Doughnuts are not the kind of thing you imagine could be easily made healthier – to say nothing of the fact that they’re not the most common among home-baked goods. Luckily, you can do both. That is, you can have your doughnut and eat it too, without violating your healthy diet or failing to continuously impress your family and friends with your home-cooked creations. Enjoy this sweet vegan figure-friendly doughnut recipe and say goodbye to (some of) the guilt.

In one glazed Dunkin’ Donut, there are 260 calories, 50 percent of which is fat, 14 grams of fat, 330 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of carbs, 12 grams of sugar, and only 1 gram of dietary fiber. It contains the allergens eggs, milk, soy and wheat. As far as the ingredients list goes, most of it is hard to pronounce. From sodium stearoyl lactylate to sodium acid pryophosphate to thiamin mononitrate, you can rest assured (alarmingly so), that what you’re ingesting isn’t the most “real” of treats.

The following vegan baked doughnut recipe takes out all the preservatives, artificial flavors and other additives and makes doughnut baking a fun and easy experience. Enjoy!

Vegan Baked Doughnut Recipe

Makes 12-15 doughnuts

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

• 1/4 cup spelt flour
• 1/4 cup oat flour
• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon arrowroot powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients:

• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/8 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping Options:

• Turbinado sugar
• Chocolate glaze

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Slowly stir in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients to form a sticky batter. Fill a pastry bag (or a regular plastic bag with a snipped corner) with the batter and squeeze the batter into the holes of a regular-sized doughnut tin. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through and slightly browned. Toss while still warm in turbinado sugar before serving.

Related on EcoSalon

Vegan This: Nutella Donut Muffins

Strawberry and Cream Doughnuts Recipe

The Original L.A. ‘Fauxnut’ Doughnuts Recipe

Photo Credit: nfnitloop

The post Vegan Wheat-Free Baked Doughnut Recipe (that Doesn’t Suck) appeared first on EcoSalon.

As any resident can tell you, a good day in the Crescent City starts with  hot beignets and strong coffee, even if you do have to brush a whole lot of  powdered sugar off your shirtfront afterwards. And while a plain, freshly made beignet is perfection in itself, many pastry chefs are now gilding the lily, dressing up their beignets recipe and calling them dessert.

Makes 12 beignets

Ingredients
1 package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 egg, beaten
Vegetable oil for frying
Powdered sugar for serving

Directions
1. In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water. Set aside for 5 minutes, then stir briefly to dissolve the yeast.

2. Sift flour, sugar, and salt into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment.

3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat milk and butter until butter melts and milk is just beginning to steam. Pour hot milk mixture into flour and beat briskly. If using stand mixer, beat on medium-low speed until just mixed. Add beaten egg and yeast mixture and beat vigorously until smooth.

4. In a cast-iron Dutch oven or other heavy,  deep pot over medium-high heat, heat two to three inches of oil to 365°F. Line a baking sheet with a grid rack or two layers of paper towels.

5. While oil is heating, lightly flour a counter or work surface. Sprinkle flour over a baking sheet. Pat dough out into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut rectangle into 12 squares, each approximately 2 inches square. Arrange squares on floured baking sheet.

6. Using a slotted spoon or skimmer, drop beignets into oil, frying in batches to avoid crowding the pan. Fry for 1 minute, then flip to brown other side. Using a slotted spoon, skimmer, or tongs, remove beignets from oil. Let drain on rack or paper towels. Repeat with remaining beignets.

7. Sift powdered sugar over beignets and serve warm.

Need something a little lighter? Try a fauxnut recipe instead.

This recipes courtesy of  World of Doughnuts (Egg & Dart Press, June 2013)

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Inspired by strawberry shortcake, this summertime treat, yeasted doughnuts are split open and filled with sweetened fresh strawberries and freshly whipped cream. Give this homemade strawberry and cream doughnuts recipe a try.

Makes 16 doughnuts

Strawberry and Cream Doughnuts Recipe

Ingredients

Dough for Yeast–Raised Doughnuts made through the first rise (see below)
1 pint Driscoll’s Organic strawberries (or fresh from your favorite farmer’s market), hulled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus 1 teaspoon
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for dusting

 Directions

1. Gently punch the dough down. Lightly flour a work surface and a baking sheet. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a ½-inch-thick round. Using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut out rounds of dough, dipping the cutter in flour before each cut to prevent sticking.

2. Transfer the doughnuts to a lightly floured baking sheet, cover with a dry clean kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.

3. Heat the oil in a cast-iron Dutch oven or skillet over medium-high heat to 375°F on a candy or deep-fat thermometer.

Place a grid-patterned wire rack on a baking sheet or line the pan with two layers of paper towels.

4. Using a slotted spoon or a skimmer, drop the doughnuts into the hot oil in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes, then flip and fry for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until the doughnuts are puffed, golden brown, and cooked through. Break open a “test doughnut” from the first batch to make sure the doughnuts are cooking correctly; adjust the heat level of the oil as needed.

5. Using a slotted spoon or a skimmer, transfer the doughnuts to the wire rack or paper towels to drain. Let cool.

6. In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the 2 tablespoons sugar and let stand for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. until the sugar is dissolved.

7. In a deep medium bowl, using a whisk or a hand-held electric mixer, beat the cream until thickened. Add the 1 teaspoon sugar and the vanilla extract and continue beating until soft peaks form. Spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip.

8. Slice each doughnut horizontally, cutting about three-quarters of the way through. Gently pry open the doughnut and tuck in a layer of strawberries. Pipe in a thick ribbon of whipped cream. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts.

Dust the doughnuts with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Yeast-Raised Dough Ingredients

¾ cup warm milk (110° to 115°F)
1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons)
active dry yeast
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Vegetable oil for deep-frying

 Directions

1. Pour the warm milk into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and let stand for 5 minutes, then stir to dissolve the yeast.

2. Add the eggs and vanilla to the yeast mixture and beat on low speed for 1 minute.

3. In a medium bowl, combine 3 cups of the flour, the sugar, and salt. Stir with a whisk to blend. Add to the yeast mixture gradually and mix on low speed for 4 minutes, or until the dough begins to clear the sides of the mixer and form a ropy ball of dough around the hook.

4. With the machine running, add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, letting each piece be absorbed by the dough before adding the next.

Continue mixing for 3 to 4 more minutes, adding the remaining ½ cup flour a little at a time as needed to make a soft dough.

5. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn the dough to oil it. Cover with a damp clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.

This recipes courtesy of  World of Doughnuts (Egg & Dart Press, June 2013)

The post Strawberry and Cream Doughnuts Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.

This is the doughnuts recipe that made Mani’s Bakery famous.

Fauxnuts were the answer to a cry for help when Danny DeVito was filming Other People’s Money. His character was addicted to doughnuts, but in real life, the actor did not eat sugar or fried foods. I whipped up a batch of agave syrup–sweetened banana batter, baked it in mini Bundt molds, and rolled the mini “cakes” in a variety of doughnut-style toppings. Dubbed fauxnuts by my dear friend Mary Coller, this doughnuts recipe was such a hit with Danny and the crew that we quickly added them to the bakery’s daily repertoire. The story went viral and we watched customers line up for them!

Makes 12 doughnuts

Ingredients

For the Fauxnut

Nonstick cooking spray for the pan
3 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 ½  teaspoons baking soda
½  teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¾cups mashed ripe bananas
3 eggs
1 ¾ cups agave syrup, preferably light
1⁄4 cup canola or other neutral- flavored vegetable oil
1⁄4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the toppings

1 cup agave syrup, preferably light
Unsweetened shredded dried coconut, graham cracker crumbs, or toasted diced almonds

 Directions

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Spray a 6-cup mini Bundt pan with cooking spray.

2. To make the fauxnuts, in a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. in a medium bowl, whisk the banana until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, agave syrup, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla to the banana and whisk until smooth and creamy, about
 2 minutes. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the banana mixture. Whisk together the dry and wet ingredients briefly yet thoroughly. Fill each mold no more than three-fourths full with batter. The easiest way to do this is to transfer the batter to a liquid measuring cup.

3. Bake until the tops spring back when pressed lightly near the center with a fingertip, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Invert the pan, hold it at an angle, and give it a firm whack on the countertop, then repeat the motion until all the fauxnuts pop out onto the rack. Let the fauxnuts cool completely. Repeat with the remaining batter, allowing the pan to cool and spraying it with cooking spray before filling and baking.

4. To top the fauxnuts, bring the agave syrup to a low boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and pour into a small, deep heat- proof bowl. Place each of your chosen toppings in a separate small bowl. Turn a cooled fauxnut upside down, dip the top half into the hot syrup, and then roll it in the desired topping. Transfer to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining fauxnuts, then serve at room temperature. Strain the leftover agave syrup to remove any crumbs and save for another purpose

Note: chocolate-dipped fauxnuts variation: Put 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips and 11⁄2 teaspoons canola or other neutral- flavored vegetable oil in a heatproof bowl and set over (not touching) hot (not simmering) water in a saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from over the water and let cool slightly. Tilt the bowl so the chocolate collects in a deep pool. Turn a cooled fauxnut upside down, dip the top half into the chocolate, and then shake the fauxnut gently so that the excess chocolate drips back into the bowl. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with toasted diced almonds or unsweetened shredded dried coconut, if desired. Repeat with the remaining fauxnuts. Refrigerate briefly to set the chocolate before serving.

This recipe comes from Good Morning Baking, by Mani Niall.

Image by, Erin Kunkel

The post The Original L.A. ‘Fauxnut’ Doughnuts Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.