Baked Cinnamon Doughnuts

Traditionally, doughnuts are cooked by frying the rings of dough in hot oil.  Hot oil is apt to splatter, so it can be dangerous dropping them into the oil and extracting them when they're done.  These baked doughnuts are both safer to make and lighter and healthier (if you can call a doughnut healthy :) because they are not deep fried in oil.  After they'er baked, they are painted with melted butter and dipped in cinnamon-sugar.  And, best of all, they taste do delicious.

Baked Doughnuts 
(makes about 24 doughnuts and 24 doughnut holes)
1 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. butter
2 T. sugar
3 T. brown sugar
2 packages active dry yeast
1/3 c. water
1 t. salt
2 t. ground nutmeg
2 eggs
4 1/2-5 c. flour

1/4 c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 T. cinnamon

Heat milk and butter until butter has melted. Add both sugars. Add this mixture to a stand mixer. Add the yeast, nutmeg, water, salt, and eggs. Whisk to combine.

Add flour 1 c. at a time.  The dough should be very sticky.  Cover with a towel and let rise for 1 hour. 

Preheat oven to 450F.  Butter two large baking sheets.  Sprinkle flour into a work surface.  Scrape dough out onto it.  With a rolling pin, roll dough out into until its about 1/2 in. thick.  This is very soft, moist dough, so you may need to add more flour to keep it from sticking everywhere.  Dip a doughnut cutter into flour then press into the dough.

Place circles onto the baking sheets.  Continue cutting circles until you have used all the dough.  Let the doughnuts rise for 20 min.

Bake doughnuts for 10 min.  Move to a wire rack and let cool.  Melt butter in a small bowl.  In a seperate bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon.  Dip the tops of the doughnuts in the butter and then the cinnamon-sugar.

The doughnuts are best served warm, but they can be reheated.  They can also be frozen and heated up again.

What a perfect breakfast!