Baked Doughnuts

I've never been a big fan of doughtnuts. In fact, I can spend months without eating them, but from time to time, I taste the first bite and then I devour them as if there were nothing else to eat in the world. Is totally unconscious. Usually, I finish one this way and forget about them for months afterwards.
I was a bit lazy on ​​making doughnuts at home. There is one thing I dislike specially about them, and it is that they are deep fried into abundant hot oil. And this is something you do not want to do in June at the seashore, with your bikini count down already going on.

So I decided to take a mid-way,  and put them in the oven instead of frying in oil. Well, the result is hardly the same, I am not fooling myself, but I think it's not a bad compromise. And you can freeze them (I recommend it, or you'll end up eating them all at once, trust me) and make the illusion that it is not so terrible if you just take one.
These also are not that sweet, so you can freeze them and when de-frezing for breakfast you can fill them with cheese, or cream, and some fruit, or whatever you like.

I adapted this recipe from Lara Ferroni's blog, a real doughnuts specialist herself. I should confess that  what attracted me the most in this blog were her spectacular photos far more than the doughnuts. Even if doughnuts are not your thing, it pays to give this a try, you will not regret, for sure.

Baked Doughnuts ( Based on Lara Ferroni's Raised Doughnuts)
Ingredients (for about12 doughnuts)

20 grams active dry yeast
240 ml whole milk, warm
320 to 400 grams bread flour
30 grams sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg yolks
60 grams unsalted butter

In a medium bowl, dissolve 15 grams of the yeast into 180 ml of the milk. Add 100 grams of the flour and stir to create a smooth paste. Cover and let rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

Combine the remaining milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the rested flour mixture along with the vanilla and egg yolks. Mix until smooth. Turn off the mixer and add 1 cup of the remaining flour and top with the sugar and salt. Mix  until the dough starts to come together. Add the butter and mix until it becomes incorporated. Add more flour, kneading the dough at medium speed between additions, until the dough pulls completely away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth and not too sticky. 

Cover the bowl with a clean teatowel and let it sit in a warm place for 30 minutes. Gently degass the dough, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (and up to 12 hours).

Line a baking traywith parchement paper or silicone mat. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1 centimeter high. With a doughnut or cookie cutter, cut out rounds with a center hole. 

Place the doughnuts on the baking tray separated. Let sit in a warm spot about 30 to 40 minutes.
Heat the oven to 200º C, cook the doughnuts for about 20 minutes or until ligthly golden.