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Baked Berliner Recipe (German Donuts)

Baked Berliner Recipe (German Donuts)

The healthier version of German jelly filled donuts (berliner); these baked German donuts are a great alternative to the traditional fried German donuts. They’re easy to make, not overly sweet, very light and fluffy and absolutely delicious.

Made with a sweet yeast dough with an amazing butter and rum flavor. Then filled with jelly, brushed with butter, and dusted with powdered sugar (icing sugar) after baking. So good.

The kind of jelly or jam used to fill the doughnuts differs, based on where you are in Germany. Typical Franconian (a region in Bavaria) jelly doughnuts also known as. Krapfen or Faschingskrapfen are filled with Hiffenmark (rosehip jam), while in other regions they use strawberry, apricot jam (flavored with rum) and so on.

But feel free to fill your baked donuts with any jam or filling of your choice from vanilla cream, chocolate mousse to egg liqueur cream.

Why baked Berliner?

Because….

  • Baked donuts are healthier than, fried doughnuts with all the naughty calories. So, you can eat them up, without feeling guilty. 😉
  • Baked donuts are quicker to make, compared to fried doughnuts. No rolling out and cutting the dough or frying the donuts one after the other.
  • The whole house won’t be smelling like a deep fryer when you’re done baking them.

With this easy-to-follow baked jelly filled donut recipe, you too can make these no fail doughnuts at home.

What you’ll need for German donut recipe

For the sweet yeast dough with dry yeast

  • 500 g (4 cups + 2 tablespoons) plain flour (all-purpose flour), plus extra for dusting
  • 2 medium eggs Germany, large US, room temperature
  • 50 g (1.8 oz/ ¼ cup) sugar
  • 75 g (2.6 oz/ ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon) butter
  • 225 ml (7.6 fl.oz/ 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons milk
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 ½ teaspoons dry yeast (7 g (1/4 oz)
  • 1 ½ tablespoons rum
  • 1 ½ tablespoons sunflower oil plus extra to grease the bowl and the dough

Rum: This yeast dough recipe calls for rum, but if you’re not a fan or don’t have any at home, feel free to use about 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar. If you’re suing vanilla sugar, just reduce the amount of sugar with 2 tablespoons.

For the filling and topping

  • 340 g (about 12 oz/ 1 cup) jelly or jam of your
  • 60 g (2.1 oz/ ¼ cup) butter to brush the donuts before and after baking
  • Icing sugar (powdered sugar) for dusting

How to make baked German Krapfen

Activate the dry yeast

Warm milk in the microwave. Pour half of the milk in a jar. Put the butter in the remaining milk in the jar and melt in the microwave. Stir occasionally until butter has melted. You could also warm the milk on the stove like I did in this apple doughnut recipe.

In the meantime, add 2 tablespoons flour (from 500 g (4 cups + 2 tablespoons)) 1 tablespoon sugar (from 50 g (about 1.8 oz/ ¼ cup)) and yeast to the jar with lukewarm milk. Stir well and let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. The yeast mixture will become foamy and bubbly after 10 minutes.

Remove the jar with milk – butter mixture from the microwave and let cool.

Make the sweet yeast dough with activated yeast

Add the remaining flour, the remaining sugar, eggs, and salt to a large bowl. Then pour in the yeast – sugar mixture.

Start mixing, while adding the lukewarm milk – butter mixture slowly. It’s very important that milk and butter mixture is lukewarm and not hot before using it. Otherwise, hot milk will kill the yeast.

Once you have used up all the milk butter mixture, add rum while kneading the dough followed by sunflower oil. Then knead the dough very well.

Knead and let the dough rise

I normally knead my dough like this: If I’m kneading it with the hand mixer, I knead the dough for about 8 minutes at low speed and then for 5 minutes on medium high speed.

With the kitchen machine (stand mixer) I knead the dough for 7 minutes at low speed (speed 1, on Bosch kitchen machine) and for 3 more minutes at medium high speed (speed 3).

With the hands, I knead the dough for about 10 to 12 minutes. If you’re using a heavy-duty kitchen machine, please knead your dough for maximum 7 minutes in total. Otherwise, you will be overworking the dough.

Transfer the dough to a greased larger bowl. Cover with cling film and then with kitchen towel. Let rise for about 1 hour at room temperature or until dough has doubled in size.

  • You could also leave the dough in the same bowl that you’ve used to make it. Just rub it with a few drops of oil, turn it well so that it is completely covered with oil and the cover.

In the meantime, line two baking sheets with parchment papers and lightly dust the working surface.

Shape the donuts and let rise

Tip the dough onto a floured surface and carefully cut it into two equal parts. Cover one part with kitchen towel or cling film, so that it won’t dry out.

Then roughly divide the remaining into 7 equal pieces. Grease your hands with oil and gently shape into dough balls.

Place the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with a parchment paper. Cover the baking sheet with the first dough balls aka. donuts with plastic dust sheet or simply with a kitchen towel and let rise for another 30 minutes at room temperature.

Rub your hands once more with a few drops of sunflower oil, divide and the shape the remaining dough half into approximately 7 equal parts. Then put the dough balls on the second baking sheet lined with a parchment paper. Let the dough balls rise for 30 minutes.

Prepare the jelly filled donut filling and topping

In the meantime, melt the butter in the microwave or on the stovetop. Then take the jelly/ jam, stir it very well and fill the syringe or a pipping bag with it. Afterwards preheat the oven to 180°C (356 °F).

Brush with butter and bake jelly donuts

After the second rise brush the dough balls on the first baking sheet with butter and bake for about 20 minutes or until tops are lightly golden.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cool until you’ll be able to touch them with your hands.

In the meantime, brush the dough balls on the second baking sheet after the second rise with butter and bake for about 20 minutes as well.

Fill the donuts and dust with sugar

Using a syringe fill the doughnuts with jam. If you’re using a pipping bag, poke a hole in the doughnut with a toothpick and fill with jam. Next brush the donuts with melted butter. Then dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!!

These German jelly donuts stay fluffy, moist, and light even after 3 days. Just keep baking sheet with the cake covered with a kitchen towel or a plastic wrap. Don’t forget to warm them in the microwave for about a few seconds.

Berliner FAQ

What can I use instead of rum?

This yeast dough recipe calls for rum, but if you’re not a fan or don’t have any at home, feel free to use about 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar. If you’re suing vanilla sugar, just reduce the amount of sugar with 2 tablespoons.

How long do baked donuts stay fresh?

German jelly donuts stay fluffy, moist, and light even after 3 days. Just keep baking sheet with the cake covered with a kitchen towel or a plastic wrap. Don’t forget to warm them in the microwave for about a few seconds.

Can I freeze baked jelly donuts

Feel free to freeze the jelly donuts after they have cooled completely for up to 3 months. Just leave out the butter and icing part after baking.

Baked Berliner Recipe (German Donuts)

These baked German donuts are a great alternative to the traditional fried German donuts. They’re calorie friendly, easy to make, not overly sweet, very light and fluffy and absolutely delicious.
Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Rise Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 45 minutes
Course: afternoon coffee, afternoon tea, Breakfast, Brunch, Snack
Cuisine: Austrian, European, German
Keyword: baked jelly donuts, German Krapfen recipe, how to
Servings: 14 jelly donuts
Author: Ester | esterkocht.com

Equipment

  • 2 Baking sheets
  • 2 Parchment paper
  • Hand mixer/ Stand mixer (OPTIONAL)
  • syringe or a piping bag

Ingredients

For the sweet yeast dough

  • 500 g (4 cups + 2 tablespoons) plain flour (all purpose flour) plus extra for dusting
  • 2 medium eggs Germany, large US 
  • 50 g (1.8 oz/ ¼ cup) sugar
  • 75 g (2.6 oz/ ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon) butter
  • 225 ml (7.6 fl.oz/ 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons ) milk
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 ½ teaspoons dry yeast (7 g (0.25 oz)
  • 1 ½ tablespoons rum
  • 1 ½ tablespoons sunflower oil plus extra for greasing

For the filling and topping

  • 340 g (about 12 oz/ 1 cup) jam (hiffenmark (rosehip)/ strawberry /apricot jam or any
  • 60 g (2.1 oz/ ¼ cup) butter to brush the donuts before and after baking
  • Powdered sugar (icing sugar) for dusting

Instructions

  • Activate the dry yeast: Warm milk in the microwave. Pour half of the milk in a jar. Put the butter in the remaining milk in the jar and melt in the microwave. Stir occasionally until butter has melted. You could also warm the milk on the stovetop.
  • In the meantime, add 2 tablespoons flour (from 500 g (4 cups + 2 tablespoons)) 1 tablespoon sugar (from 50 g (about 1.8 oz/ ¼ cup)) and yeast to the jar with lukewarm milk. Stir well and let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. The yeast mixture will become foamy and bubbly after 10 minutes.
    Remove the jar with milk – butter mixture from the microwave and let cool.
  • Add the remaining flour, the remaining sugar, eggs, and salt to a large bowl. Then pour in the yeast - sugar mixture. Start mixing, while adding the lukewarm milk - butter mixture slowly. It’s very important that milk and butter mixture is lukewarm and not hot before using it. Otherwise, hot milk will kill the yeast.
    Once you have used up all the milk butter mixture, add rum while kneading the dough followed by sunflower oil. Then knead the dough very well.
  • I normally knead my dough like this: If I’m kneading it with the hand mixer, I knead the dough for about 8 minutes at low speed and then for 5 minutes on medium high speed.
    With the kitchen machine (stand mixer) I knead the dough for 7 minutes at low speed (speed 1, on Bosch kitchen machine) and for 3 more minutes at medium high speed (speed 3).
    With the hands, I knead the dough for about 10 to 12 minutes. If you’re using a heavy-duty kitchen machine, please knead your dough for maximum 7 minutes in total. Otherwise, you will be overworking the dough.
  • Transfer the dough to a greased larger bowl Cover with cling film and then with kitchen towel.
    You could also leave the dough in the same bowl that you’ve used to make it. Just rub it with a few drops of oil, turn it well so that it is completely covered with oil and the cover.
    Let rise for about 1 hour at room temperature or until dough has doubled in size. In the meantime, line two baking sheets with parchment papers and lightly dust the working surface.
  • Tip the dough onto a floured surface and carefully cut it into two equal parts. Cover one part with kitchen towel or cling film, so that it won’t dry out. Then roughly divide the remaining into 7 equal pieces.
    Grease your hands with oil and gently shape into dough balls. Transfer the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with a parchment paper. Cover the baking sheet with the first dough balls aka. donuts with plastic dust sheet or with simply a kitchen towel and let rise for another 30 minutes.
  • Rub your hands once more with a few drops of sunflower oil, divide and the shape the remaining dough half into approximately 7 equal parts. Then put the dough balls on the second baking sheet lined with a parchment paper. Let the dough balls rise for 30 minutes.
  • In the meantime, melt the butter in the microwave or on the stovetop. Then take the jelly/ jam, stir it very well and fill the syringe or a pipping bag with it. Afterwards preheat the oven to 180°C (356 °F).
  • After the second rise brush the dough balls on the first baking sheet with butter and bake for about 20 minutes or until tops are lightly golden.
  • Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cool until you’ll be able to touch them with your hands. In the meantime, brush the dough balls on the second baking sheet after the second rise with butter and bake for about 20 minutes as well.
  • Using a syringe fill the doughnuts with jam. If you’re using a pipping bag, poke a hole in the doughnut with a toothpick and fill with jam. Next brush the donuts with melted butter. Then dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!!
  • These German jelly donuts stay fluffy, moist, and light even after 3 days. Just keep baking sheet with the cake covered with a kitchen towel or a plastic wrap. Don’t forget to warm them in the microwave for a few seconds.

Notes

  • This yeast dough recipe calls for rum, but if you’re not a fan or don’t have any at home, feel free to use about 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar. If you’re suing vanilla sugar, just reduce the amount of sugar with 2 tablespoons.

Did you make this calorie friendly baked donuts filled with jelly recipe? I’d love to hear from you! Simply write a review and add rating to it. 

 

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