Homemade vegan doughnuts, homemade strawberry jam, and a cup of coffee. Is there a more delightful way to brighten up a winter's day? Rhyme was unintentional, but welcome; however, homemade doughnuts are a good way to brighten up any day, not just long winter ones.
As someone who loves sesame in every way, adding it to sweet dough desserts was just a next logical step, really. And I find that it pairs tremendously well with fillings that are naturally on the sweeter side, like strawberry, raspberry, or even apricot jam.
Now, these doughnuts are baked, not fried. Traditionally, they are fried in plenty of oil, but I am not a fan of deep-fried sweets, so this is what works best for me. Think of them as a cross between a traditional doughnut, baked beignets, and light brioche. Just perfect.
I suggest serving them as soon as they're cool enough to handle, with plenty of strawberry jam filling, and a cup of good, strong coffee.
Ingredients
For the doughnut dough
450 grams plain flour50 grams bread flour
25 grams light brown sugar
25 grams black sesame seeds, toasted and roughly ground
30 grams fresh yeast
150 millilitres warm water
125 grams vegan vanilla yoghurt, Greek-style
45 millilitres vegetable oil
10 grams salt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
For the strawberry jam filling
500 grams strawberries, fresh or defrosted50 millilitres maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 teaspoons cornflour
1 tablespoon cold water
Preparation
Start by making the sweet dough. Sift both types of flour into a large bowl, add in the salt, whisk well, and set aside. Crumble the fresh yeast into a medium bowl, add in the sugar and warm water, and set it aside for about 10 minutes so the yeast can activate.
Once ready, make a well in the centre of the flour, add in all the other ingredients for the dough, and mix with a wooden spoon until a very soft and sticky dough forms. It should not stick to your hands, though, but if it is, add another tablespoon of plain flour. Place the dough into a large bowl, cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rise at room temperature for about an hour, or until doubled. It might take longer if your kitchen is on the cooler side.
Next, make the filling. Chop the strawberries roughly, add them to a heavy pot along with the maple syrup and vanilla, and let it come to a boil. Cook, stirring often, for about 15-20 minutes, until thickened and reduced to about half. Separately whisk together the cornflour and cold water, add them to the jam, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes or so. Remove from the heat and let it cool down completely.
Once the dough is ready, transfer it to a floured surface and knead it briefly. If it is still sticky, flour the surface well. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces by weight and shape each of them into a ball. Arrange them on a large baking sheet lined with baking parchment, and let them rest and rise, covered with a kitchen towel, for about 30 minutes more, while the oven is preheating to 200°C.
Just before baking, generously mist them with cold water and bake, in a preheated oven, at 200°C, for about 10 up to maximum 12 minutes. Make sure they don’t overbake, as they will be tough if they do.
Remove from the oven, and immediately take them off the baking sheet. As soon as the doughnuts are cool enough to be comfortably filled, generously fill them with the strawberry maple jam, and serve immediately. Yields 16 generous servings.
