Easy Baked Donuts From Scratch – Olympic Style

(cue Olympic theme song….)

It’s Olympic season everyone! A time when we can celebrate with the world’s best athletes in our favorite sport. Even though it has been several years since I’ve religiously followed the 16 day event, whenever I hear that jingle on NBC or watch an emotional tribute on the podium, I am reminded of how much I love this season!

As with watching any major sporting event, food is involved. Am I right? Americans love to watch lots of sports and eat lots of food.  Since there aren’t many recipes out there that incorporate the Olympics, I thought it would be fun to make a food using the primary symbol of the Olympic games – the five interlocking rings!   The blue, yellow, black, green and red rings were designed over 100 years ago and are still beloved today.

So, what type of food would simulate the interlocking rings? Why….donuts, of course! Not only are they naturally circular, but I can’t think of one person who doesn’t like the taste of fresh sweet bread. Donuts are also very American. Incorporating the international rings into an American treat is a subtle way to show some patriotism as well.  Go USA!

Instead of fried, these donuts are baked and have a  glazed donut like texture. I make them using a dough hook on my mixer and that makes it oh so simple!  Plus, I literally only had 2 pans to wash up.

Are you ready to make some homemade Olympic themed donuts with me?

As with any kind of pastry, you will need flour, yeast, milk, sugar and salt. You will also need 2 eggs, cooking oil (like Canola), pure vanilla extract and lots of all-purpose flour. That’s it! Once the donuts are cool, you will need your favorite frosting recipe and some colored decorator  icing.

Start by combining  1 3/4 cups warm milk (100 – 110 degrees), 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (= 2 yeast packets) and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Using your dough hook, turn the mixer on low just long enough to stir the ingredients. Turn off the mixture and let it sit for 10 minutes.

When you come back, the yeast will have proofed and bubble up like this! Pretty sweet 🙂

Now add all remaining ingredients except for the flour:  1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 2 eggs and 1/3 cup cooking oil. On low speed, stir the ingredients and then slowly add 4 1/2 cups of flour – one cup at a time. Next, turn the mixer on medium high speed and “knead” the dough for 7 minutes. As the gluten is developed, you will start to see the dough pull away from the sides of the bowl and collect itself into a ball. If the dough is still sticky after 7 minutes, add 1/2 cup more flour until you see it pull away.

Our dough is ready!

Using floured hands, pull off balls of dough equal to the size of a small lemon. Spray your donut pan and  pat each ball into its donut shape. The pan I am using make 6 donuts at a time and measures  13.5″ x 10″ x 1.25″. If you want to speed up the process, invest in more than one donut pan! This recipe makes 18 donuts.

Now, brush each donut with melted butter, place the pan somewhere warm and cover it with a towel. Allow the dough to rise for 20 minutes. You will see this after lifting the towel. We have a nice fluffy dough that will bake quickly.

Bake the donuts for 8-10 minutes at 425 degrees or until golden brown. I always check mine at 8 minutes and feel the inside of the donut hole. If it still feels wet, put them back in for another 2 minutes. If you find that your hole has disappeared (too much dough in the pan!), simply cut out the hole using a sharp knife and bake more if needed. When done, take them out of the pan immediately and let cool before decorating.

I scored a great deal on Cake Mate writing icing at our grocery store. It has four of the five colors I need for the rings. The black color (not included) was ordered online, but you can find decorator icing pretty much anywhere. Be sure to get icing and not gel. The gels will not set up.  Once your donuts are cool to touch, spread some of your favorite butter cream frosting on top and using a icing pen, draw a circle onto each donut. If you really want the colors to stand out, color the frosting in five colors and paint it on. Be creative! Or…if you are not a frosting fan, brush more melted butter on each donut and then shake them up in a bag of cinnamon and sugar. Then add your Olympic touch!

Homemade baked Olympic donuts are not only festive for the season, but they also taste amazing. You can’t get a fresher donut than this, my friends.  They are moist, flavorful and full of Olympic spirit.

Enjoy… and Go USA!

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