Sugar-Free Doughnut Recipe

Avoiding sugary treats can be very difficult for people who are following dietary restrictions. If you miss having doughnuts with your morning coffee, you can create a sugar-free version with merely a few ingredient substitutions. Since these doughnuts are baked instead of fried as well as being sugar-free, they’re a healthier alternative to the more traditional pastry.

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. While it preheats, mix 1 1/8 tsp. (half a package) of dry yeast with 1/8 cup of warm water. Set the yeast mixture aside.

Step 2

Measure 6 tbsp. (3/8 cup) of milk into a saucepan, and place the saucepan over a medium-high heat burner. Stirring continually, bring the milk almost to a boil before removing from the burner. This is known as “scalding.”

Step 3

Pour the scalded milk into a mixing bowl, and mix in 1 tbsp. of granulated sugar substitute, 1/8 tsp. of cinnamon and 1/2 tbsp. salt. After the mixture cools to lukewarm, stir in a beaten egg.

Step 4

Add the yeast mixture and 1 1/4 cups sifted flour to the bowl. Beat until well mixed.

Step 5

Cover the mixing bowl with a clean dish towel, and place it in a warm place to rise. After an hour, check the dough to see whether it has doubled in size. If it has not, it will need to keep rising.

Step 6

Place the risen dough on a floured cutting board or counter, and turn it over–do not knead–a few times to form a soft ball. Roll the dough until it’s approximately one-half inch thick, making sure it hasn’t stretched. The dough should remain soft and not elastic. If it is elastic, it has stretched too far. In that case, re-form the ball and roll it out again.

Step 7

Grease a cookie sheet with shortening, then use a doughnut cutter to cut out nine or 10 doughnuts. Place the doughnuts 2 inches apart. With your pastry brush, brush the tops of the doughnuts with melted butter and place the sheet in the oven.