Easy Baked Sourdough Discard Powdered Sugar Donuts

These easy and delicious baked sourdough discard powdered sugar donuts are moist, cakey and have just the right amount of sweetness.

We love donuts in our house and enjoy the occasional trip to the donut shop, but we also love to make homemade baked donuts! We’ve tried a lot of flavors, but one of my kids’ favorites to make at home is a classic donut, the powdered sugar donut! And because I try to make everything a little bit healthier and a little bit better, I came up with this sourdough donut recipe. These delicious sourdough discard donuts use, you guessed it, sourdough discard which adds an extra depth of flavor and takes this recipe to the next level. Although using sourdough discard in this recipe doesn’t give you the same benefit of sourdough that has gone through a long fermentation process, it still adds in some good-for-your gut components.

What’s great about these homemade donuts is that unlike fried donuts where you make a dough and use a donut cutter to cut-out donuts, for this recipe, you simply mix the ingredients up in one bowl, pour the batter into some donut pans, bake them up and they’re ready to go! It’s just as easy as baking up some homemade muffins and they make for a great addition to a special breakfast. If you’ve been looking for fun ways to use your extra sourdough starter, then this recipe is perfect.

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FAQs

What is sourdough discard?

Sourdough discard is a portion of sourdough starter that is not active and bubbly, which means it has all the benefits that sourdough has to offer, but it probably won’t help rise any sort of baked good.

How do I store the sourdough donuts?

Store these donuts in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days. You can also store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Do I have to use active sourdough starter for this recipe?

You can use either active starter or sourdough discard in this recipe since the leavening agent that helps these donuts rise comes from the baking soda and baking powder and not the sourdough starter.

Can I use vegetable oil in place of butter in this recipe? 

You can use vegetable oil instead of butter for the donut batter, and coconut oil in place of the butter that is brushed on the outside of the donut prior to coating the donuts in powdered sugar.

Can you add other toppings to these sourdough donuts?

If powdered sugar isn’t totally your jam or you’d like a variety of toppings on your donuts, you can replace the powdered sugar with cinnamon sugar, vanilla glaze, chocolate frosting or whatever your heart desires.

Ingredients

All purpose flour: I like to use all purpose unbleached flour, but use the AP flour that you have on hand.

Sugar: Any type of sugar you enjoy should work in this recipe. I like to use cane sugar.

Baking powder & baking soda: These help the donuts rise.

Salt: Salt helps balance the sweetness in this recipe.

Nutmeg: Nutmeg helps give these donuts the classic taste that bakery powdered sugar donuts have.

Sourdough Discard: Sourdough discard deepens the flavor of these donuts and adds in and has gut-healthy components.

Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt adds extra moisture to these donuts.

Milk: I like to use either whole milk or 2% milk for this recipe.

Eggs: Eggs bind the batter together.

Vanilla extract: No baked good is complete without vanilla.

Melted butter: Melted butter adds a richness to these donuts and also is used to help bind the powdered sugar to the outside of the donuts.

Powdered sugar: Powdered sugar is the star of the show and pulls this recipe together!

Tips for Making Irresistible Sourdough Donuts

• Try to use room temperature ingredients. By doing so, you’ll get a smoother batter and a yummier donut.
• Don’t overfill the donut pans. Instead, aim to filling them about 3/4 of the way full.
• Only mix the batter until the ingredients have just come together.
• Allow the batter to sit for 5-10 minutes before adding it to the pans to allow the batter to get light and airy.
• Don’t over bake the donuts. Doing so will cause them to be dry.
• To check if the donuts are done, use a toothpick and insert it into the middle of the donut. If it comes out clean, they’re done!

Optional Add-ins

• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Mini chocolate chips
• Cinnamon
• Sprinkles
• Lemon extract

Alternative Toppings

• Simple glaze (vanilla, lemon)
• Frosting (chocolate, vanilla)
• Sprinkles
• Cinnamon sugar
• Crushed cereal
• Crushed cookies

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HOW TO MAKE BAKED SOURDOUGH DISCARD POWDERED SUGAR DONUTS

TOOLS YOU MAY NEED

• Stand mixer or large bowl and mixing spoon
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Medium mixing bowl
• Rubber spatula
• Donut pan
• Cooling rack
• Small cookie scoop
• Toothpick
• Gallon bag(s)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups of flour (all-purpose)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup of sourdough discard (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup milk (room temperature)
• 2 large eggs (room temperature)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• Cooking spray or coconut oil

DIRECTIONS TO MAKE BAKED SOURDOUGH DISCARD POWDERED SUGAR DONUTS

Preheat the oven to 350°F, then in the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the dry ingredients on low speed: flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: plain Greek yogurt, milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.

Place the donut pans, if they’re silicone, onto a baking sheet, grease them with coconut oil or cooking spray, then add the batter to the bans, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to get every last bit.

Fill the donut pans 3/4 of the way full with batter and use a toothpick to smooth the batter into an even layer.

Bake the donuts at 350°F for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean and they’re slightly golden brown.

Allow the donuts to cool in the donut pans for about 5 minutes, then remove them and place them on a wire rack to cool for another 5 minutes.

Add powdered sugar to a gallon bag, then place the donuts one at a time into the bag.

Shake the bag until the donut is fully coated with powdered sugar.

Tap the donuts to remove excess powdered sugar, then serve warm.

NOTES

• It’s always a good idea to grease your donut pans with some sort of cooking spray, butter or oil.
• If you don’t have a piping bag, place a gallon size bag into a tall cup, add the batter to the bag, then snip the end off and you’re ready to pipe the batter into the pans. I also like to use a small cookie scoop to add the batter to the pan.
• You can use active sourdough starter or sourdough discard for this recipe since there are other leavening agents to help the donuts rise.
• Don’t over bake these donuts or they will be dry. It’s best to start at the lower end of the baking time and work your way up if needed.

Continue to Content

aked Sourdough Discard Powdered Sugar Donuts

Yield: 12-18

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes

Total Time: 24 minutes

These easy and delicious baked sourdough discard powdered sugar donuts are moist, cakey and have just the right amount of sweetness.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups of flour (all-purpose)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup of sourdough discard (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup milk (room temperature)
• 2 large eggs (room temperature)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• Cooking spray or coconut oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, then in the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the dry ingredients on low speed: flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: plain Greek yogurt, milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
4. Place the donut pans, if they're silicone, onto a baking sheet, grease them with coconut oil or cooking spray, then add the batter to the bans, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to get every last bit.
5. Fill the donut pans 3/4 of the way full with batter and use a toothpick to smooth the batter into an even layer.
6. Bake the donuts at 350°F for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean and they're slightly golden brown.
7. Allow the donuts to cool in the donut pans for about 5 minutes, then remove them and place them on a wire rack to cool for another 5 minutes.
8. Add powdered sugar to a gallon bag, then place the donuts one at a time into the bag.
9. Shake the bag until the donut is fully coated with powdered sugar.
10. Tap the donuts to remove excess powdered sugar, then serve warm.

Notes

• It's always a good idea to grease your donut pans with some sort of cooking spray, butter or oil.
• If you don't have a piping bag, place a gallon size bag into a tall cup, add the batter to the bag, then snip the end off and you're ready to pipe the batter into the pans. I also like to use a small cookie scoop to add the batter to the pan.
• You can use active sourdough starter or sourdough discard for this recipe since there are other leavening agents to help the donuts rise.
• Don't over bake these donuts or they will be dry. It's best to start at the lower end of the baking time and work your way up if needed.

Nutrition Information

Yield 16 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 163Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 32mgSodium 301mgCarbohydrates 27gFiber 0gSugar 14gProtein 4g

Nutrition facts can vary based on different brands of ingredients and does not account for substitutions. This nutrition information is only an estimate.

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ARE YOU LOOKING FOR MORE SOURDOUGH RECIPES?

Looking for more easy sourdough recipes like these sourdough discard donuts? Check these out!

• Sourdough Discard Blueberry Lemon Muffins
• Sourdough Pancake Recipe
• Simple Sourdough Discard Chicken Strips
• Long-Fermented Sourdough Pizza Dough

Did you make these delicious donuts? If you enjoyed them, I’d really appreciate if you came back and gave the recipe a five star rating! Tag me on Instagram (@thesimplehomeplace) to show me your own recreation of this recipe! Happy baking!