When we talk about donuts, we immediately think of joy, parties, and Carnival, because there’s nothing that represents them more than these super versatile and delicious treats! Usually, this festive time of the year recalls fried foods, but the donuts I’m suggesting today are instead baked, because there’s no need to fry them to make them delicious and enticing.
In any case, they will be ideal for those like me who don’t love frying! And let me tell you, as soon as they come out of the oven, they will be as soft as clouds and smell incredible! I’ve made them with ricotta and chocolate chips, and already they’re truly delightful, but there’s nothing stopping you from making them even more indulgent and heavenly by topping them with melted dark chocolate. They’ll be perfect for breakfast or a hearty snack, suitable for the whole family as they are very light and delicate! You can even cut them in half and fill them with jams, honey, Nutella, or other spreads as you like. And even the next day, if there are any leftovers, you just need to warm them up for a few minutes in the oven or even less in the microwave to make them crispy again as if they were just baked!
If you’re one of those who prefer to prepare breakfast baked goods at home, check out these other delicious proposals:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 45 Minutes
- Portions: 15 donuts
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients:
- 2 cups Manitoba flour
- 1.6 cups all-purpose flour
- 0.4 cups type 1 flour
- 7 oz sheep ricotta
- 0.6 cups brown sugar
- 0.5 cups milk (warm)
- 7 g dry yeast (or 12 g fresh yeast)
- 2.1 oz dark chocolate chips
- as needed lemon zest (unwaxed)
- 1 pinch salt
- as needed powdered sugar
Tools:
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Fork
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Dough scraper
- 1 Dish towel
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Cookie cutter
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Parchment paper
Steps:
Start by dissolving the dry yeast in the warm milk in a small bowl. Stir and let it activate for 10 minutes or follow the instructions on your yeast packet.
In a larger bowl, mix the sifted flours, create a well in the center, and beat in the room-temperature eggs with a pinch of salt.
Using a fork, beat the eggs with some of the flour, then add the well-drained and sifted ricotta, lemon zest, and sugar.
Combine the ingredients with a ladle and finally add the dissolved and activated yeast in the milk.
Knead energetically for a few minutes, then transfer the dough to the floured work surface, spread it out, and gradually add the chocolate chips, folding and spreading with the help of a dough scraper.
Continue to knead for about 10 minutes, adding a little flour if necessary, until you obtain a homogeneous and compact dough.
Place it back in its floured bowl and cover with a clean, dry dish towel. Let it rise in the oven with the light on until it doubles in volume. This will take about 2 hours.
After this time, transfer the dough back to the floured work surface, spread it slightly with your hands, and then roll it out with a rolling pin to form a disk about 0.4 inches thick.
Cut out the donuts using a 3.5-inch diameter cookie cutter.
Proceed to make a central hole in each donut using a 1.2-inch pastry nozzle or a cookie cutter of that diameter. Knead the leftover scraps again, let the dough rise a few minutes before rolling it out again with the rolling pin, and finally cut out more donuts until the dough is used up.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the donuts slightly spaced apart. Let them rise covered with a dish towel until doubled in a warm environment: this will take about another 2 hours.
Bake the donuts in a preheated static oven at 356°F or a 338°F fan oven for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and dust with powdered sugar as desired.
And voilà… your baked ricotta and chocolate chip donuts are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉The ricotta and chocolate chip donuts are soft and fragrant on the first day, so it’s recommended to consume them freshly baked, because as the hours pass, even if well stored in sealed containers or bags, they lose quite a bit, but don’t worry! Enjoy the first donuts, then you can decide to either freeze the remaining ones and take them out of the freezer as needed, or heat the leftovers one at a time in the microwave or in the oven for 5 minutes at 329°F.
Tips, Notes, Variations, and Suggestions
🟣 To make these donuts even more digestible, you could opt for a longer leavening, working the dough the night before and then putting the dough in the fridge overnight and rolling it out the next day. If you prefer to have them fresh all the time, you could also opt to halve the quantities and get about 7.
You could make a cocoa version, replacing the 50 g of type 1 flour or you could make the donuts even more delicious by topping them with melted dark chocolate.
