Sourdough starter gives these doughnuts an extra depth of flavor and balances with the baking powder for a texture that is somewhere between cake doughnuts and yeast ones.
By Sawsan Abu Farha
I rarely make donuts at home. You need a REALLY good recipe, one that gives you donuts that make you forget about the calories, at least long enough to have a couple of donuts! Up until recently I didn’t have a recipe that fit that description. That changed when I cam across the recipe I am sharing today.
I have used my sourdough starter to make bread, pancakes, crepes, brownies, crackers, cinnamon rolls and every single time the results were amazing. Using a sourdough starter adds a certain depth to recipes, a layer of flavor that is not necessarily sour. At times you can’t detect any tang but still the addition of the sourdough starter improves the texture and flavor so much that now even my kids say that any recipe gets extra points if it contains the starter.
Today’s recipe is no exception. With both yeast from the sourdough starter and baking powder, these donuts are sort of middle ground between cake doughnuts and yeast ones. They are the best of both worlds if you will. So no matter what doughnut camp you’re in, give these a try. I think you will love them! 
These donuts are light,airy and fluffy with the slightest crunch on the crust. Top them with some cinnamon sugar and stopping at one will really test your self control.
I divided the dough in half, I made one half on the spot and stored the other half in the fridge for a couple of days. The donuts made on the first day and those made from the stored dough were equally delicious. You can make the dough the night before and simply take these out in the morning and make a few to surprise your husband or kids on the weekend.
PrintCinnamon Sugar Sourdough Doughnuts
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 donuts 1x
Description
Sourdough starter gives these doughnuts an extra depth of flavor and balances with the baking powder for a texture that is somewhere between cake doughnuts and yeast ones.
Ingredients
- ½ cup sourdough (you can make your own using this technique)
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 egg
- 2 cups flour (I usually need 1/3–1/2 cup more to make the dough managable )
- 1/2 cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Prepare a pot or deep fryer for frying.
- Line a tray with paper towels and set aside, you will use this for draining doughnuts.
- Heat oil to 360 degrees.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda
- In a bowl mix the sourdough starter, oil, buttermilk and egg.
- Add the sugar, cinnamon and salt to the dry ingredients and then add them to the wet ingredients.
- Bring dough together gently with you hands. Sprinkle some flour onto a work surface and turn dough on to it. Knead it gently about 3 times to help bring the dough together.
- Roll out to a thickness of 2 centimeters and cut with a doughnut cutter or if you are like me, you can use a round cutter (I used my 1/2 and 1/4 cups) and a bottle cap
- Fry until golden brown. Test the first one for doneness by breaking it in two and checking if the middle is doughy.
- Drain on paper town. Toss with vanilla sugar or cinnamon sugar to coat or top with your favorite topping
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dessert
Yum! I most often make yeast doughnuts, but these are delicious and can be made up so quickly. Plus they require a bit of sourdough starter, which I hate to waste. Will be making these again. Many times, most likely. Thanks.:)
I was looking for a sourdough version of soufganiyot to make for my Israeli husband and found your recipe. They turned out beautifully! I added a little orange zest because I understand that is how it is made in Israel. I also tried splitting in half and am making the second batch the next day for our neighbors. The yeast donuts took me a day to make and this one was better and only took the time for the oil to heat up! Thank you! Joy
I made these today with my kids and they were fabulous! We topped them with Nutella and my kids swear these are the best donuts they’ve ever eaten!
We love these doughnuts! Super simple to make & so delicious! I’ve been using a sugar glaze with fresh grated lemon zest & a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. It makes these doughnuts a little more delicious & pairs well with the cinnamon in them. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. My children & their friends love them ????
Do you need to let them ride at all? Once the dough is mixed?
Thanks! These were great.
My daughter and I just made these wonderful tasting doughnuts. Thank you for sharing your recipe. These are amazingly, light, crispy while
remaining firm. Never knew doughnuts could be this easy to make!
Really good! This was so easy and turned out with a wonderfully golden crust. This will be my go-to sourdough donut recipe for the holidays.
I can’t wait to try these!
Surprised there is no rising time
That was my question too, surprised there is no rising time?
Good flavor, but very dense.
Hi,
Interesting approach.
I have 1 question. You wrote:
“½ cup sourdough (you can make your own using this technique)”
What do you mean by this technique.
I cannot find neither link nor description.
Maybe im not capable to see, nevertheless could you point me to it.
Thank you
Amazing taste and consistency! These have quickly become our favorite donuts, even better than the freshly made ones we get at the beach, which I thought were impossible to beat.
Cannot wait to try this, just wanted to let you know there’s a small typo at the end of your recipe directions. Says “paper town” instead of “paper towels” but I enjoyed the giggle and needed that. :) I’m going to get up and prep my dough for this! Thanks!!
These came out great! Even the next day they weren’t stale yet. I mixed up all my ingredients and then let it sit on the counter overnight and made them the next morning. I’d guess they’d be more dense if the dough was stored in the fridge. Next time I’ll divide it up and see which way we like it best. Will definitely make these again!