They’re pillowy soft and fluffy, just like the ones from a bakery. You won’t believe how easy jam doughnuts are to make at home.
My recipe for Easy Jam Doughnuts (Bakery Style) are…
Easy to customise to any flavour Soft and fluffy Eggless Nut free Soy free
Fill these easy jam doughnuts with any flavour!
I fill my jam doughnuts with either strawberry or raspberry jam, although, you can choose any kind of jam you like. The world is your doughnut. I like to coat them in cardamom sugar – an ode to my Indian roots. Cinnamon sugar, nutmeg sugar and plain sugar are also perfectly delicious options and wonderful for colder months. These are also great with thick custard, chocolate ganache or caramel (like dulce de leche) inside. There’s something immensely decadent and churro-like about dulce de leche doughnuts with cinnamon sugar. It’s an unwritten rule in my home that jam doughnuts must be exceptionally jammy. Like loaded to the brim. Proof that some rules are worth following…
A fully customisable jam doughnut recipe
With this easy recipe, you can…
Change the flavour of the jam filling Swap out the cardamon sugar for a plain or flavoured sugar of your choice
Lower sugar options for making doughnuts
People who prefer their doughnuts less sweet could still enjoy these doughnuts with a few simple modifications. Try one of these doughnut filling ideas if you’re after an option that’s lower in sugar than traditional jam.
Thick pastry cream or custard Apple sauce Pumpkin pie filling (the kind with mixed spice) Lemon curd Peanut butter or almond butter Dark chocolate ganache You can also make the traditional doughnuts half the size for mini jam doughnuts
Here are some extra tips for making the best jam doughnuts
For a richer flavour, use brown sugar instead of white sugar Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or almond extract to the dough for extra flavour If you don’t have a doughnut cutter, you can use a glass to cut out the doughnuts. Just dip the glass in flour before each cut to prevent the dough from sticking. To make a glaze, whisk together icing sugar, a little bit of milk, and vanilla extract until smooth You can also decorate your doughnuts with sprinkles, nuts, or melted chocolate
How to make vegan jam doughnuts
This is already an egg-free doughnut recipe, which makes it really easy to adapt it to a vegan diet. Simply replace the whole milk for any plant-based milk of your choice. You can substitute the butter for any vegan butter alternative, but modify the amount of salt as commercial vegan butter tends to have salt already.
Can I adapt this recipe to make gluten free doughnuts?
I haven’t tried but my guess would be no. This jam doughnut recipe relies on bread flour for structure. Since we’re not adding eggs to the dough, the gluten is doing all of the work. However, if you do have a great gluten-free doughnut recipe, please add or link it in the comments to help other readers.
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Can you air fry doughnuts?
Some doughnut recipes may be suitable for air frying, however it’s not a method I’ve tried with this recipe. The outside of the doughnut may not brown very well and the inside may remain firm, like a sweet dinner roll. I can’t recommend air frying these jam doughnuts, but let me know in the comments if you manage to do it successfully.
Ingredients you’ll need for Easy Jam Doughnuts (Bakery Style)
Strong white bread flour: High gluten content gives the doughnuts a puffy, pillowy texture Yeast: Fast-action dried yeast is quick and easy to use Caster sugar: Finer than regular granulated sugar and great for doughnut dough and coating Unsalted butter: Adds richness to the dough without having to add egg Milk: Warm whole milk will help to activate the yeast in the dough Baking powder: Adds extra lift for very soft jam doughnuts Lemon juice: Reacts with the baking powder, keeping the doughnuts light and airy Vanilla extract: Or vanilla bean paste Salt: It’s a good idea to a little salt to any baking recipe, but skip if you’re using salted butter Jam: I use seedless strawberry jam in this recipe but you can choose any flavour Cardamom (optional): I mix ground cardamom into the sugar coating for a lovely flavour that pairs well with strawberries
Step-by-step instructions for making Easy Jam Doughnuts (Bakery Style)
1. Mix the doughnut dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment combine the flour, yeast, sugar and baking powder. Add the butter, salt, lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix again until the flour mixture resembles a crumble topping. Pour the warm milk and switch the mixer on to a medium speed. A dough should come together in about 30 seconds. Continue to run the mixer on medium-high speed for 10 minutes.
2. Proof the dough
Grease the bowl of the stand mixer with a little oil and place the dough back in. Cover with cling film and allow to rise in a warm place for 60 minutes.
3. Shape the doughnuts and proof again
Knock the air out of the dough and briefly knead to form a ball. Roll the dough out to around a 2cm thickness. Use an 8cm diameter (3-inch) round cookie cutter dipped in flour to stamp our rounds of dough. The flour will prevent the dough from sticking to the cutter. Place the cut dough onto a large, flat baking tray lined with baking parchment. Allow to rise for 30 minutes (uncovered).
4. Fry the doughnuts
Oil temperature: 180°C/355°F. Carefully slide the risen dough onto a metal turner or wide spatula and place into the hot oil. Alternatively, cut the baking parchment around the dough and use the sides to place the doughnuts into the oil without deflating them. You can then remove the baking parchment from the oil and discard. Don’t fry too many at once – 2 or 3 at a time maximum. Let the doughnuts brown on one side before turning to fry the other side. They’ll take around 2 minutes per side, so 4 minutes in total. Drain and place them onto a tray lined with absorbent kitchen towel.
5. Make the sugar coating
To make the cardamom sugar, mix caster sugar with ground cardamom seeds (remove the green outer shell). Alternatively, use vanilla, cinnamon or nutmeg sugar. You can also keep it plain.
6. Toss the doughnuts in sugar
Gently toss each doughnut in the sugar mixed with ground cardamom, giving them a light coating.
7. Fill the doughnuts with jam
Stir the jam to loosen (you may need to warm slightly. Place into a piping bag fitted with any medium-sized nozzle. Use a chopstick or the end of a spoon to make a small hole in one of the doughnuts, pushing about halfway in. Pipe some jam into the doughnut (I do about a heaped tablespoon or so per doughnut).
8. Serve after 30-40 mins for the best flavour and texture
The doughnuts mature a little and tend to have a puffier structure once they’ve been allowed to cool a little.
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Easy Jam Doughnuts (Bakery Style) Recipe | How to make Jam Doughnuts | Strawberry Jam Doughnuts with Cardamom Sugar
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If you like this, you’ll love my recipe for Jam Roly Poly
With love and Jam Doughnuts,
Store doughnuts in a closed paper bag or in airtight container at room temperature. Keeping them in the fridge will make them turn stale quickly
Jam doughnuts are best eaten within 48 hoursIf you don’t like strawberry jam and/or cardamom, substitute with your favourite flavours (suggestions in blog post)
Here are some ways to test oil temperature without a thermometer for 180°C/355°F:
Use a wooden spoon or chopstick. Dip the end of a wooden spoon or chopstick into the oil. If the oil starts to bubble around the wood, the oil is hot enough. If the oil is not bubbling, the oil is not hot enough.Use a piece of bread. Drop a small piece of bread into the oil. If the bread browns in 15 seconds, the oil is at 180°C/355°F. If the bread browns in more than 15 seconds, the oil is not hot enough.
It is important to note that these methods are not as accurate as using a thermometer, but they can be used in a pinch. If you are frying food that is delicate, such as doughnuts, it is best to use a thermometer to ensure that the oil is at the correct temperature. Sanjana Share this recipe
