Baked Donuts (Healthier, but just as delicious!)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift in your flours, salt and sugar. Keep aside.
2. In a medium sized jug, add lukewarm milk, sugar and yeast. Let it sit for 3-4 minutes, if the yeast is active, you will see bubbles on the surface. Now add vanilla and eggs and whisk well.
3. Add this liquid mixture and unsalted melted room temperature butter to the flour mixture. Knead for 8 minutes by using a stand mixer or for about 10-15 minutes by hand. The dough may be a little dry, if so, add a little more milk. Knead till it is smooth and almost springs back when you poke it.
4. Cover using cling wrap or foil. Leave it in an isolated warm place in your kitchen for about 1 hour or until it is doubled in size.
5. Once it is doubled in size. On a large clean flat surface, dust with some flour and plop the dough out. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1 inch thickness.
6. Using a doughnut cutter (or a cookie cutter + larger end of a piping nozzle) cut out doughnuts of your desired shape and size.
7. Lay them on a parchment lined baking sheet.
8. Cover the cut out doughnuts loosely with a clean kitchen cloth and leave them to rise for another 30 minutes.
9. Meanwhile pre-heat your oven to 180 C. Once the doughnuts have risen again, brush the tops gently with some more melted butter an bake them for 15 minutes.
10. Make your favourite glaze, or slather them with nutella, dip them in melted chocolate, dust them with brown sugar and cinnamon, fill them with jelly. And shove em into your face! They’re that good! Wait for them to cool down a little before icing them.

Simple glaze recipe: 100g sifted icing sugar  + 1 tsp Vanilla extract + 1 or 2 tsbp milk/water (according to desired consistency) [for chocolate glaze, add 2 tbsp cocoa powder, or for berry glaze add 1 tbsp of your favourite berry jam)

These are best eaten the day they’re made.