Lemon Donuts Recipe: These lemon donuts are covered in lemon sugar, filled with a tart and sweet lemon curd, then baked rather than fried. They are light and fluffy. A lover of lemons would adore these.
Lemon Donuts Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGHNUTS
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 50 g white sugar (¼ cup / 1.8oz)
- 2 ½ teaspoons instant yeast (or active dry)
- 325 g bread flour (2 ½ cups / 11.5oz)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 egg yolks from large eggs, room temperature
- 42 g unsalted butter, melted (3 tablespoons / 1 ½ oz)
COATING AND FILLING
- ½ cup caster sugar (superfine sugar) (100g/3.5oz)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (28g/1oz)
- ¾ cup lemon curd (180ml)
Instructions
FORM THE DOUGH:
- In the microwave, reheat the milk for 25 to 30 seconds (or 15 seconds if it’s room temperature). It should be just slightly warmer to the touch—not hot.
- Transfer the milk and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, then scatter the yeast on top and beat thoroughly. To ensure that the yeast is active and hasn’t expired, let it remain for five to ten minutes until it becomes frothy.
- Using the dough hook, whisk together the flour, salt, egg yolks, and melted butter.
- After attaching the dough hook, knead the dough on low for 7 to 10 minutes, or until it seems elastic and smooth. You can also knead the dough by hand for 12 to 15 minutes, but be careful not to use too much flour or the doughnuts will come out dry.
- Use a little oil to grease a big basin. Fill the basin with the doughnut dough. Tightly cover with plastic wrap, then leave in a warm (not hot) place for one to one and a half hours, or until doubled in size.
SHAPE THE DOUGHNUTS:
- Roll out the dough carefully to a thickness of about 1.5cm (just over ½ inch) on a surface dusted with flour. Using a floured 7.5cm (3 inch) round cookie cutter, cut rounds out of the dough, attempting to cut as many as you can from the initial roll. Transfer all of them on the baking sheet. Place in a warm area, cover with a tea towel, and let rise until puffed and almost doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes.
- Before rolling and slicing more doughnuts, you can knead any leftover dough again into a little, smooth ball and let it rest for fifteen minutes. Put them on the risers alongside the others.
COOKING THE DOUGHNUTS:
- Set the oven’s temperature to 180°C (or 160°F if using a fan). For deep frying, see the notes.
- Donuts should be baked for ten minutes directly on the baking sheet they proved on. They will have barely begun to turn gold. A properly cooked donut should read 88C, or 190F, on a thermometer, so you can check if they’re done.
- Before filling, move to a cooling rack and let cool somewhat. Overheating them can cause the filling to become mushy.
Filling the Donuts:
- Transfer the lemon curd to a piping bag with a 6-7mm (¼ inch) round or long piping nozzle.
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Push the nozzle into the hole made in the donut and gently squeeze to fill with lemon curd. Let the resistance from the lemon curd tell you when to remove it.
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Best eaten while fresh.
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Notes
- For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar.Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
- You’ll get 10-12 donuts from this batch depending on the exact size of your cookie cutter.
- If you prefer to deep fry your donuts, heat 2 litres (quarts) oil in a large saucepan to between 170C-180C (340F-350F). Try to keep it at that temperature the entire time. Place 2-3 donuts into the hot oil using a slotted spoon. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Cook for 1 ½ – 2 minutes each side. Transfer to a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with paper towel to drain for a few minutes. You can test the temperature after removing them from the oil – it should reach 88C / 190F for a properly cooked donut. Proceed with the coating and filling from there.
FAQs AND QUESTIONs
How to make lemon donuts (step-by-step)
- Even though the dough takes a while to prepare, the baked lemon doughnuts are well worth the wait.
- I decided to bake these since
- That’s taken care of—I’ve already posted a recipe for fried doughnuts—but more significantly, every time I have to deep fry something, a little piece of my heart dies because of the oil and splatters and the difficulty in maintaining the proper temperature. Deep-frying also adds a significant amount of fat to whatever you’re preparing.
- Baking these doughnuts is quicker and cleaner, and the finished product is lighter in color and calories while maintaining all the flavor you need. If you would rather have them fried, then go ahead and do that.