Ricotta and Chocolate Donuts: The Super Soft Baked Recipe for Carnival
When it comes to donuts, the thought immediately goes to the joy of Carnival. Although tradition often calls for frying, the trend favors lightness: that’s why today I’m offering you soft ricotta donuts baked in the oven. A cloud of sweetness ideal for those who love genuine flavors without compromising on their figure.
Why Does Ricotta Make Donuts So Soft?
The secret of this recipe lies in the dough. Ricotta replaces a large part of the saturated fats, ensuring a moist and airy consistency that lasts a long time.
Aroma and Deliciousness: The combination with chocolate chips creates an irresistible contrast, making them perfect for an energetic breakfast or a healthy snack for the whole family.
Gourmet Versatility: Want to make them heavenly? Once baked, decorate the surface with melted dark chocolate or cut them in half to fill them with your favorite spread.
The “Time-Saver” Sweet for the Whole Family
These donuts are easy and quick to make. Being baked, they don’t require handling hot oil, making them a healthier yet surprising choice. Try them, the whole family will love them!
If you’re among those who prefer to prepare their own breakfast baked goods at home, check out these other delightful 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, Carnival
Ingredients
🚠 THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; buying them through my blog helps to support me and my work, while it won’t cost you anything extra!
- 2 cups Manitoba flour
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup type 1 flour
- 7 oz sheep ricotta cheese
- 2/3 cup cane sugar
- 1/2 cup milk (warm)
- 2 1/4 tsp dry yeast (or 12 g of fresh yeast)
- 2 oz dark chocolate chips
- to taste lemon zest (untreated)
- 1 pinch salt
- to taste powdered sugar
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Fork
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 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 warmed milk in a small bowl. Stir and let it act 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 the room-temperature eggs with a pinch of salt.
With 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 wooden spoon and finally add the dissolved and activated yeast in the milk.
Knead energetically for a few minutes, then transfer the dough to the work surface with its flour not yet fully absorbed, spread the dough, and gradually add the chocolate chips, folding and spreading with the help of a scraper.
Continue kneading for about 10 minutes, adding little flour to the work surface if necessary, until you get a homogeneous and compact dough.
Place it back into its floured bowl and cover it with a dry and clean dish towel. Let it rise in the turned-off oven with the light on until its volume doubles. It will take about 2 hours.
After this time, transfer the dough back onto the floured work surface, spread it slightly with your hands, and then roll it out with the rolling pin to form a disc about 1/2 inch thick.
Cut out the donuts using a cookie cutter with a diameter of 3 1/2 inches.
Proceed to make a central hole in each donut, using a piping nozzle of 1 inch or a cookie cutter of that diameter. Knead the remaining scraps again, let the dough rest for 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 from each other. Let them rise covered with a dish towel until doubled in a warm environment: it will take about another 2 hours.
Bake the donuts in a preheated oven at 350°F static or 340°F fan-forced for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar to taste.
And voilà… your baked ricotta and chocolate chip donuts are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉 Ricotta and chocolate chip donuts are soft and fragrant on the first day, so I recommend consuming them as soon as they are baked, because after a few hours, even if well-preserved in sealed containers or bags, they lose a lot, but don’t worry! Enjoy the first donuts, then you can decide to freeze the remaining ones and take them out of the freezer when needed. To regenerate them at best, pass them a few seconds in the microwave or 2 minutes in a hot oven: they will become soft as if just baked. Store them in a glass container to preserve their moisture.
Tips, Notes, Variations, and Suggestions
🟣 To make these donuts even more digestible, you can proceed with a longer leavening, working the dough the night before and then placing the dough in the fridge overnight and rolling it out the next day. If you like, to have them always fresh, you might also opt to halve the doses and get about 7.
🟣 You can make a cocoa version, replacing it with the 50 g of type 1 flour or make the donuts even more delicious by garnishing them with a melted dark chocolate topping.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
1. Can I use lactose-free ricotta?
Absolutely yes. Lactose-free ricotta maintains the same structural properties in the dough, guaranteeing the same softness and making the dessert accessible to everyone.
