flour. If your yeast dough is already quite firm, the doughnuts will probably not be as wonderfully soft as we want them to be after baking.
If you have the feeling that the surface looks a little harder after baking, don't worry – the doughnuts will be soft after brushing with melted vegan butter at the latest. You can then roll them directly in sugar and fill them with your favorite jam. It's best to use a piping bag with a long, thin, pointed nozzle. If you want to fill the doughnuts evenly, you can also place them on a scale before and after filling to check the filling quantity. Alternatively, you could also use chocolate, nut or nougat cream or surprise everyone with a delicious mustard filling.
Vegan Baked Jelly Doughnuts
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 175 ml (0.75 cup) plant-based milk
- 1 cube (42 g / 1.5 oz) fresh yeast
- 75 g (0.33 cup) white sugar
- 500 g (4 cups) wheat flour (type 405)
- 75 g / 2.66 oz (approx. 3 tbsp) apple sauce
- 75 g (0.66 stick) vegan butter (room temperature)
- 1 vanilla pod (pulp)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 pinch of salt
Additionally:
- jam for filling
- melted vegan butter for spreading
- sugar for rolling and sprinkling
Instructions
First, heat the plant-based milk until it is lukewarm. Then pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer, crumble in the fresh yeast and add a small spoonful of the sugar. Leave the mixture to stand for about 5 minutes until small bubbles form on the surface – this lets you know that the yeast is active.
Now add the remaining sugar, flour, apple sauce, soft vegan butter, the pulp of a vanilla pod, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and knead everything into a smooth dough for several minutes.
Tip 1: It is best to do the window test to see if the dough has been kneaded sufficiently. To do this, take a small piece of yeast dough and pull it apart on all sides. The dough should stretch well so that you can almost see through it (hence the name window test) and not tear apart. If it tears or you cannot „see“ through it, continue kneading the dough.
Tip 2: The dough seems quite sticky at first, but give it time to knead and only really add some flour after a few minutes if necessary.
Form the dough into a large ball, cover it with a damp, clean kitchen towel, and leave it to rise in a warm place for about an hour. The dough should then have almost doubled in volume.
Remove the yeast dough from the bowl and divide it into small portions (75 g / 2.66 oz each). Round each portion of dough thoroughly so that you have small, even balls with a smooth surface. To do this, choose a work surface on which the dough can be rolled easily without having to dust it with flour. Otherwise, the dough balls won't be as nice and round because they will quickly become too dry.
Spread the dough balls out on one or two lined baking sheets with enough space between them and leave to rise again, covered, for 30–45 minutes so that they get bigger.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180 °C / 355 °F (convection heat). After rising, bake the dough balls for about 10–15 minutes until golden brown.
Remove the vegan doughnuts from the oven and leave them to cool a bit. Fill the cooled doughnuts with jam or another filling of your choice. Brush them with melted vegan butter, and roll in sugar directly on the top.
