Secret Sourdough Donuts
Do you remember My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Me neither.
But I do remember the Greek father’s go-to remedy for everything.
Got a zit? Got a rash? Got poison ivy?
“Put some Windex on it!”
Well, my sourdough starter has become my Windex.
Want some pizza? Want some pancakes? Want some muffins?
“Put some sourdough starter in it!”
Sure, I’m excited about the health benefits for us about incorporating sourdough in our diets, but mostly I’m just excited that by adding my starter, my recipe is halfway done.
I just don’t tell anyone. Especially anyone named Lulu who thinks she doesn’t like “our-say ough-day.” I’m not lying to her, at least not in the same way she lied to me today when I asked what a very obvious noise was after her now daily lunch of bean burritos and she says, “A horn.” I’m sure.
But the sourdough starter for me is like a continuous shortcut. And I like shortcuts.
And shortcakes. Which is why our Easter celebration featured sourdough strawberry shortcake. I just kept it from my guests that their dessert had been fermenting on my counter for the last month. Funny how that little bit of information is an appetite killer.
So when Pea Daddy said last weekend that he wanted some donuts, you know what my answer was.
No, not “Do you want me to draw you a map to Krispy Kreme?”
It was, of course, “I’ll put some sourdough starter in it.”
Secret Sourdough Donuts
Makes approximately 18 donuts
Step 1 (night before):
- 1 c. sourdough starter
- 1/3 c. maple syrup
- 1 c. white whole wheat flour
- 2/3 c. non-dairy or organic milk
- 1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
Step 2 (day of baking):
- 1 organic egg or “flax egg” (1 T. ground flax seed + 3 T. water, whisked)
- 1/2 t. salt
- 2 t. baking powder
- 3/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 t. cinnamon
- 1 t. vanilla extract
Glaze:
- 1/2 c. non-dairy chocolate chips
- 2 t. coconut oil
- natural sprinkles (i.e. Let’s Do Sprinkelz) or chopped nuts, optional
The night before you want your donuts, combine starter, maple syrup, flour, milk and olive oil in a large bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature overnight and up to 24 hours.
Before
After
When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Using an electric mixer, beat in egg or flax “egg,” salt, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla.
Spoon batter into a greased donut pan and bake for 20-22 minutes, until donuts are golden and set.
For glaze, melt together (using a double boiler or microwave) chocolate and coconut oil. Dip donuts in chocolate and top with sprinkles or nuts, if using.
Though the donuts have a slight tang, it is barely noticeable, especially when covered in chocolate.
The natural yeast in the batter makes for a very fluffy, airy donut, sort of like a delicious hybrid between a cake donut and a raised donut.
But what if you don’t have a sourdough starter?
Beg for one! (You’d be surprised. Your local bakery or supermarket is probably willing to give you a cupful of starter from back in their kitchen if you ask very nicely.)
What if you don’t have a donut pan?
Make muffins!
I used this same recipe to make blueberry muffins by mixing in two cups of berries into the batter and baking at 375 degrees for 25-27 minutes.
I left out the berries and baked this same recipe in a jumbo muffin tin for 22-24 minutes for my strawberry shortcakes.
This recipe is totally adaptable and totally forgiving.
Which is more than I can say for Lulu, who happily gobbled two “our-say ough-day” muffins for breakfast.
And nary a horn could be heard.
***********
Other donut recipes (that don’t require a sourdough starter):
Smoked Sea Salt Kissed Maple Donuts
Pumpkin Protein Donuts with Chocolate Drizzle
those look good, I don’t have a doughnut pan but i need one
Yes…you do!
I’ve never been a big sourdough fan but these look great. Thanks for the recipe!
Ahahahahaha – “a horn.” That is amazing.
I most certainly DO remember My Big Fat Greek Wedding but that’s only because my family is Greek and my sister’s wedding WAS My Big Fat Greek Wedding come to life. But yes, that windex part is amazing.
Another great quote from that movie? “The man? He is the head of the family. But the woman? She is the NECK”
Enjoy those doughnuts!
PS – The book about the sourdough starter is called “How to Bake a Perfect Life”
Thanks, Cait!
This is TOO funny! My sister just mentioned that quote a few days ago (on Easter Sunday, actually) – I cannot even remember how the topic of My Big Fat Greek Wedding came up, but she remembers the details much better than I, as the movie came out right at the time she was planning HER wedding!
That conversation also just happened to also included Mama Pea, as I read the BEAUTIFUL Easter post to her over the phone…she is familiar with Mama Pea, as I got her the cookbook as part of her B-day gift (she LOVED it, by the way)!
I love a good yeasty smell and taste in my baked goods. These are going to make the house smell so fragrants and homey
A horn!! Ahh, I love that girl so much.
Also, I know I’ve told you (probably 29 times) that I don’t like sourdough, BUT you just went and put it in a DOUGHNUT, so now I probably WILL like it. I’m pretty sure I can’t not like doughnuts. (That was a weird sentence)
Tonight she told me she thinks she’s eating too many beans. I have to agree.
I wish I could just reach out, snag that donut AND the mug, sit back and relax…………..ah now that sounds like heaven!
Love you lady!
xoxo
Back at ya, lady!
Yum! Thanks for all the delicious recipes!!
I made your Saag Peaneer recipe but omitted the tofu and it was delicious! Thank you so much!
By the way I was going to make your tandoori mm sauce next week and as I was looking at the recipe i thought I would share with you how to properly use saffron threads. My family is from Iran and we cringe every time chefs throw in a pinch of threads into their dishes. Saffron is a very expensive and labor intensive spice so using the threads is like wasting saffron.
To properly use saffron, You take the threads and 1 sugar cube and put them into a coffee grinder ( we have one that is used just for this purpose) next grind the saffron and sugar until its fine textured ( like flour). Whenever you want to use it take a tiny bit 1/8t and mix with a bit of luke warm water. This should give you enough color and flavor.
Thanks, Tiffany…that is very helpful!
I am crying laughing about “a horn.” DYING! Kids are the best.
I miss sourdough, can you even make that gluten-friendly? I need to investigate? Sourdough rice flour…maybe. I like the tang.
I just stuck some gluten free apple muffins in the oven. Depending on how they turn out, this recipe could have your name all over it!
Yum, sourdough doughnuts !They look gorgeous Sarah. If only I lived close enough to pop over now for a doughnut and coffee for dessert ; )
Well, consider this an open invitation!
I’m one of those people who doesn’t like sourdough. However you say it. But chocolate certainly has redeeming qualities.
These sound fabulous, especially the airy part. I like my donuts more on the airy side than cakey.
Will you be delving into gluten-free sourdough, perchance?
More gluten-free recipes coming…I’m not sure if I can do gluten-free sourdough, though
Yes you actually can ! WIth buckweat, i’ts working marvellously well
Are you eating eggs now too? (NOT JUDGING!
Just wondering 
) I have a question, and I’m okay if you’d prefer to not post this or not answer given the earlier controversy….I was wondering if you had any sort of ethical dilemma PERSONALLY for incorporating dairy into your diet? My family as well has always eaten dairy but I’ve very recently incorporated some amounts of dairy into my diet…mostly because I’m having a hard time eating a healthy vegan diet, but I feel a bit like a traitor (granted maybe I am because mine is not necessary for my health like it is for yours). Just wondering if it was an obvious easy solution for you or a bit more conflicted.
The sourdough bread was a huge hit in my house. My first batch made two small loaves and my two children devoured every drop of the first loaf. But now I’m wondering… when you feed the starter for its regular weekly feeding, does it have to be room temp? Or are you only bringing it to room temp to feed before baking?
…confused.
I feed it straight out of the fridge and then leave it at room temp until baking. Got it?
yes, excellent.
So… if I’m not going to bake, just feed, it’s ok to stick it back in the fridge?
Yup!
Glad I skimmed these comments because I was wondering just that!
Great ida! I think I just need to start with my sourdough now!
Have you tried the recipe with the flax egg or the regular egg? I don’t eat eggs and sometimes I feel that a flax egg doesn’t work as good as energ-egg… so I’m hesitating
I used the flax egg & it worked just fine. I’ve never used the ener-g replacer.
Oh my goodness! I have been wanting to make your starter but never got the chance to. We went to Portland last week for spring break and had too much fun. Blossoming Lotus was amazing by the way, thanks for the recommendation. We had the live nachos and soy curl BBQ sandwich. So delicious! Anyway, back to your sourdough donuts… I want these… But first the starter!
P.S. For the starter, can I use the juice of a fresh pineapple?
Yes!
I gave my starter away to my mom. I really need to start another one. I miss my starter.
my mom called me and asked me when i am going to hop on the sourdough starter train because she knew she wasn’t about to do it. i told her i bought a loaf today at marshall’s favorite place (cowboy grub, for the record.. their grub is not the best but their bread is to live for!) and then i vowed to make your starter this month. for adventurous april. xo
Ask Cowboy Grub for a cup of their starter!
Awesome looking donuts…love the choc + sprinkles on them!
And that you were also able to get a batch of muffins out of it, too.
Gotta love versatility and versatile recipe “bases” in the kitchen that can inspire multiple other things!
My sourdough bread is rising! Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Then I am moving on to the muffins next week maybe… and buying a donut pan because I have wanted one for ages and I just can’t resist any longer! And I’ll have yet another way to use the sourdough starter.
I truly need a donut pan, now that I will have a real kitchen soon I am getting one for sure!
I am going to start with the basic donuts, baby steps
Happy weekend to you and the family! <3
I love this! Ha, my mom’s go-to is camomile tea- she puts it on every human condition possible! We tease her but she swears it works (and I must admit, she *might* be right)
I’ve actually heard that and tried to put tea in Lulu’s eye when she got pinkeye. She wasn’t cool with that.
These.look.awesome.
How about a recipe for the bean burritos? What your children eat, I can usually convince my children to eat
It’s pretty basic: I open a can of black beans. Put a spoonful or two on half of an Ezekiel tortilla. Top with a tablespoon or two of shredded cheese. Microwave for 30 seconds. Add a spoonful of sour cream. Done. For Gigi, leave out the beans and add guacamole (smart girl).
Totally complicated, right?
Lol, I was just about to say that now I REALLY need to go get a donut pan, but I’m totally just going to go the muffin route instead! These sound great! – and super versatile!
Wow, mama…. yum!
A horn!! She kills me!!! She must keep you in stitches!
These donuts look ah-maz-ing!!!!! And thanks for the muffin tin sub…although, now that I think about it, I don’t own a muffin pan either…how lame of me!
Yum, those look so good! I love that you’re putting sourdough starter in so many things – I never would have thought to do that. I don’t have a donut pan (yet…) so I’ll have to try this out in muffin form soon. I made your sourdough bread for my family Easter dinner and it was a big hit!
PS Love the story about Lulu – a horn! Priceless.
Perfect- now I have a recipe for the weekend…definitely doughnuts! Thank you for sharing your adventures in sourdough land! I feel like having the starter in my fridge as a kind of treasure-what riches await me!
Oh yes! I’m so glad you’ve got your starter going!
Wow those look delicious. I have GOT to get on the donut bandwagon!
Ok, so you’ve convinced me to try to make a sourdough starter again. I will do it tonight. I am always looking for donuts to make in my donut pan!
And, re: Lulu’s tooting, I don’t know if you know about digestive enzymes, but they have saved us from excessive horn blowing. I went to a class about digestive enzymes and learned a lot. I am lactose intolerant (one of the reasons I’m vegan), so I know that I am lacking at least lactase and also the enzyme(s) necessary to digest onions, since they make me really sick, too.
These are the ones I get at Whole Foods (http://www.enzymedica.com/products/Digest_Gold), but there are lots of other options. I don’t know a) the dosage for kids, though I don’t know why it would be different, and b) if Lulu can/would swallow a capsule or if you’d even consider it.
Just a thought!
Thanks for the digestive enzyme tips! I’ve been trying to work in more sauerkraut and naturally fermented things into all of our diets, but I may need to go the probiotic route. Thanks!
I try to get kids interested in things other than baked goodies – but it may be a losing battle
These look good!
okay. i need to get on this sourdough making. i already have sauerkraut, two barrels of kombucha, and (occasional) yogurt making down. if you ever need kombucha advise don’t hesitate to ask, i take my brewing very seriously haha
great recipe! i’ll let you know if i begin my own starter
I’m currently working on my own kombucha! It’s been a week with no real action, but I’m being patient…
Sourdough doughnuts sound ridiculously delicious. I read somewhere that sourdough is easier to digest – I can’t remember all the science behind it but it sounded pretty logical at the time. That can apply to doughnuts too, right?
sourdough donuts?? WHAT?! Sourdough is my favourite, favourite bread. I can’t believe you made it into delicious donuts! Amazing.
I need to get on it and make that starter!
2 questions…
1.do you think these would work with applesauce instead of oil?
2. Do you think a “chia egg” would work okay?
Also I made the pinapple cashew stir-fry from your book. Holy crap is that delicious! It’s waaaaay better then restaurant food. The whole time my husband and I were eating it all we kept saying was “this is so good….” we are really exciting people :/
We ate that stirfry this week too! Yes, I think applesauce would work fine instead of oil…just grease your pan very well. I don’t think I’d let the applesauce sit out overnight either. As for the chia, yes, definitely! Good luck!
i ADORE the windex scenes in that movie…too funny! and it always makes me want to be greek…
kind of like how this post makes me want to make and eat a million donuts…
You know what makes me want to be Greek? Pita bread. And hummus. And olives. And ouzo. Should I keep going?
I just picked up a canister for my starter yesterday at Goodwill. It was quickly outgrowing the applesauce jar I’d started it in. She’s now bubbling away in her new spacious home. These look amazing! I think I know what I’m making next!
Good luck, Karen!
Ahh, that starter looks ALIVE and now I crazy want one, specially if it makes donuts
“Forgivable and adaptable” are qualities I need in yeast batters…so far I’ve had bad luck with them!
You can do it!
Donuts sound like the perfect vehicle for that sourdough tang if you ask me…and don’t worry, I won’t tell Lulu.
I love this idea! I keep forgetting pineapple juice every time I go to the grocery store, though. Grrr…
Hi Mama Pea! I am so glad to see that you’re embarking on sourdough recipes! Do you have any plans for gluten-free sourdough recipes? That would be amazing
!! God bless.
I agree…that would be amazing! I may try it. Stay tuned!
My first attempt at a starter was a major fail. I can’t even begin to tell you what went wrong. I’m determined to make it work after seeing how I can make donuts with it. I make donuts all the time but not sourdough donuts.
I’m on a mission!
Oh man, bummer it didn’t work the first go around. Hope it works this time!
Are you eating eggs again? We considered eating farm-fresh eggs when we were overseas a few months back, but ultimately decided against it to maintain “vegan edge” (Love “scott pilgrim!”) and avoid potential stomach issues. Did they bother your stomach?
Isn’t it funny how when we discover new things, they are suddenly perfect for so much more than what we started using them for? I haven’t tried sourdough yet, but I have a tendency to try something and then my whole life becomes that thing. I was obsessed with coconut for a while and it went in everything. And then I move on and find the next ‘perfect’ ingredient. Although maybe this is just me and others are less fickle
Irrespective, and ramblings aside – these donuts look much better than standard ones!
I am looking forward to eating sourdough donuts. The concept sounds delicious to me!
A heads-up: it may not be a great idea to count sourdough as a source of probiotics, since most strains don’t survive the baking. I guess you can count it if you eat the starter as it is, but I’m not sure the benefits are worth that, erm, eating opportunity.
Thanks for the heads up! You are right…eating the starter would be gross.
These look uh-MAZ-ing!
You just convinced me to ask my local bakery for a cupful of their starter. It doesn’t hurt to ask, right?! Great idea.
Let me know what they say!
My grocery store baker offered to sell me a cup, Maryea! I bet yours would, too.
Those look ridiculously delicious. This post might have been the tipping point for me to actually make a starter instead of lamenting that fact that I don’t have one to make all these delicious, delicious recipes.
Please do & join in the delicious fun!
Hi Mama Pea!
I want to make your banana bread tomorrow. Do you think sunflower butter, peanut butter can be substituted for the almond butter.
Can you taste the almond butter in the bread? Because I know many people love sunflower butter on a banana so maybe if you can really taste it in the bread…it would be a delicious variation.
Thank you so much! Hope you are having a great weekend with the family
Also, I have 3 bananas would it make a difference if I added 3 instead of 2.5? Sorry for all the questions. Thank you
So long as they aren’t huge, you should be fine. Maybe add a touch more flour.
I think either would work fine! I’ve used peanut butter before and it’s great. Either way, enjoy!
Thank you so much!! I have some almond meal in the pantry and I was thinking of using that…do you think reducing the flour to 1.75-1.5 cups and using .25-.5 cup of almond meal would work?
I’ve never used almond meal so I’m unsure of how it would turn out. I would love to hear your thoughts. So sorry to experiment with your recipe!
Thank you
Almond meal is pretty course. I would give it a spin in your food processor or blender before using it and then I think it would work better. I’ve been wanting to make an almond flour based banana bread, so maybe you’ve inspired me to do that sooner than later…
You’re reminding me of the “Put a Bird On It” episode of Portlandia with your Sourdough Starter…”Put some sourdough starter in it!”
It’s kind of sad how spot on that show is…
It cracks me up and I love it – but my husband hates it. Anytime we watch it, he’s like, “It’s not really funny…that’s REALLY how it is up there.”
They had an episode in Wieden + Kennedy, where he used to work and it really cracked me up because they’re joking about Carrie getting lost in the building and I would ALWAYS get all turned around and lost in there.
He used to work at Weiden + Kennedy?! We might have a mutual friend…Josh Nelson?
No way! I know Josh!! Josh was (well, IS) one of his really good friends. He and Josh were on the same team when he was working there…literally sat next to each other.
NO way! I’ve been friends with Josh’s wife since I was four. There’s even a story in the first book about her.
I hear you on the sourdough being your windex. I have quietly slipped it into a number of things…most recently the recipe above in muffin form. I split the dough above and put 1 C berries in one and 1 C chocolate chips in the other. My kids thought I was genius as chocolate for breakfast is quite a treat.
Keep up the good work and keep the sourdough recipes coming…maybe a pizza next?
Have a great day Mama Pea!
Yup–we’ve been eating sourdough pizza every Friday night! I’ll try to take photos this week
i have made sourdough bread, biscuits, pancakes, pizza, even chocolate cake but not donuts. yet
these look great!
English muffins are my next project!
Oh, i grew up on sourdough..cannot wait to thry these..looks delicious!
Just discovered your blog and i am really enjoying it! Thank you!
ACK! My donuts were half-donuts, hard on the outside and mushy on the inside. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t my starter – it doubled in size overnight! Maybe my baking powder has lost its lift?