The first time I had a Dough doughnut was at a little sun-drenched picnic about a year ago. Linda graced us with a floppy box brimming with gems from this shop I’d previously never heard of (I live under a rock) and they looked glorious — plump and squashy, stacked two levels deep on sticky wax paper and cloaked in crackly, dripping glazes of all colors and flavors.
Overwhelmed by choice, I just went for the one with the prettiest color (because I evidently judge both books and carbs by their covers). It was an enormous and aggressively magenta beauty that turned out to be, as you might have guessed, hibiscus — and it was totally magnificent. The mouth-puckering brightness from the hibiscus is a perfect balance for the decadence of fried dough, and keeps it addictive long after chocolate or dulce de leche might have gotten heavy. Which was both a good and terrible thing, since I started with a lady-like half (ha) and ended up finishing a whole, another half … and the other half of that half. So crazy good.
So, as is my way with things I eat and love, I thought it would be fun to recreate these pink ladies at home. There’s just a teensy, a little weird, please-forgive-me twist: I baked them. I know! They’re not even cake doughnuts. I didn’t even use the cute doughnut pans. But, even though the hibiscus keeps things feeling light and fresh enough to withstand a little frying, I was just curious to see if a yeast doughnut could be baked, and when I saw that Heidi had done it, I was convinced to try. Lo and behold, I loved them. Baked yeast doughnuts aren’t the same as their fried sistren (alas, but no surprises there) and they come out looking comically pale and kind of like underbaked bagels, but they’re delicious — squashy-soft, with a hint of vanilla and a comforting chew. With a vibrantly flavorful, sweet-tart glaze to carry the day, the difference is negligible. And in exchange, you get a quicker, hands-off process, no excess of splattering oil, and the tiniest sense of virtue.
Like most of my yeast recipes, the dough incorporates an overnight rise, so you can do the kneading and the heavy-lifting in the cooler evenings, then give them a quick ten minutes in the oven the next day before it can heat up the kitchen too badly. In the same way, you can boil up the hibiscus the night before and let it all cool down before mixing up the glaze. The glaze uses a combination of a water-based hibiscus tea concentrate and a hibiscus-infused cream — I thought a concentrate-only glaze was a bit too sharp, both too tangy and too powdery-sweet, and a little cream went a long way for a smoother, rounder taste and a thicker pour. But making both is finicky, so you should feel free to experiment with one or the other in case you find that’s all you need. Either way, the recipe will yield a surplus of both concentrate and cream, which you can use to make agua fresca or cream soda — or, if you feel like waiting a few days, a mocktail recipe that will be up later this week. 🙂
Happy Tuesday!
P.S. In case you were wondering, though, you can fry this dough if you want. It’s great too. I tested it, for science.
Baked yeast doughnuts with hibiscus glaze.
- Yield: about 6-8 doughnuts and sundry doughnut holes. 1x
Ingredients
- for the dough:
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 1/2 tsp yeast
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups (about 350g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pinch freshly ground nutmeg (optional)
- 2 tbsp butter
- for the glaze:
- 1/2 cup dried hibiscus flowers, divided (you can order them here in a small amount or here in bulk)
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- The night before or several days ahead, for the glaze: Make the hibiscus concentrate by combining 1/4 cup hibiscus flowers and 2 cups water in a small saucepot and bringing it to a boil over medium heat. Simmer for 15 minutes, then let cool completely and refrigerate until needed. Make the hibiscus cream by combining the cream and remaining 1/4 cup hibiscus flowers in a small saucepan over medium heat. Warm the mixture until just the edges begin to simmer, then immediately remove from heat. Let sit until completely cool, then refrigerate until needed. In about an hour, the cream should turn a bright, pretty magenta, almost like paint. Both the cream and the concentrate will keep for a good while, at least a week or more.
- The night before, for the dough: Heat the milk until just warm to the touch but not hot, about 110 degrees. This takes me about 15-20 seconds in the microwave. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and let sit for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy. (See Notes if your milk is having trouble foaming.)
- Meanwhile, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and nutmeg (if using) in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, vinegar, vanilla extract, and milk-yeast mixture. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until a wet dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 4-5 minutes, adding flour only as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. It should be a fairly sticky dough. Once the dough forms a semi-elastic ball, add the butter in two batches, one tablespoon at a time, kneading until incorporated after each addition. The butter will make the dough quite messy at first but should eventually incorporate into a light, silky dough. Continue to knead for 4-5 minutes. Place back in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise in the refrigerator overnight, until well-doubled. (If you’d like to make the dough the day of, this should be fine — it will need about 1-2 hours at room temperature to double.)
- The day of: Turn the cold dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it to a half-inch thickness and stamp out rounds using a 4-inch cookie cutter, re-rolling the scraps as needed. (At a certain point, I just twisted the remaining scraps into a makeshift cruller, but do whatever you like!) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the rounds to it. Using a 1-inch cutter, cut holes in the doughnut rounds. Let proof for another hour, or until doubled. In the last 20 minutes of proofing, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Bake the doughnuts and doughnut holes together until the bottoms are barely browned, about 9-10 minutes. The doughnuts will look comically pale — this is fine. As long as the bottoms are golden, they should be cooked through. You can break open a doughnut hole to test.
- For the glaze: Strain out the flowers from the concentrate and hibiscus cream. Combine the powdered sugar with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the hibiscus concentrate and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the hibiscus cream, and whisk until smooth. You may want to add a bit at a time, until the glaze reaches your desired consistency. When the glaze looks about right, dip the fully-cooled doughnuts in the glaze, sprinkle with a few additional hibiscus flowers, and enjoy immediately. Doughnuts will keep, but are best enjoyed within a few hours of baking.
Notes
For the glaze, you can opt to make only a hibiscus-infused cream or a hibiscus concentrate, or you can use a mixture of both, like I did. For a creamier glaze, use about 3 1/2 to 4 tablespoons cream and no concentrate; for a tart glaze, use 2 1/2 tablespoons or so of concentrate and no cream. If your milk and yeast will not foam, you may need to scald the milk first (see this thread for more information). Heat the milk in a small saucepan just until the edges begin to simmer, then remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm, add the yeast, and proceed. To fry these like regular doughnuts, heat about one inch of neutral-flavored oil in a pot over medium heat to 375° or when small piece of dough bubbles cheerfully when dropped into the oil. Use a fish spatula or slotted spoon (or both together) to gently pick up a donut and place it in the oil. Cook, flipping once, until puffed and dark golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on napkins or a baking sheet and let cool until just warm to the touch.
Erica
I’m IN LOVE with these photos. And the doughnuts!! The color is to die for. You are such a talented woman!!
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
Well you’ve gone and blown my mind! I had no idea you could bake yeast doughnuts, but girrrrl you did it and they are gorgeous! I’m totally the same way, I judge my donuts by the color and pretty factor, which makes sense, right? 🙂
Betty | le jus d'orange
Ah!! They’re perfect. The color of the glaze really pops!!! If I saw these lined up with other glazed doughnuts… I would probably choose these just for the color 😉
Spindle
Looks like they got the beet ya they got the beet round round round they got the beet
★★★★
Corinne Watson (@Corinne_Melanie)
These look amazing. Seriously can’t wait to try and make a mess from getting stuck in!
Daniela
The pictures are really fantastic! I should make these dougnuts as well 🙂
Ursula @ LilVienna.com
Love the color of the hibiscus glaze! And the fact that you didn’t waste any dough and made little brother and sister donuts 😉
madeline
I immediately thought these were real Dough doughnuts upon scrolling! This is my absolute favorite donut to order when I go there–the hibiscus adds such a refreshing and tangy flavor, plus it is gorgeous to look at ; ) I’m glad we both pick foods based on looks..can’t wait to make these at home myself now!!
http://madelinemarieblog.com/
Amanda | What's Cooking
What a great idea. These are so pretty and they look delicious. I’ve never had a yeasted doughnut but now I’ll make these!
kathryn @ The Scratch Artist
I live under a rock too! I have never heard of a dough doughnut. I love the color of these and I can just imagine the taste. Thanks for the introduction! Like I said last week, your blog always introduces me to new foods and taste sensations.
kathryn @ The Scratch Artist
Ooops! I misread your introduction. I thought these were a new type of doughnut called dough doughnuts. That’s what I get for reading too quickly. Their website looks just great. I will have to try them or your recipe 🙂
Michelle @ Hummingbird High
I’ve had that donut from Dough before! It’s so good; perfectly tangy and sweet, and that color!!! Your homemade version definitely nails it — I can’t believe these are baked!!!
molly yeh
AHHH i am heart eyes right now.
consideringtheradish
These donuts look like summer sunshine. I love donuts. I love buying them from my local shop and eating them on a lazy weekend day. But I’ve never made them, because I don’t want to bother with the frying. I definitely would bother with baking them.
Kathryn
omg, these are seriously stunning. that pink? I want everything that I eat to be that colour.
Megan | the bay leaf kitchen
I just went to Dough for the first time this summer! I had the ultra chocolate one (I think they SAID there was caramel in it, but for my part, I couldn’t taste it with all that gooey chocolate frosting!)
Great job getting the color down and baking the donuts! I can just imagine sinking my teeth into their soft, dough-y goodness!
Christine
Hibiscus and baked donuts?! These look delightful and I’m pretty happy that they stand up to baking (I just can’t make myself deep-fry and secretly I like that my husband thinks it’s a restaurant-only thing!)
Courtney | Fork to Belly
Wait, baked yeast doughnuts?? I must live under a bigger rock.
But they are Gorgeous!!!! With a capital G!! Baked or fried, these are the plumpest yeast doughnuts ever. And I can always get down with hibiscus<3
Eliza
My gripe with many doughnuts that I’ve had in the past is that they’re too heavy. These hibiscus doughnuts look just light enough to be just right. I’ll have to hunt for some hibiscus sometime soon!
tessahuff // style sweet ca
OMG that GLAZE!!!!! It is soooo pretty. I love hibiscus-anything, so I can’t wait to try this out! Plus, donuts. I die.
themultitaskingmissus
I’ve been wanting to make doughnuts for so long. This must be the first doughnut recipe I try. Thanks so much for sharing! And that glaze is so vibrant, I love it!
rebecca | DisplacedHousewife
These look sooo so so nummy!! And the color and hibiscus…just yum.
stephanie
i never thought of baking yeast donuts but now that i know it’s possible….game changer! love the bright pink of the hibiscus 🙂
and mmmmmmm dough…i LOVE the lemon poppy seed
Ellie@fitforthesoul
I was wondering about that, Cynthia! Okay you gotta stop reading my mind now, very soon…. 😉 Baked or not, these are so adorable and pretty!!!!! I always love the real stuff when it comes to food but I’m so open minded to anything that tastes good on its own, as long as I don’t think to myself, “this doesn’t deserve the name so-and-so, so why are they calling it so-and-so?”, then I’m okay. It’s all in the mind after all. I’m assuming these are like reealllly sweet bagels but softer??
Brooke Bass
Hahaha you’re adorable. I’m glad you tested both ways, you know, in the name of science 😉 I’m a big fan of homemade donuts and am totally intrigued by the baking method (ESPECIALLY since it’s so hot these days and standing over a splattering fryer is not my favorite thing to do.) And THIS COLOR?? Unreal.
cococakeland
Crackly drippy! You describe a perfect glaze so spot-on, Cynthia! Also I love the shape of these, and that you didn’t use a donut pan – nice call on baking them, why not! I too tend to choose based on colour. I am just finally admitting that I am drawn to colour. I may become a crazy colour blast clothing wearing lady soon… XO (ps anytime i think of your name i hear in my head teddy saying “thanks for the brownie, CYNTHIA!” hehe
Kristin
These are so lovely… I’m so glad they’re baked; I can never muster the gumption to fry doughnuts, and thus—believe it or not—have never actually made any doughnuts! I love hibiscus tea, however, so these are going on my list. I might try a mini version, as I have a pan that I have never used. By the by, I’m tickled “pink” at how you decorated them with hibiscus leaves on only one little section. Nice touch!
Kimberly Espinel (@TLPlantation)
Oh my God. That colour is so much fun. Am particularly in love with the teeny tiny ones. Adorable.
Rachel Heffington
BRILLIANT. And are hibiscus “leaves” and “petals” the same thing? Magenta is my jam. Cannot wait to make these. <3
tworedbowls
D’oh, I’m so silly! It should be dried hibiscus flowers or petals, not leaves. Haha. I don’t know where I got that from — thanks for the catch!! It’s edited now. And thank you so much for the kind words!!
Rachel Heffington @Lipstick & Gelato
Haha! Okay! I just wanted to be sure I wasn’t headed off to buy the wrong thing.
Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence
Mmmm, I love a good tart glaze on a donut. And that color. Just goooorg!
genevieve y
Ever since I had hibiscus water in Mexico a few years ago I haven’t been able to stop ordering dishes and drinks with hibiscus in them. I’ve never made my own doughnuts before but I would happily take a baked doughnut over a fried one, especially if they’re yeasty ones that need to rise overnight! As always, beautiful photos. My belly is full from dinner and I *still* want one of these doughnuts <3
Ace
Oh Dough hibiscus donuts are my favorite forever and ever amen! They sell them at the coffee shop 2 blocks from my apartment and it’s a major problem (in a good way). I can’t wait to try these!
Ingrid - For the love of pie
These look so delicious, can almost taste them in my mouth. I love donuts so much, but only try to eat them when in the US, because over here, they’re just a bit flavorless. But I might try to make yours really soon! x
Liz @ Floating Kitchen
Baked yeast donuts = total game changer! I could seriously look at these photos all day long. They are gorgeous and make me so happy!
Erika
That glaze is both stunning and delicious. I eat doughnuts way too much, the evidence of this seems impossible to burn off at the gym. Definitely going to make these.
Tessa | Salted Plains
These are just gorgeous, Cynthia. That color is amazing! Now that I know this is possible, I have a feeling that a yeasted baked doughnut will be a new favorite for me over the regular baked!
Anant
Hi. I tried the recipe. But while I was making the hibiscus concentrate, the water turned black. Is it okay? Or I went wrong somewhere?
★★★★★
kristinaradin
Pink (and all the variations) is my favourite colour. These donuts are sooo pretty. And the fact that they are not fried makes me love them even more. I am always a bit suspicious when I see bright colour frosting, since it always looks so fake to me, but this one…amazing!
Angela Field (PatisserieMakesPerfect)
This post is just so spooky! I made baked yeasted dougnuts for the first time a week ago (http://www.patisseriemakesperfect.co.uk/bake-in-black-review-and-a-giveaway/). Like you I didn’t have a doughnut pan, I just shaped them myself and then filled them with jelly.
I’ve also just made a batch of hibiscus syrup and I have been looking for something to make with it. These look stunning, I love the striking colour – they really make you sit up and take notice!
Lovely photographs.
SugarSpunRun
These donuts are gorgeous, I LOVE the color of that glaze!
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough
These doughnuts are the prettiest I’ve ever seen! I almost wouldn’t eat them because they’re so pretty (I said almost. Because doughnuts).
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul
Omg I want to reach through the screen and grab one of these! Yum!
Her Heartland Soul
http://herheartlandsoul.com
Lindsey
that vibrant shade of pink is so magical, lady! thank you for making the internet such a beautiful day, this post elicits googly heart eyes and big smiles! <3 xo
frolicchocolate
um THESE ARE GORGEOUS. you are a magician. with pink icing.
Lisa
The color of that glaze on these doughnuts look absolutely wonderful! I’ve never been to dough before, but I’ve definitely heard good things about them. Need to give them a try soon!
Ashlae
Doughnuts are my main weakness. We live two blocks from Voodoo and I literally can no longer walk by that evil establishment because the smell is far too delicious to resist. So I’ve resorted to doughnuts of the homemade variety but had no idea I could BAKE YEAST DOUGHNUTS!?!?!?!!! You rock my world, lady. And that glaze? SWOON.
Kate Ramos (@holajalapeno)
I am a sucker for all things hibiscus–that color!!! I’ve strayed from baked donuts because to me they just seem like muffins in a donut shape, but I like this yeasted idea. Can’t wait to see how they turn out!
Joanne
Hi there, did you use instant or active dry yeast?
tworedbowls
Hi Joanne, I used active dry, but you can also use instant if that’s all you have! Just mix it into the dry ingredients in Step 3 instead of adding it to the warm milk. Thanks for that catch! I’ve updated the ingredients list and the notes too, thanks to you!
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April
This may be a dumb question, but I’m making the glaze right now…do I strain the hibiscus out of the water before refrigerating, and also out of the cream, or let it sit in there until I use it?
tworedbowls
Hi April, not silly at all and I’m sorry my instructions didn’t specify! Strain out just before using to make the glaze. I will edit to make clear. Thank you for catching that!
erica
the photos are beautiful! the donuts i made following this recipe are… not. they ended up tasting like bagels and were a bit dry on the outside, and rose to like 3-4 inches in the oven, so much so that the holes mostly disappeared. there are so many things that could have gone wrong… if you have any idea of what the most likely thing is and how to do better next time, i’d love to hear it!