Fluffy donut dough fried to golden brown perfection rolled in sugar and filled with strawberry jelly these are the best jelly-filled donuts you'll have!

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What is a jelly-filled donut?
Ingredients
Frequently Asked Questions
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

What is a jelly-filled donut?

A jelly donut aka jam doughnut is a doughnut filled with a fruit preserve filling. Typically it's a red jam made from fruits like raspberries or strawberries, but it can be filled with any fruity filling.

The donut base is typically a yeast-leavened donut rather than a cake donut. This gives the donuts a fluffy airiness that is the perfect vessel for the sweet jam.

heart shaped jelly donuts filled with strawberry jam

Ingredients

Dough

All-purpose flour: Regular flour works perfectly for these donuts. If you want to give your donuts a little more support and structure feel free to use bread flour
Lukewarm water: Water hydrates the dough while keeping it light
Lukewarm milk: Milk hydrates the dough while adding extra fat and flavor

White sugar: Sugar adds sweetness to the dough as well as acting as fuel for the yeast to grow and rise
Instant yeast: Yeast are the organisms that power the rising of the dough, ultimately giving the donuts their light and fluffy texture
Pinch of salt: Salt helps to strengthen the dough as well as balance out the flavor

Unsalted butter: Butter adds fat to the dough, giving it a tender texture and extra flavor
Neutral oil: Oil is needed to deep fry these! Make sure you use a neutral-flavored oil like vegetable or canola oil otherwise your donuts will take on the flavor of the

Assembly

Strawberry jam: Use a high-quality store-bought strawberry jam or make your own!
Granulated sugar: Rolling your donuts in sugar gives the exterior a sweet and crunchy coating. Feel free to add cinnamon to this, or even roll your donuts in icing sugar instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do these last?

Doughnuts are always best when freshly fried. When they are fresh the exterior is still slightly crispy and the donut itself is super fluffy and warm.

You can keep these stored in an airtight container on your countertop for up to 2 days.

I recommend eating these the day they're made as they will get stale the next day. If you are eating these the next day make sure you heat them up in an air fryer or toaster oven. This will help bring back some of the fluffy texture and crisp exterior.

How should I store donuts?

Once the donuts have cooled to room temperature keep them stored in an airtight container. This will slow down the process of moisture loss, keeping them fresher for longer.

Why did my donuts deflate?

The main reason behind donuts deflating is that they have been over-proofed. If the donuts have been over-proofed they will have too much air in them. Once they hit the oil they don't have the ability to rise anymore and will deflate instead.

Donuts can also deflate if you handle them roughly when frying them. I like to fry them on a piece of baking paper as this decreases the chance of deflating them when putting them into the oil.

Why are my donuts dense?

There are a couple of reasons why the donuts are turning out dense:

The yeast wasn't activated
The dough wasn't kneaded enough
The cutout donuts were under proofed

Can I change the filling?

Of course, you can! Jam is only a suggestion but you can fill these with anything.

Let's Get Cooking

If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went. Also don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts so I can see and share your desserts.

Follow me on facebook, pinterest, youtube and tiktok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!

📖 Recipe

Strawberry Jelly Donuts

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Fluffy donut dough fried to golden brown perfection rolled in sugar and filled with strawberry jelly these are the best jelly-filled donuts you'll have!

Author: Catherine Zhang
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 Donuts 1x
Category: Donut
Method: Intermediate
Cuisine: American

Instructions

Dough

Combine the flour, sugar, instant yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment and stir until combined
Add the lukewarm milk and water to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth
Add the butter and mix on medium speed until smooth and elastic, it will take up to 15 mins
Place the dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with cling wrap
Place in a warm place for 60 mins, or until doubled in size
Remove from the bowl and roll into a circle about 1.5cm/0.6 inches in thickness
Using a heart-shaped cutter cut out shapes of dough and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper
(Gather any remaining dough scraps into a ball and reroll it out to cut out more shapes)
Cover with cling wrap to proof for 30 mins, or until almost doubled in size
Bring a deep-fryer or heavy-bottomed pot of neutral frying oil to 280F / 140C - 300F/150C
Cut the parchment paper so each donut is on it's own piece of paper
Carefully transfer 3 donuts to the oil by holding the ends of the parchment paper
Fry for 2-3 mins per side, or until golden brown, removing the parchment paper after 30 seconds or so
Remove from the oil and drain on a wire rack or paper towel
Repeat with the remaining donuts
Add the drained donuts to the granulated sugar and roll to coat
Allow them to cool to room temperature.

Assembly

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium-sized piping tip with strawberry jam
Poke a hole in the back of the donut with a skewer and move it around to create a cavity in the donut
Insert the tip of the piping bag into the donut and fill it with strawberry jam
Repeat with the remaining donuts
Enjoy immediately!