Healthy Treat for Today: Whole Wheat Donuts
By
My dad…whom my boys call, Papa, is famous around here for buying us donuts when he comes to town. It’s become a big deal…one that the boys won’t let Papa forget about. (“Hi Papa…did you bring us donuts?…oh, and we’re also glad you’re here…”)
One Saturday morning…I decided to make homemade (and healthier) donuts for the family. I got up early…ground wheat into flour…mixed up the dough, rolled them out, fried them up…and made a special hot fudge sauce to drizzle over them. I put them on a pretty platter…poured glasses of fresh milk…and called the boys down for breakfast.
I cheerfully and excitedly greeted them with flour on my face and my hair all frazzled from all the work of making these fresh off the stove donuts…
And my three year old lit up and said, “Oh!! Did Papa make us DONUTS?!”
Huh. I go to all this trouble…and Papa gets all the credit.
sigh :)
Well, they liked my donuts just as much Papa’s…and I loved that these were a pretty healthy treat!
(Papa really got a big kick out of that story, of course..)
I hope you’ll get a big kick out of this recipe!
Whole Wheat Cake Donuts (or should I call them, “Papa’s Special”?)!
3 ¼ cup whole wheat flour
2 t. baking powder
½ t. cinnamon
¼ t. salt
¼ t. nutmeg
2/3 cup rapadura (dehydrated cane sugar juice) or sucanat
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
Oil for frying (I use palm shortening or coconut oil)
Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir in eggs, vanilla, milk and melted butter. Knead dough a few minutes to make sure all ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
On a floured surface, roll dough to ½ inch thickness. Cut with donut cutter, or biscuit cutter. Heat oil in skillet or electric skillet…enough to cover the bottom of the skillet about ¼ inch. Place donuts into the hot oil to fry for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle a mixture of rapadura and cinnamon, or sprinkle organic powdered sugar over the hot donuts.
Yum! Anytime I want a special breakfast treat for my family…these donuts work for me!
They look great! Can you come over and make me some? :)
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gerna Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 6:58 am
gee you dont have to come over, just tell me when you are cooking yum yum
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Mmmmmm…. donuts (said in my best Homer Simpson voice)
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These look SO GOOD! I’ve been looking for a whole wheat recipe for donuts, so THANK YOU! Can’t wait to try it!
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My youngest loves donuts and her “Papa” also gets donuts when he comes to visit. I’ll have to try these… how much wheat berries makes a cup of flour? We just purchased a vita mix and I’m so excited to try it on flours, etc..
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How great, they look delish! Now I need to know more about grinding wheat into flour… can you share some knowledge on this? I’d much prefer whole wheat in our diets and wouldn’t even know where to start… where do you buy grain? Am I sounding like a silly, city girl yet?
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These look yummy and if you want to make them even more healthy, consider investing a little money into a donut maker (teflon, no grease or oil required). You can find one at Target for about 15.00. My grandmother had one when I was growing up and we loved her homemade wheat donuts (and buckwheat pancakes).
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Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama Reply:
November 28th, 2011 at 8:56 am
Oh, no, that’s not healthy at all. Teflon is terrible for you. Also, fat is good! I’ll be making some donuts just as soon as I get my lard rendered!
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BTW, I goofed on the Target item, it was for putting out the batter, not for baking the donuts, but I found one on eBay for 19.99 plus 13.95 shipping. That was after a quick search. They resemble a waffle iron and can make six donuts at a time.
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Those look so good and it is a recipe that I can actually use! So many recipes start with “open a can of”.
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Those look REALLY good!!
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Oh, those look so yum! Cute story, too. Now if only I could get my family used to the taste of whole wheat flour . . .
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Sheri Reply:
November 30th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
Just start with small steps. When I first made the switch I substituted wheat flour for just one fourth of the all purpose flour. Eventually I went to half, then three fourths…now for most things my family is happy with 100% whole wheat.
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Lyndsay Reply:
July 26th, 2011 at 9:45 am
You have to start slow with the whole wheat…although in my house it is usually my husband, not the kids who has a problem with it! I have also found that there are recipes that you can use whole wheat flour instead of white and not tell, and some that you have to mix it or it’s really noticable. Pancakes you can really tell the difference, but I just make chocolate chip faces on them and my kids don’t care!
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I’ve only made homemade donuts once, and they were fabulous. They include mashed potatoes in the recipe, but maybe I’ll try these ones!
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Ok, so I just made this recipe and OH MY! It is tasty! :)
May I ask what your dough is like when you’re done mixing/kneading? Mine was raw-ther sticky and I’m wondering if I squinched on the flour (I had some “little people” help, so I was kinda distracted). They turned out SO YUMMY! Thanks again for posting the recipe!
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Hi! I greatly enjoy your site!! Here recently whenever I want a “good” treat for my family I check your recipes first and you never cease to give me great ideas. However, I don’t only come for the food. :-) I appreciate your open honesty, love of family and home and encouragement to the others of us out here…
God bless you,
Anna
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Made these this morning…they were soooo good. Way better than I had expected from a homemade doughnut. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
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I must say, these are so good! I used all organic ingredients and man! These to me are better than store bought donuts!
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We made your donuts this morning and I just had to compliment you on the recipe. Even my teenagers really liked them. And the best part….they are so filling. This was a treat for us since we usually don’t fry anything. Thanks! I love to make meals that my family enjoys and remembers. I’ll be saving this recipe!
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I made these for my family this morning. My 3 year old was so excited. It was nice to be able to make a “healthy” donut with organic ingredients. I still wish there was a way to make them without frying. They are SO filling. Thanks
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Laura, my post today is dedicated to you! We loved the donut recipe and the boys are enjoying the book too.
Thursday Blessings!
Heather
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This is very bad. Now you have me thinkin’ about nothin’ but doughnuts! And I don’t have enough coconut oil left to make them. Anyway, when I do have some, can you give me some thoughts on what to do with the used oil when I am done? I assume I can’t use it for cooking at that point. Do you just throw it in the trash can? Is there some other good use for it?
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Chara Reply:
December 7th, 2011 at 10:07 pm
I reuse my coconut oil frequently… I haven’t made these yet, but would think the oil would be good for use in baking something with similar flavors- like as a butter substitute in cookies or sweet bread… :) I would definitely not throw it away. :)
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Hi there! I just wanted to let you know that I love your doughnut recipe and have used it several times, now. This last time I incorporated the soaking method I picked up from a blog I know you’re familiar with (www.passionatehomemaking.com), and it came out beautifully.
I posted about it in my personal blog (http://joyfulmelody519.blogspot.com , not the blog I’ve linked here), and I linked to your recipe, so I thought you’d like to know!
Have a very blessed Resurrection Sunday :) Take care.
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THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE! I just made them and they were FANTASTIC! The kids were excited that I’d actually offer them donuts for breakfast (with a glass of raw milk, of course). I did substitue 1 cup all purpose flour for the dry mix, and freshly ground kamut, soft and hard wheat berries for the whole flours. I also used buttermilk in place of milk. I will roll thinner next time since they do puff up a lot in the oil. Next time I may try soaking the flour and buttermilk overnight. Also adding dried blueberries to the batter and maybe some orange zest. YUM!
Will plan how to incorporate these as a birthday donut cake for my 8 year old!
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These were GREAT! The whole family loved them and they were fun to make!
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Made these this morning before going out to shovel :) Yum, yum! Wonderful with coffee in front of the fire :)
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Laura, Just an idea for you. I made the whole wheat doughnuts for my family this morning. Instead of cutting them into a traditional doughnut shape, I left them as circles and used… you know that needle thing you use to squirt flavors into meat??…. yeah, that thing, to squeeze in some jelly filling. They went over VERY well. Just an idea.
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Laura Reply:
January 22nd, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Yu-hum!
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I just made the donuts and they were good! The first time I’ve ever made homemade donuts! I rolled my dough too thick so they were really thick after frying. Then I got my oil too hot and ended up burning half of them! We are getting used to whole wheat flour and the thicker texture of it (our journey to healthier eating) but everyone thought we should have them again!
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Laura, THANK YOU! I made these today for a Valentine’s Day treat and we were all moaning while we ate them! Haha…the best doughnut we have ever had, and we don’t feel sick or as guilty! BONUS! I only made up half of the dough and that was a perfect amount for four of us. I froze the other half, I hope it will work well? I also topped our batch two ways: Alton Brown’s Chocolate Glaze and another dipped in homemade syrup & cinnamon. YUM! God Bless you and your sweet family!
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Do you add the sugar into the dry mix and additional on top? What about the spices; in the mix or for on top? Thanks.
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Laura Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Yes, add the sugar and the spices into the mix. Anything you put on top would be in ADDITION to what the recipe calls for.
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can i sub sucanat?
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Laura Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Yes…I need to edit the post to say that!
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Could you freeze these? Can you fry them and then freeze them, or do you just freeze the dough? These look yummy, but I doubt my husband and I can eat all of them at once! Thanks!
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Laura Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
I’ve never tried freezing them, but I’m pretty sure it would work. Yes, I even think freezing the dough would work. I may try that and post about it sometime! Thanks for the idea!
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My boys and just made these this morning as a late breakfast. I was surprised as to how fast they were to make not to mention how delicious! I’ve never made homemade doughnuts before, so I was a little intimidated. We will definately be making these again.
And as a side-note, I was FINALLY able to use my grandma’s very old doughnut cutter (the kind with the removable hole cutter) after having it for almost 20 years!
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This always seemed complicated, but it actually looks like a really simple recipe. If I ever need to fix a breakfast dish for company, they would love this!
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I made a veganized version of these for a party and they were a huge hit, they went faster than the white flour ones! I love the gratitudesday idea, btw. Cheers!
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My little brother (who’s 23) helped us move some furniture a few weeks ago, right after you posted this recipe…
I decided to try out a new recipe for breakfast that Saturday and I’m glad I did… Not only did they get eaten up pretty quickly by 3 hungry guys, but I learned a new way to use my coconut oil. I just ordered some since you recommend Tropical Traditions so highly and they had a great special of BOGOF, so I am now convinced that coconut oil is the way to go.
Thank you for this recipe! They were delicious and healthy and I will be making them again!
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I just made your donuts for breakfast and my doughnut loving husband actually like them! :) I was wondering if you thought it would be possible to bake these donuts? I don’t want to get another appliance to have to store in my already small kitchen…but we did not like the greasiness of the doughnuts. Do you have any thought on baking these? What temperature I should try, etc.?
Thanks!
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Laura Reply:
October 12th, 2010 at 10:50 am
I’ve never baked them, but I suppose you could. Try 350 degrees.
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April at Kitchen-Blender-Reviews Reply:
June 22nd, 2011 at 8:42 pm
My 7yo made these tonight. She has been looking for a doughnut recipe and jumped on yours when we saw it. Thanks for posting.
We baked them at 350F for around 20 minutes.
I milled soft white wheat and even added bit more than called for because the dough looked rather sticky. They turned out perfect.
I also used coconut oil instead of the butter.
I don’t have much sucanat left so I used demerara sugar instead.
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REALLY GOOD RECIPE!
just made them now :D
After taking them out of the pan, I rolled them in sugar/cinnamon! So good!!
Oh and I didnt add salt. Whats the point? Everything has flavor, you can taste it without adding salt.
To me salt does nothing!
I am soooo going to keep this recipe and bake some more!!
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Sounds like a great recipe, but can these donuts be baked instead of frying?
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Becky C Reply:
October 22nd, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Yes, but they are very heavy that way.
I also used a meat injector to put jelly into
the middle. YUMMO!!!!!!
You’d need to come up with a lighter recipe.
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Rachael Reply:
October 29th, 2010 at 10:03 pm
For all of you asking about baking instead of frying: Frying in coconut oil is what makes these very good for you! As another blogger has said “grains are just an excuse to eat fat” Check out the Weston A Price website for more info! Other blogs you could check out are Food Renagade and Cheeseslave.
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For all of you asking about baking instead of frying: Frying in coconut oil is what makes these very good for you! As another blogger has said “grains are just an excuse to eat fat” Check out the Weston A Price website for more info! Other blogs you could check out are Food Renagade and Cheeseslave.
I was wondering if you have tried soaking them? I have modified all my recipes to be soaked first. It just doesn’t look like there is enough liquid to soak the flour.
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What do you do with all that oil you use for frying? Can you pour it back in the bottle to re-use? That’s one reason I’m leery of frying, also.
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Laura Reply:
November 3rd, 2010 at 3:46 pm
I only put a little oil in my electric skillet, so I never have any extra!
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i used fresh home ground red winter wheat for this recipe and it turned out way gross… Crumbly and not good. What’s the secret?
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Laura Reply:
November 22nd, 2010 at 10:01 pm
Well THAT is a bummer. I can’t think of why they didn’t work. I use freshly ground WHITE wheat, which is a lighter grain (as in, less heavy to cook/bake with), but I wouldn’t think it would make that big of a difference. My one thought is that maybe with the red wheat it could have used another egg to help the dough hold together?
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has anyone tried this in a donut maker? does it need to be modified to do so?
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is there a difference between evaporated cane juice and dehydrated cane juice?
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hi laura, thanx for this recipe. i’ve tried this by modified the flour, i used black rice flour, oats & bread flour. itz just delicious & fantastic!
regards from indonesia ^_^
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These were SOOO good! My son was recently diagnosed with Autism and used to LOVE to go to Krispy Kreme for a treat. These are a perfect alternative and a wonderful sensory activity. My son loved smelling the cinnamon and vanilla, running flour on his hands, kneading the bread, pushing the cutters on the dough while we listened to relaxing music. He has had a smile on his face for hours. Thank you for your healthful recipes. My son thanks you too!
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Just from looking at the recipe it looks like you might be able to soak the flour to reduce the phytic acid…have you tried that?
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Laura Reply:
June 9th, 2011 at 6:18 am
I have, a long time ago. I believe I substituted buttermilk for the milk and combined it with the flour and butter overnight. The next day, I mixed the remaining ingredients!
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We just made these this morning and my official review is “eh”. I may have done something wrong with my grains. I used soft white grains ground with my wondermill on the “pastry” setting, but there was a definite grit in the finished doughnuts. They were also very heavy, much like a dense cake doughnut. The outside was more flat and sauteed than plump and deep fried, so I may use 1/2 inch of oil next time so that doesn’t happen.
I made traditional and doughnut sticks in 3 varieties; powdered sugar, glazed and chocolate glazed. Everyone ate them and they were a nice sweet treat, but either my grain mill or the recipe just needs a little tweak to make them better. Maybe I need to sift my flour. I dunno.
Thanks for the recipe – it was fun making these with my kids and great to have a possible alternative to the donut shop up the street!
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I just bought donut pans from amazon, like cupcake pan only donut shaped. You can use almost any cake mix in them as well as a host of recipies on line. So it is easy to make them gluten free or to fit any other dietary need you have.They are baked and not fried so that is really nice too.
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I am new to using whole wheat flour and I have never even considered, or even knew I could, grind my own flour. Can I use store-bought organic whole wheat flour for this recipe?
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Laura Reply:
June 12th, 2011 at 8:09 pm
Yes, store bought whole wheat will work for this recipe – you may want to try adding a little less than the recipe calls for at first just to be sure, then add the remaining amount gradually if needed. :)
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Did you use soft whole wheat or hard whole wheat?
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Laura Reply:
June 25th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
I use hard white but for this recipe, soft white would work okay. :)
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hi this recipe is truly amazing, only how can i substitute the eggs is the million dollar question.?!my kids crossed 4 but i have never allowed them to taste donuts from a shop, so this whole wheat donut would really be a very very special treat !btw,love ur blog,keep up the good work,n god bless!
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Laura Reply:
August 2nd, 2011 at 6:31 am
I did an online search, since I truly have no idea about egg substitution, and here’s the link I found: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianvegan101/f/eggsubstitute.htm Hopefully you’ll find some ideas from that page?! :)
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Susan Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 11:00 am
I know this question was a while ago, but just to share our experience. . . I have made a version of these multiple times without eggs (or dairy products or coconut oil due to multiple food allergies in our family) — love the basic recipe! For the egg, I have used either flaxseed meal with water (check package directions for ratio) or commercial Ener-G egg replacer. It’s been a while since using the flaxseed, but our experience has been that the Ener-G (if “whipped” beforehand) often gives a better consistency, but I will sometimes use the ground flaxseed for more nutrition. We just had some for “Donuts with Daddy” to celebrate the letter D — yummy!!
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Made these this morning. I added 2 Tbsp of ground flax. Quite yummy! My favorite were the ones topped in cinnamon sugar (we also tried powdered sugar and chocolate glaze).
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