Baked Berliner doughnuts made in the Thermomix® are our Carnival alternative to deep-fried ones. No deep-fryer needed, just the oven, and they are ready in 15 minutes of baking instead of standing over a hob for 20.
The Thermomix® kneads the yeast dough in two stages: first 4 minutes with flour and egg on kneading mode, then another 5 minutes with butter. That second phase makes the dough smooth and elastic without the butter needing to be warm first. Cold butter straight from the fridge works perfectly.
Baked Berliner Doughnuts with 3 Fillings, Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 15 ✓
- 1/2 cube fresh yeast fresh
- 160 g milk
- 60 g sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 400 g flour
- 1 egg
- 80 g butter
- 230 g milk
- 200 g double cream
- 70 g sugar
- 1 sachet vanilla custard powder
- 1 tbsp Amaretto optional
- 150 g jam your choice
- 1 tbsp fruit liqueur your choice
- 150 g Nutella
Instructions 0 / 11
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1
Dissolve the yeast.
Add yeast, milk, 30 g sugar and salt to the mixing bowl and warm for 3 min / 37°C / speed 1.
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2
Knead the dough.
Add flour and egg and knead for 4 min / kneading mode. Add 50 g butter and knead for a further 5 min / kneading mode. Keep an eye on the Thermomix® to make sure it does not slide off the worktop. To prevent the Thermomix® from jumping, you can use a non-slip mat.
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3
Rest the dough.
Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel and leave to prove at room temperature for 1 hour.
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4
Shape the doughnuts.
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, shape into Berliner doughnuts and place on the tray. Cover and leave to prove for a further 45 minutes.
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5
Bake.
Preheat the oven to 180°C top and bottom heat and bake the doughnuts for 15 minutes until golden.
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6
Brush with butter.
Meanwhile, add 30 g butter to the mixing bowl and melt for 4 min / 70°C / speed 2. Place 30 g sugar on a plate. Brush the doughnuts with soft butter and dip them in sugar.
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7
Mix the vanilla filling.
Insert the butterfly whisk, add all ingredients for the vanilla filling to the mixing bowl, mix for 10 sec / speed 4 and cook for 8 min / 90°C / speed 2.
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8
Cool the vanilla filling.
Transfer the vanilla filling to a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to cool completely. The film prevents a skin from forming on the cream.
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9
Mix the jam with liqueur.
Add the jam and fruit liqueur to the mixing bowl and mix for 10 sec / speed 4.
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10
Stir the Nutella smooth.
Place the Nutella in a bowl and stir until creamy.
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11
Fill the doughnuts.
Either slice the doughnuts in half horizontally and spread the filling in between, or transfer the fillings to a piping bag or pastry press and pipe into the doughnuts using a round nozzle.
Tip: If you are making these for children, leave out the fruit liqueur.
Nutrition per serving
Why baked doughnuts instead of fried
We bake the doughnuts in the oven because there is no hot oil to manage. No temperature monitoring, no fat spattering, no smell lingering in the kitchen. They still get a golden surface at 180°C top and bottom heat in 15 minutes. After baking we brush them with melted butter and dip them in sugar. That gives the classic Berliner crust without the doughnuts swimming in fat.
The two proving times
The dough proves twice: first 1 hour in a bowl, then another 45 minutes on the baking tray. The first prove develops the yeast, the second lets the shaped doughnuts build their volume. If you skip the second prove, the doughnuts will be flat and dense. If you leave them too long, they collapse during baking. 45 minutes on the tray is the right point.
Three fillings prepared at the same time
We make three fillings at once: vanilla cream, jam with liqueur and Nutella. You cook the vanilla cream with the butterfly whisk in the Thermomix® (8 minutes at 90°C on speed 2), then it needs to cool down covered with cling film. The film stops a skin forming. You mix the jam in 10 seconds on speed 4 with a splash of fruit liqueur. The Nutella you stir smooth in a bowl. All three fillings work well in a piping bag or pastry press.
Piping instead of slicing
You can slice the doughnuts in half horizontally and spread the filling in between. We prefer to pipe the filling in from the side using a round nozzle. That gives more filling per doughnut and keeps them closed. A pastry press with a plain nozzle works with all three fillings. With the vanilla cream, make sure it is completely cool before piping, otherwise it will be too runny.
Butter and sugar right after baking
The doughnuts get their butter and sugar coating immediately after baking, while they are still warm. We melt 30 g butter at 70°C on speed 2 in the Thermomix® and brush it over the doughnuts with a pastry brush. Then we dip them in sugar. The warmth lets the sugar melt slightly onto the surface so it sticks much better than on cold doughnuts.
More fillings with the Thermomix®
Beyond the three basic fillings, other Thermomix® creams and spreads work well too. Advocaat can be thickened with a little icing sugar and piped in. Home-made Nutella, Datella and ganache are creamy enough for a pastry press. For jams, a basic jam recipe, jam without setting sugar, apricot jam or Christmas jam all work nicely.
Bake the day before
Goes well with: icing sugar, strawberry jam and vanilla sauce.
Unfilled baked Berliner doughnuts keep for 2 days in an airtight tin. We often bake them the day before a party and fill them just before serving. The vanilla cream makes the doughnuts go soggy if it sits inside for too long. Jam and Nutella are less critical, but it is still better to fill them fresh.
