Baked Oven Doughnuts: A Lighter, Foolproof Alternative to Deep Frying

Old-fashioned doughnuts usually bring to mind vats of hot oil, deep-frying, and a messy kitchen. However, a modern baking approach allows you to make these treats right in your oven—they remain incredibly fluffy, soft, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, but are significantly lighter and far less greasy.

Ingredients for Baked Doughnuts: What You'll Need

For the most flawless, bakery-style texture, we highly recommend measuring your ingredients by weight (grams):

• Fats: 57g (4 tbsp) softened butter, 50g (1/4 cup) neutral vegetable oil.
• Sugars: 99g (1/2 cup) granulated white sugar and 71g (1/3 cup) light brown sugar.
• Wet Ingredients: 2 large eggs, 227g (1 cup) milk, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract.
• Dry Ingredients: 320g (2 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour, 1.5 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 3/4 tsp salt.
• The Secret Spice: 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (this is the magic ingredient that gives them that nostalgic "doughnut shop" flavor).

How to Make Doughnuts in the Oven: Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prep: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease your standard doughnut pans with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Creaming: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, vegetable oil, and both sugars until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Flavor & Leavening: Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, and nutmeg.
4. The Dough: Alternately add the flour and the milk, mixing gently until just combined. The batter will be quite thick: if you drag a spatula through it, it should leave a clear trench.
5. Baking: Fill the wells of your doughnut pans (using a piping bag is the easiest and cleanest method), leaving about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) of space at the top for rising. Bake for 10–12 minutes. Let the doughnuts rest in the pan for 5 minutes before gently transferring them to a wire rack.