Baked melt-in-your-mouth Sourdough Donuts
Baked melt-in-your-mouth Sourdough Donuts
These melt-in-your-mouth sourdough donuts are soft, fluffy, and every bit as delicious as their fried friends—if not better! They have that rich, brioche-style texture that makes every bite feel light, tender, and perfectly indulgent. They’re simple to make, taste absolutely amazing, and the frosting is just the right consistency for dipping. My favorite part is dipping them while they’re still warm, because the frosting gently softens the crust and gives them that sweet, glazed finish that tastes so much like a Krispy Kreme donut. They’re cozy, homemade, and unbelievably good from the very first bite.
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 85g whole milk
- 85g water
- 30g all-purpose flour
Yeast Mixture
- 70g warm whole milk 105-110°F
- 12g active dry yeast
Dough
Wet Ingredients
- Prepared tangzhong
- Bloomed yeast mixture
- 200g sourdough discard 100% hydration
- 50g granulated sugar
- 30g light corn syrup
- 16g vanilla extract
- 55g whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
Dry Ingredients
- 20g buttermilk powder
- 25g dry milk powder
- 560g all-purpose flour
- 8g coarse kosher salt
Fat
- 80g salted butter room temp and cubed (not melted)
- 10g olive oil
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream
Optional Krispy Kreme Glaze
- 480g powdered sugar
- 90g whole milk (you want the frosting to be runny, not thick, a drizzle consistency)
- 30g light corn syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Directions
Make the Tangzhong
- Whisk together the milk, water, and flour in a small saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens into a smooth paste, the consistency of loose creamy mashed potatoes.
- Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Bloom the Yeast
- Combine warm milk and yeast.
- Let sit 5-10 minutes until foamy.
Mix the Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine:
- * Cooled tangzhong
- * Bloomed yeast mixture
- * Sourdough discard
- * Sugar
- * Corn syrup
- * Vanilla
- * Milk
- * Egg
- * Egg yolk
- Mix until combined.
Add the dry ingredients:
- * Buttermilk powder
- * Dry milk powder
- * Flour
- * Salt
- Mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms.
- Add room temp butter
- With mixer running on low, add softened butter one piece at a time.
- Once incorporated, add olive oil.
- Continue kneading 8-12 minutes on low speed until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky.
- Note: my dough looks sticky at first but by the end of mixing, it comes away from the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. I mix on speed 2 the entire 8 minutes.
First Rise
- Place dough in a lightly greased bowl.
- Cover and rise until doubled, about 60-90 minutes.
Shape
- Roll dough to approximately 1/2 inch thickness.
Cut donuts and donut holes.
- Note: if the holes are smaller than 1” they will close when baking. Personally I don’t mind this because the frosting kind of pools in the middle and I love that! If you want a true donut with a hole in the middle, even after baking, stretch the doughnut hole slightly with your hands after cutting out the middles. (to get the donuts to be small enough to pool the frosting in the middle, use a biscuit cutter and a piping tip. If you cut them smaller, the centers will fill slightly.
- Place on parchment-lined baking sheets or directly onto a stoneware baking tray.
Final Proof
- Cover loosely. You don’t want the dough drying out. This will give you an unwanted crust after baking.
- Allow to rise 60 minutes or until very puffy and airy.
- Note: I allow mine to almost double in height.
- Do not rush this step.
Egg Wash
- Whisk together the egg and heavy cream.
- Brush lightly over the tops.
- Note: do not egg wash the donuts until right before putting them in the oven. Doing egg wash too early prevents the dough from rising properly.
Bake
- Bake at 350°F for 11-13 minutes until desired golden crust is achieved.
- Note: I pull mine around 11-12 minutes but the heat in my oven could vary from yours.
- Note: Begin checking at 10 minutes.
- The donuts should be golden on the tops.
Keep Them Soft
- After 5 minutes of cooling, dip the tops into the Krispy Kreme icing. (This coating will soften the crust and make them perfect!)
- Allow the icing to set.
- Note: the icing measurements are for if you want the tops & bottoms of the donuts coated. If I’m only dipping the tops I cut it in half.