Mini-Doughnuts for the State Fair!

We decided to miniaturize a recipe, just in time for the Minnesota State Fair. Here in Minnesota we are crazy about our Fair, and we celebrate with much eating: mostly fried foods, of course, and anything on a stick. So today we bring you mini-doughnuts, a delicious treat made easy with our dough. This particular version is made with our whole wheat brioche, which takes away a little bit of the guilt. (It could also be made with whole wheat brioche with stevia, easing your conscience even more.) The doughnuts are coated in sugar while they’re still warm, and then devoured immediately.

If you’ve never attempted doughnuts, I’m happy to report they are fairly easy to make. You will need a medium to large heavy bottomed saucepan, and a candy thermometer to keep your oil at the correct temperature. Once you drop the shaped dough into the hot oil they will puff up nicely, creating a perfect bite. Ever since making these brioche doughnuts, it’s hard to indulge in my favorite bakery’s doughnuts. They are really that good.

To make the mini doughnuts, you can follow the instructions in Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, or look at this post as a guide for shaping. A small biscuit cutter works well to cut circles, and the spout of a funnel was a good tool for poking small center holes. You can coat doughnuts in plain sugar, but we love adding some flavor to the mix. Ground cardamom is delicious, and cinnamon or lemon zest also tasted great. Mix 1-2 teaspoons of spice for every cup of sugar. These are best eaten right away, warm to slightly warm, although they will taste great up the same day they are made.

So while we hope you go out and enjoy and support your State Fair, here is a tasty way to bring the best of the Fair right to your kitchen; a wonderful, end-of-summer indulgence that is fun and easy to make.

29 thoughts to “Mini-Doughnuts for the State Fair!”

  1. My husband makes the doughnuts using the pumkin brioche & sugar spce mix out of HBin5 for my birthday every year. We love them!

    1. Hi Bridgit,

      What a great gift! I am going to tell my husband as a not-so-subtle-hint about your husband! 😉

      Cheers, Zoë

      1. I read the above comment (scrolling for doughnut tips) and thought it was so funny that someone had the same tradition as us, until I realized it was my comment and thought I’d follow up. More doughnuts! My sister-in-law’s mom always made doughnuts on snow days… so we have a batch of whole wheat brioche with nutmeg sitting on the counter now getting ready for tomorrow’s snow day, and we’ve invited the family down the street (also teachers) to join us; we are always preaching ABin5. And my husband STILL makes me birthday doughnuts. I’ve never really had a birthday tradition before and I love it.

  2. Oooh..I have taken apple fritter batter and cooked those in my dutch oven over the fire for our annual family campout. I think I’ll mix it up this year and try this! Thanks!
    Anne

  3. Zoe, I made the 10 grain bread into a loaf and baked it at 350, the bread did not raise anymore in the oven than the little it raised on the counter. What do you suggest I do to correct this. Thank-you

  4. Hi Zoe, the loaf was grapefruit size and I had it on the counter for 90 minutes. That is why I can not figure what I did wrong. Thank-you so much for your help

  5. Thank-you Zoe. As for flavor, my husband could not eat it fast enough. My concern was it did not raise as high as all your other breads I did not know what I could have done wrong. Thank-you again for your time. I will go and read the post you sent me.

  6. I have a box of vital wheat gluten and was wondering how do I tell if it is still fresh. Its been in the fridge about year never opened. I think the experiation date was last month

    1. Hi Erin,

      How does it look and smell? The fact that it was refrigerated is good, but next time throw it in the freezer to extend the life. If you are at all worried, you may want to contact the manufacturer and see what their recommendations are. I bet they will suggest to you toss it, but worth asking. ;(

      Thanks, Zoë

  7. These look so yummy! I got your cookbook for the gluten free chapter and I love the recipes. I seem to always have a bucket in the refrig for pizza dough, naan, flatbread. Do you think I can use the Gluten Free Brioche recipe for these? The first time I made the brioche is was really wet; I had a hard time rolling it out. I can’t figure out what I did wrong but would like to try again. I know my kids really want the fried doughnuts. Thank you so much for your time!

    1. Hi Karen,

      Try adding a 1/2 cup more rice flour. I think the variation is that some rice flours measure differently than others. What brand are you using?

      If the dough is not too wet I think it will work well for the doughnuts, but you will have to be careful when lifting them into the oil.

      Thanks, Zoë

      1. Thank you! – I will give it a try. Since it was my first time making it, I did not realize it was going to be too wet until after I started rolling it out. I will make sure I look at it after mixing before the rise. I use Bob’s Red Mill Brown Rice Flour.

      2. Hi Karen,

        Let me know how it goes with the increased rice flour. When you are measuring the flour, be sure it is well packed in the measuring cup, almost like you do with brown sugar.

        Thanks, Zoë

  8. Over the last few months my husband and I have been building a Pizza Oven in our backyard (www.buildanoven.com). The oven is still not complete, but we have fired it a few times. The first time my dough failed miserably, and I was anxious to find a better recipe. A friend suggested the book, “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day”. I said, “I think I know the author!” I immediately drove to the library and checked out your book. I made the dough that night for my second Pizza Party which was a complete SUCCESS! Since that time I have used only your recipes … they are GREAT in our wood-fired pizza oven.

    I want to personally thank you. I have since purchased your first book (and one for my mom, who is also hooked) and your Pizza version. Amazing! Thanks Zoe …

  9. It’s so snowy here in SE Michigan that we HAVE to make doughnuts. HB in 5 only says use the brioche and challa. Is there any reason the banana or graham or bran or berry doughs wouldn’t make a good doughnut? Banana w extra nutmeg sounds just about perfect today. Then I’ll use the leftovers for banana/cheese/pistachio Danishes.

    1. Hi Brigit,

      They are heavier doughs, so you may want to let them rise a touch longer. Let me know how it goes, it sounds delicious!

      Cheers, Zoë

      1. Made them with the bran muffin dough (w/o raisins) and let them rise for 45-50 min. We then dipped them in a little lemon glaze. So delicious.

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