Healthier airfryer sourdough doughnuts recipe! (2024)

These doughnuts are yummy, healthier and sourdough but not sour! It’s a great recipe if you and your stomach want to avoid a large quantity of oil, or if the violent heat of deep-frying terrifies you. I’m an oil wimp myself, so when I got an airfryer I thought ‘Yay, gonna make doughnuts!’ These doughnuts (or donuts, if you prefer) are not the denser cake-like baking powder ones but are made with a sourdough-leavened loose brioche-like dough and the airfryer makes them puff up like ‘real doughnuts’. Except that they’re less sweet or greasy, which you might like as they’re also of a less doughy consistency but rather light and similar to their European beignet cousins.

If you have a sourdough starter (borrow one if necessary!) and airfryer (deep fry them otherwise) then all you need is flour, milk, eggs, sugar and salt plus the fillings. And only after airfrying, you rub on a little light vegetable oil so sugar can stick to the doughnut. Of course, they’re at their best fresh out of the airfryer. But they’re rather addictive and I found myself producing multiple batches, not just for test purposes but mostly so I could fill the freezer with them – oh the joy of a constant supply of healthier airfried sourdough doughnuts! 🙂 They’re lovely plain but reach heavenly heights filled with jam and whipped cream or just jam, custard, apple purée or Semla marzipan and cream fillings. Doughnuts are amazing and so versatile! Are you tempted? Donut (do not, lol) resist! 🙂

Healthier airfryer sourdough doughnuts recipe! (1)

Jam or apple purée sourdough airfryer doughnuts

OTHER PROTOTYPES

This is the delish semla one.

Healthier airfryer sourdough doughnuts recipe! (2)

Here’s the gooseberry jam and instant custard one. Yum yum.

Healthier airfryer sourdough doughnuts recipe! (3)

You can have them just plain, especially when recently out of the airfryer.

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But I really love the jam and whipped cream ones – which unfortunately were wolfed down so there are no photos. Oops.

WARNING AND ENCOURAGEMENT

Had to work on timings to avoid staying up to 4 in the morning to shape or knead doughnuts (I forget which it was – it’s a sleepy blur of a memory). I’m including an adaptable, improved schedule which allows you to sleep at night – yay! The whole process stretches over 3 days so pre-planning is pretty vital. As is usual with naturally-leavened doughs, there isn’t much hands-on work, but there are long waiting times while it proofs. Anyway, it’s all totally worth it and I’ll definitely be making them again! Do try them! 🙂

THE RECIPE – for 12 larger doughnuts (or 14-16 medium ones)

Tips

  • Get dough to ‘window pane’ when mixing;
  • place shaped doughnuts on squares of baking paper to avoid sticking and deflation, so they can be moved easily to the airfryer (my first prototypes lost shape and air when unsticking and clumsily moved from proofer to airfryer);
  • for the final proof, a warm even temperature of 26°C is important. I originally shaped 15 doughnuts, so in my Brad & Taylor proofing oven a few had to be placed on a higher rack, where it was cooler and they didn’t rise so well! My solution was the next time to have only 12 larger doughnuts that could all fit on the nice warm lower rack, where they all became equally fluffy and happy;
  • make sure the buns really puff up to ‘jiggly’ light during the final proof; and
  • generally work out the best timings for your doughnuts (see Timings section below).

By working on all this, my doughnuts went from lovely and yummy to extra puffy and light. This was the last prototype, no. 4.

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SUGGESTED TIMINGS

All timings are estimates, adaptable and dependent on your starter, flour, dough, room temperature or proofer. There’s some flexibility to work round your schedule. However, if you proof much too long you could have a stronger-tasting, more sour dough. On the other hand, if you don’t proof long enough, especially on Day 3, your buns won’t puff up as light.

If you can’t follow the timings suggested below, maybe calculate your own in advance so you’re not up at 4 or 5 in the morning transferring dough to the fridge or shaping doughnuts.

Day 1 – stiff levain

  • Refresh 100% starter around 2-4pm or later if it’s very hot (until it more or less doubles in size)
  • Make stiff levain at 11pm/12 midnight with active starter; allow to triple in size overnight (8-10 hours at 24-26ºC)

Day 2 – mix, bulk & cold proofs, shaping and final proof

  • Mix at 8-9am (takes total of 1 hour with resting times)
  • Bulk proof 9-10am to 3-4pm (around 6 hours at 24-26ºC)
  • 3-4pm: cold-proof in fridge 6-8 hours
  • 10pm-11.30pm: shape (30 mins) and proof overnight 10-12 hours

Day 3 – check on final proof, airfry, eat

  • Airfry doughnuts (between 9.30am and 12 noon): 9-10 mins each group of 3 (x 4 batches) – total time: 45 mins

If you’re running a bit late and go over timings on Day 1 and 2 of this schedule, it’s not a problem – it could mean staying up a bit later on Day 2 to shape doughnuts (eg. 1am) then airfrying doughnuts nearer teatime Day 3.

EQUIPMENT

A proofing oven/or standard oven on appropriately low setting (with door open) really helps if you’re working in a cold environment and these doughnuts love a nice constant warm rise. The brad & taylor proofing oven has really helped me get great fluffy rises and it’s relatively cheap, compact and easily dismantled for storage (not getting sponsored by them, by the way).

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You’ll need a digital weighing scale for this recipe. Please consider getting this if you don’t have one, for more precise baking and an easier life (for me too, as I’m not spending ages converting). Apologies to ‘cups and spoons’ people.

METHOD

DAY 1

Refresh 100% hydration starter around 2-4pm – later, if kitchen’s very hot. Use when more or less doubled in size, active and bubbly.

Stiff levain

  • 38g active sourdough starter (100% hydration, made with white strong bread flour)
  • 38g water (at warm room temperature – 22-24ªC)
  • 76g strong white (bread) flour
  1. At around 11pm/12 midnight, add starter and water into a large jar (I use a tall glass mason jar with airtight sealed lid). Stir with spoon to combine.
  2. Add flour and sugar and mix until combined. Knead a little with fingers to get thick hom*ogenous dough. Flatten stiff levain lightly with fingertips to get even surface.
  3. Make note of the height levain should reach to triple in size (eg. can use elastic band around jar).
  4. Allow levain to triple in size overnight (8-10 hours at 24-26ºC). Stiff levain is more stable and stays up longer than the usual starter – so there’s some leeway if you want to get up later.

DAY 2

Mix and bulk proof

  • 350g strong white flour (or 175g strong flour and 175g all-purpose/plain flour – I like this combo)
  • 137g of the stiff levain
  • 90g lightly beaten egg (about 2 small-medium eggs, less 1 tbsp or so), at room temperature
  • 115g/ml whole milk
  • 60g sugar (I used unrefined golden caster sugar)
  • 6g fine sea salt
  • 67g unsalted butter, good-quality French-style

Please follow the steps in the illustration and/or in the written instructions below (for printable pdf of illustration, please click here).

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  1. At 8-9am (when stiff levain has tripled in size and is slightly domed on surface), warm milk to 22-24°C in small-medium saucepan. Whisk in salt and sugar to dissolve, then whisk in beaten egg.
  2. Add flour, milk mixture and stiff levain (in 5 to 6 pieces) to standmixer bowl. Mix with dough hook on low speed 3-5 minutes until just combined.
  3. Cover bowl with plastic shower cap or tea towel and rest 30 minutes in warm place (22-26ºC), like a proofer.
  4. Continue mixing again on standmixer 5 minutes, on medium speed. Then gradually add pieces of softened butter, letting each cube be incorporated before adding next piece. When fully incorporated, raise speed to medium-high and mix a further 15-25 minutes until you get window pane texture, where you are able stretch a section of dough between your hands and it doesn’t break – it looks elastic, a bit rubbery (you can stretch it thin so it’s like a window pane and theoretically a newspaper can be read through it!).
  5. Transfer dough to clean bowl (very lightly oiled with a little neutral vegetable oil). Cover and proof in warm place (24-26ºC) for a total 6 hours (from around 10am to 4pm) doing 2 turns during this time. The following timings for the two turns are flexible.
  • 1st turn – after 1.5 hours (around 11.30am). Pull up a piece of dough from the side and stretch it to fold over the middle to the other side. Go around the bowl, repeating with 3 or 4 sides. Turn the ball over in the bowl.
  • 2nd turn – after another 2.5 hours (around 2pm) – repeat process in step 7 (be gentle so as not to deflate dough too much).
  • By end of bulk proof, dough should have risen a little and have some structure.Healthier airfryer sourdough doughnuts recipe! (9)

Cold proof

  • After the 6 hours (around 4pm) place covered bowl with dough in fridge, to cold proof 6-8 hours.

Shaping

  1. After the 6-8 hours (around 10pm to 11.30pm) take cold dough out of fridge to shape. Cut into 12 equal pieces of 66-67g each (or up to 15 smaller pieces, if you prefer).
  2. Cut 12 (to 15) squares of baking/parchment paper (about 7 to 8cm/3in square). Arrange squares, spaced out, on a baking tray (my proofer tray is 28cm×35cm but bigger would be great).
  3. Gently flatten each piece of dough with palm of hand then gently stretch and lift up one side to bring into middle, pressing down lightly. Repeat with the 4 or 5 other sides. Turn piece over. This step (and the following Step 4) is illustrated below (see only numbers 2 to 5). Healthier airfryer sourdough doughnuts recipe! (10)
  4. Roll under fingers/palm on flat surface (very lightly floured, if necessary) to create smooth balls with a ‘skin’ that will spring back a little when poked lightly with finger.
  5. Carefully place each ball on a baking paper square on the tray. Leave about 3-5cm between balls so they can rise and expand without touching and sticking to each other.
  6. Cover loosely with large plastic bag or plastic film and proof in warm place (26ºC) 10-14 hours or so (overnight).

DAY 3 – CHECK ON FINAL PROOF, AIRFRY AND EAT

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  1. In the morning (after 10 hours, around 8.30-10am) check rise of doughnuts. They should be doubled in size, plus light and jiggly if you move tray. FINGER POKING TEST: they’re ready if when you poke surface lightly with finger tip it leaves an indent that slowly fills out again. If surface springs back immediately (with no indent) then let doughnuts proof longer (they might need up to 14 hours) but if indent just stays in and doesn’t spring back, you need to airfry doughnuts asap.
  2. When doughnuts are proofed, pre-heat airfryer 5 minutes at 170ºC. Carefully lift balls from underneath using the baking paper squares and transfer to inside airfryer basket (with their pieces of baking paper). Fill with 3 balls or however many will fit, separated by about 3 to 5cm/1.5-2in (they will puff up quite a bit).
  3. Airfry 4-5 minutes on one side. Turn over and airfry further 4-5 minutes. They should be golden brown.
  4. Take first batch out of airfryer. Preheat airfryer again 2 mins then fill with second batch of doughnuts.
  5. Spread a little oil on your hands and rub all over first batch of airfried doughnuts. Then roll them on plate filled with liberal amount of sugar (more than in the photo).
  6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 until all doughnuts are done.
  7. Allow doughnuts to cool a little before filling (especially if filling with cream).Healthier airfryer sourdough doughnuts recipe! (12)

Fillings

To fill with jam, purée or custard, make an incision cut in the side of the doughnut with a small sharp knife. Then fill piping bag (fitted with medium-sized piping nozzle) with chosen filling. Insert nozzle where cut was made and press on piping bag so you feel filling is going into the centre of the doughnut, until it’s quite heavy.

Here’s the chunky apple purée recipe.

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Just apple purée was a bit dry – you might like to add more sugar or have an apple and whipped cream doughnut, so it’s more moist. The apple and jam combo ones were also very yummy.

For filling with whipped cream it’s best to slice the doughnut partially to open it out (like a pacman). Spread jam or purée on bottom half then pipe whipped cream over it. Fold top half gently down. Basically, it’s a doughnut sandwich. If you make your doughnuts long and sausage-shaped you can fill with cream and jam like they do in the shops (hotdog style).

Semla-style

Cut off a little ‘hat’ from top of doughnut. Scoop out a little crumb from middle. Mix crumb with a little grated/crumbled marzipan and milk (to taste) then place this filling back in the hole. Pipe whipped cream over this. Note: flavour cream or marzipan with a little ground cardamom, to get extra Semla-like flavour.

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Tada! Eat cream doughnuts immediately… 🙂

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Eating and storing

Doughnuts are always best fresh. So eat some immediately. Once cooled you can store in airtight containers to eat the same day. Otherwise, freeze some cooled plain ones, wrapped tightly in plastic film or a reusable plastic wallet. Defrost at room temperature in airtight container 3-4 hours before eating. You can eat as it is or reheat in airfryer 30 secs to 1 minute. Then fill as desired.

Can’t beat a classic raspberry jam one!

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Raspberry jam sourdough airfryer doughnut

Though the gooseberry jam and custard ones were delish too. And the semla ones. And the jam and cream ones … lol. Hope you’ve enjoyed all the sourdough airfryer doughnuts folks! Which kind would you like?

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Thanks for dropping by dear reader! Wishing you a great week ahead – donut worry, be happy! With lots of yummy baking and eating. 🙂 Love, Lili x

Healthier airfryer sourdough doughnuts recipe! (2024)

FAQs

Can you air fry donuts instead of frying? ›

Air Fryer Glazed Donuts Recipe

These air fryer donuts are yeast-raised and every bit as delicious and soft as their deep-fried relatives. This really is a no compromise donut recipe - it's a great way to use your air fryer. So with these donuts, you get all the flavor and none of the oil or mess of deep frying.

Can you put a Krispy Kreme in the air fryer? ›

I'm thrilled that I've found a way to indulge in one of my favorite treats without having to compromise on calorie counting. If you're a Krispy Kreme fan, then definitely give these air-fried donuts a go.

How do you reheat donuts in the oven? ›

Lay the donuts out on a cookie sheet. Put donuts into the oven to heat for 10 minutes, or until very warm. Meanwhile, mix the powdered sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow pie plate.

What is the healthiest way to fry donuts? ›

Canola oil specifically is the one of the best choices because it has a light color, mild flavor and a high smoke point making it ideal for frying donuts.

Are donuts better in air fryer or deep fryer? ›

Doughnut's crust formation during deep fat frying was more dependent on temperature than that of hot air fried ones. Hot air frying of doughnut reduced crust roughness and created a smoother surface compared to the deep fat fried samples. Decreasing the frying temperature for both methods increased the crust roughness.

What makes Krispy Kreme donuts so fluffy? ›

Yeast donuts are essentially the kind that you'd get at a typical donut shop, like Krispy Kreme. They're leavened with yeast and then fried, resulting in a donut that's puffy, airy, and light, and they're usually covered in some kind of glaze.

What oil does Krispy Kreme use to fry? ›

We use vegetable shortening (palm, soybean, and/or cottonseed and canola oil) for zero gram of trans fat per one serving of doughnut. All monoglycerides and diglycerides are vegetable based. Enzymes are also present. The lecithin we use is soy-based.

What is the Krispy Kreme glaze made of? ›

The secret to Krispy Kreme doughnuts is of course the sweet glaze, and this is achieved by bathing the doughnuts in a glaze of icing sugar, vanilla extract and milk, for a thicker glaze increase the quantity of icing sugar by a few spoons.

Is it OK to microwave donuts? ›

If your doughnuts have gotten stale, the best way to soften them is to put them in the microwave. Greif recommends nuking them at 15 second intervals. And though it's not a fancy solution, microwaving your doughnut to reheat it or revive it is kind of the industry standard.

How do you make donuts soft again? ›

So, what if you didn't prepare and now have a stale donut on your hands? We've got a solution for that, too. Pop it into the microwave for approximately 15 seconds until it softens. It might not be perfect, but it should still be a delicious treat.

How do you bring donuts back to life? ›

Some sources recommend heating doughnuts on top of a damp paper towel for anywhere from 10 to 20 seconds, while others suggest heating on half power for 15. In my house growing up, it was eight seconds—period.

Why do my donuts deflate after frying? ›

Excessive uses of yeast to hurry the doughs along only causes gassiness, less tolerance to proofing and sometimes collapse when the doughnuts are removed from the fryer. It is not uncommon to use for doughnuts a combination of baking powder and yeast. Water, Don't use too much water in the dough.

How do you reheat air fry donut holes? ›

Reheat cinnamon sugar donut holes in an air fryer at 250℉ (120℃) for 2 to 4 minutes. (We don't recommend re-heating jelly filled donuts because the jam might leak in the air fryer and make a mess. Instead, fill with jam just before eating).

What does reheat do on an Airfryer? ›

In the Reheat function oven distributes power to the top and bottom elements to bring food to serving temperature. The convection fan can be turned on or off by pressing the convection button. Set the function knob to Reheat.

Can you bake donuts instead of frying? ›

Spoon the batter into the lightly greased doughnut pans, filling the wells to about 1/4" shy of the rim. Bake the doughnuts for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and wait 5 to 7 minutes before turning them out of the pans onto a rack.

Can you air fry instead of oil fry? ›

While the need for oil in air frying is not as great as when using an oven or frying something on a pan, a small amount of oil can go a long way in keeping your food moist and providing that golden brown color.

Can you use an air fryer instead of frying in oil? ›

An air fryer can cook pretty much anything that you would normally fry in oil, such as: Chicken, including chicken fingers and nuggets. Vegetables. Onion rings and french fries.

What can I use instead of deep frying donuts? ›

Yes, if you prefer not to fry, you can also bake donuts in the oven. Simply prepare the dough, shape it into donut rings, and bake them in a preheated oven at around 375°F (190°C) for approximately 12-15 minutes. This method results in a slightly different texture but can still be delicious.

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