You’ve got to love fresh donuts rolled in sugar and filled with jam, right? I think so, and this recipe for Strawberry Donuts ticks all of those boxes, plus they’ll be homemade making them even more delicious!
This recipe is for an enriched yeasted dough that has been proofed twice before the donuts are fried and filled. Once cooked the donuts are rolled in a dried strawberry and sugar mixture before being filled with your favorite strawberry jam.
If you love making strawberry desserts during the strawberry season, then you have to try these Strawberry Cupcakes or this recipe for a Vanilla and Strawberry Layer Cake.
If you’d prefer to make your strawberry filling have a look at this recipe for Strawberry Buttercream, which explains how to make strawberry compote using fresh strawberries.
Ingredients
To make these strawberry jam donuts you will need the simple ingredients listed below, remember to always use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.
- Dried yeast
- Whole milk
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated white sugar
- Extra-large eggs
- White Bread Flour
- Salt
- Sunflower oil
- Castor sugar
- Dried strawberries
- Strawberry jam
Dried yeast – this recipe uses dried yeast to help the dough rise. Follow the recipe to see how to activate the dried yeast. Always remember that yeast doesn’t like hot temperatures, so make sure your milk is just warm.
Extra-large eggs – out of their shell, the eggs I use weigh 56 grams, if you aren’t sure if you have the same eggs – weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.
White bread flour – for this recipe I recommend using bread flour rather than all-purpose flour or cake flour. Bread flour helps ensure a fluffier texture.
Sunflower oil – this is needed for frying the donuts, I use sunflower oil for this but you can choose to use your favourite cooking oil like canola or vegetable oil.
Castor sugar – this recipe uses granulated sugar in the dough and castor sugar for coating the donuts after frying.
Dried strawberries – the donuts are rolled in a mixture of castor sugar and dried strawberries which adds to the strawberry flavor, if you can't find any choose to leave this out and roll them in plain castor sugar.
Strawberry jam – choose your favorite strawberry jam to fill these donuts with. Whether it's made with real strawberries or more artificial tasting, there is no judgment here!
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Follow the simple instructions below to make this jelly donut recipe.
STEP 1: Activate yeast. Add 100ml of the milk to a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the milk, allow this to sit for a few minutes before stirring to combine.
STEP 2: Prepare wet ingredients. To a medium saucepan set over medium heat, add the remaining milk, sugar, and butter. Allow the butter to melt and the sugar to dissolve, then remove this from the heat and allow it to cool until just warm.
STEP 3: Add eggs. Add the beaten eggs to the butter and milk mixture and stir to combine.
STEP 4: Sift dry ingredients. Sift together the bread flour and salt, and set aside.
STEP 5: Mix. Add the activated yeast mixture to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix briefly, then add the warm milk and egg mixture and mix until a loose dough forms.
STEP 6: Add flour. Change the mixer’s attachment to a dough hook attachment and with the mixer’s motor running at medium speed add the remaining flour mixture one large spoonful at a time until a soft dough forms.
STEP 7: Knead. Once all the flour has been added, increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high and leave the dough to knead for about 10 minutes. The dough is ready when it is smooth and springs back gradually when pressed. The dough should be soft but not too sticky, if it’s very sticky add 1 tablespoon of flour to the mixture and mix, if the dough is too hard add 1 tablespoon of milk. Check the consistency from there.
STEP 8: Allow to rise. Transfer the dough to a large glass bowl brushed with melted butter, cover the bowl with a tea towel, and allow the dough to rise for about an hour to an hour and a half, or until it has doubled in size.
STEP 9: Roll dough. Once the donut dough has risen, remove it from the buttered bowl and place it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough using a rolling pin to a thickness of about 1.5cm (½ inch) throughout.
STEP 10: Shape. Use a round 7cm (3 inches) cookie cutter to shape each donut and place them onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gather and knead the remaining dough, then roll and shape with a cookie cutter.
STEP 11: Second Rise. Cover the tray with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow the donuts to rise for a further 30 to 45 minutes in a warm place.
STEP 13: Heat oil. Set a large heavy-bottomed pot over high heat and fill the pot with oil until it is about 10cm (4 inches) deep, heat the oil until it is about 170C (340F).
STEP 14: Fry. Use scissors to cut squares out of the baking paper that the donuts sit on, lift the paper with the donut on it, and tip it carefully into the hot oil. Fry the donuts for about a minute on each side until golden. Lift them out of the oil with a slotted spoon and place them onto a plate lined with an absorbent paper towel.
STEP 15: Sugar coating. Use a fine grater to grate the dried strawberries into a small bowl, add the castor sugar, and stir to combine. While the donuts are still warm roll them into this sugar mixture.
STEP 16: Fill. Fill a piping bag with the strawberry jam. Use a sharp knife to pierce a hole into one side of the donut, and fill this hole with the jam. Serve and enjoy!
Hint: If you don’t have a thermometer you can check the heat of the oil by adding a small piece of dough to the hot oil and seeing what happens. If it just sinks the oil isn’t hot enough, if when added tiny bubbles form around the dough and it changes color gradually, the oil is ready for frying.
Variations
You can choose to fill these delicious donuts any way you please! They can be filled with Nutella, lemon curd, any flavor of jam, or even with a custard filling! You can also choose to serve them plain and roll them in cinnamon sugar.
Equipment
To make these fluffy donuts you will need a stand mixer, a candy thermometer, a round cookie cutter, a disposable piping bag, a large mixing bowl, a slotted spoon, and a large oven tray.
Storage
These easy strawberry donuts are best eaten soon after frying, as this is when they are freshest and super fluffy. If you have any leftovers store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.
I do not recommend freezing these donuts.
Top tip
To ensure the dough has risen correctly during its first rise use your index finger to test. Do this by pressing the dough lightly, if it springs back gradually the dough is ready, if it doesn’t spring back the dough needs to prove for longer, and if the dough springs back immediately the dough is overrisen.
FAQ
The eggs I use weigh 56 grams, if you aren’t sure if you have the same eggs – weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.
Depending on the brand of bread flour you use you may need to adjust the amount of liquid needed. When you are kneading the dough and it looks dry and is very stiff you need to add more milk. Do this slowly, about a tablespoon at a time.
You want a soft slightly sticky dough, but not too sticky that it doesn’t form a ball while kneading in the mixer. If your dough is too sticky add a tablespoon of flour to the dough and mix again.
Yes you can, you will need a large bowl and a wooden spoon. Start by adding the salt and flour to a bowl and creating a well in the center. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and work slowly to mix the flour into the wet ingredients. Once a dough forms you can knead the dough by hand.
This donut recipe will have you never wanting to eat store-bought jelly doughnuts again! If you make this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and star review below – I love hearing from all of you!
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Happy Baking
With Love,
Kitty
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Donuts
Ingredients
- 2½ teaspoon dried yeast
- 300 ml whole milk
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 2 extra-large eggs beaten
- 570 g bread flour
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 100 g castor sugar
- 20 g dried strawberries
- 150 g strawberry jam
Instructions
- Add 100ml of the milk to a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the milk, allow this to sit for a few minutes before stirring to combine.
- To a medium saucepan set over medium heat, add the remaining milk, sugar, and butter. Allow the butter to melt and the sugar to dissolve, then remove this from the heat and allow it to cool until just warm.
- Add the beaten eggs to the butter and milk mixture and stir to combine.
- Sift together the bread flour and the salt, and set aside.
- Add the activated yeast mixture to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix briefly, then add the warm milk and egg mixture and mix until a loose dough forms.
- Change the mixer’s attachment to a dough hook attachment and with the mixer’s motor running at medium speed add the remaining flour mixture one large spoonful at a time until a soft dough forms.
- Change the mixer’s attachment to a dough hook attachment and with the mixer’s motor running at medium speed add the remaining flour mixture one large spoonful at a time until a soft dough forms.
- Once all the flour has been added, increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high and leave the dough to knead for about 10 minutes. The dough is ready when it is smooth and springs back gradually when pressed. The dough should be soft but not too sticky, if it’s very sticky add 1 tablespoon of flour to the mixture and mix, if the dough is too hard add 1 tablespoon of milk. Check the consistency from there.
- Transfer the dough to a large glass bowl brushed with melted butter, cover the bowl with a tea towel, and allow the dough to rise for about an hour to an hour and a half, or until it has doubled in size.
- Once the donut dough has risen, remove it from the buttered bowl and place it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough using a rolling pin into a large rectangle with a thickness of about 1.5cm (½ inch) throughout.
- Use a round 7cm (3 inches) cookie cutter to shape each donut and place them onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gather and knead the remaining dough, then roll and shape with a cookie cutter.
- Cover the oven tray with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow the donuts to rise for a further 30 to 45 minutes in a warm place.
- Set a large heavy-bottomed pot over high heat and fill the pot with oil until it is about 10cm (4 inches) deep, heat the oil until it is about 170C (340F).
- Use scissors to cut squares out of the baking paper that the donuts sit on, lift the paper with the donut on it, and tip it carefully into the hot oil. Fry the donuts for about a minute on each side until golden. Lift them out of the oil with a slotted spoon and place them onto a plate lined with an absorbent paper towel.
- Use a fine grater to grate the dried strawberries into a small bowl, add the castor sugar, and stir to combine. While the donuts are still warm roll them into this sugar mixture.
- Fill a piping bag with the strawberry jam. Use a sharp knife to pierce a hole into one side of the donut, and fill this hole with the jam. Serve and enjoy!
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