Baked Jelly Doughnuts

​This is a picture of my husband and I on our wedding day - a little over 18 years ago now.  I like to think that I know him pretty well but the truth is, he's full of surprises and I may never completely figure him out.  I've known this wonderful man since we were ten years old - which seems like plenty of time to figure him out, right? Over the years I have managed to learn a few things about him.  I know that he likes to talk to the T.V. when he's watching a football game and now I've learned to expect these one way conversations.  Ironically though, I'm still discovering new likes and dislikes when it comes to his food choices.  Last year, for example, I found that my significant other likes guacamole! Seriously? - How did I not know this before.   Bear in mind that we lived in Texas for 2 years - the guacamole capital of the world!  All those dinners at Mexican restaurants wishing I had someone to share a bowl of guacamole.  All of the avocados that I passed up in the grocery store because I felt guilty making guacamole for myself. We could have been eating guacamole together for the past 18 years.

On a recent trip to the donut store I learned some more important information about my husband - he likes jelly doughnuts! He claims that he has ordered them before but I don't think think I've ever seen him order a jelly doughnut. We've ordered plenty of doughnuts together and he usually opts for the glazed, sugared twists or the Boston creme varieties. I think my jaw actually fell open when I heard him order a jelly filled doughnut.  (Sometimes I think he's just messing with me to keep me guessing.) Now that I know he's a jelly doughnut fan, I decided to make my own baked version at home.  

​I tore this recipe out of a Cooking Light magazine back in 2008 and I've hung onto it all these years.  Even though they looked fantastic, I hesitated to make them before now because I didn't think there were any other jelly doughnuts in the house.  

Baked Jelly Doughnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
3/4 cup warm milk
6 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon Meyer Lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 cups flour
3/4 cup jam
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

​Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm milk.  Let stand for 5 minutes.

Add remaining milk, sugar, butter, zest, vanilla, salt and egg.  Beat with a paddle attachment.

Add 2 cups flour and beat on medium speed.  Stir in remaining flour until a soft dough forms.  

​Switch to a kneading attachment and knead dough 5 minutes.  Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour.  

​Punch dough down and let rest 5 minutes.  Divide dough into 16 pieces.  Place dough balls on a silpat lined baking sheet, cover with a towel and let rise 45 minutes.

​Bake doughnuts for 14 minutes at 375.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

​Make a pocket in each doughnut by pushing the handle of a wooden spoon through one side of the doughnut.  

​Fill a condiment bottle with jam and squeeze a small amount into each hole.

​Sprinkle filled doughnuts with powdered sugar.  

My family really liked these doughnuts.  I was nervous about them falling short of their fried counterparts but no one really seemed to care that they hadn't been fried.  My jelly doughnut loving husband loved them too!  

 Here's a bonus picture from our wedding reception.  Check out those puffy sleeves.

Ciao!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe