You’ll love waking up to these Coffee Cake Sourdough Discard Donuts. Sourdough discard brings a delightful tang to the delicate chai-spiced crumb, while brown sugar streusel adds a satisfying crunch. Quick and straightforward, these donuts come together in just 30 minutes—perfect for a cozy breakfast treat!
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This recipe was created in partnership with Mimi Council! Each month, we collaborate on a recipe that uses sourdough in delicious and imaginative ways. We agreed that these chai-spiced donuts were the perfect way to welcome our favorite time of the year fall and the beginning of baking season. My favorite part of our collaboration is that we get to test and perfect these recipes before sharing them with you!
Check out the other recipes in our collection, like the Sourdough Molasses Cookies, Small-batch Sourdough Chocolate Cake and Sourdough Cranberry Biscotti.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy recipe that comes together in 30 minutes.
- Made with basic ingredients you already have in your pantry!
- Great way to use a lot of excess sourdough discard (½ cup).
- Warm spices make them perfect for fall!
Ingredients and Substitution
All-purpose flour: The low protein content of this flour imparts a really tender, plush texture to these donuts. Do not substitute whole wheat flour or bread flour as it will make your donuts tough and dry.
Sourdough discard: Both active sourdough starter and sourdough discard will work for this recipe. If you don’t have a sourdough starter, simply mix up 56 grams of all-purpose flour and water into a paste and add it into your dough.
Light brown sugar: This recipe was developed using light brown sugar but dark brown sugar will work just fine.
Salted butter: Mimi loves using salted butter since it enhances the flavor of baked goods! If you only have unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon of salt to your batter.
See recipe card for detailed ingredient information.
Can I use sourdough starter alone, without baking powder?
No, these donuts need the instant rise from the reaction of chemical leaveners with the dough ingredients to achieve their fluffy texture. Baking powder releases carbon dioxide when it reacts with moisture or acid in the dough, forming air pockets that help the donuts rise and stay light.
Baking with Sourdough Discard
Sourdough discard is any portion of your sourdough starter not used to make bread. It adds a delicious complex, tangy flavor to donuts.
Since it’s not used as a leavener, you can use your sourdough discard straight from the refrigerator. You don’t need to activate or feed your sourdough starter before adding it to your batter.
How to Make Baked Coffee Cake Sourdough Donuts
STEP 1: Make the Dough
Make sure your baking powder is fresh
Chemical leaveners like baking powder can lose their effectiveness after a few months. If yours has been in your pantry for some time, test it out by combining a pinch with a drop of vinegar. If the mixture fizzes it will still work.
STEP 2: Bake and glaze
Baker's Tips
- Measure by weight instead of volume. Using a scale is more accurate than measuring ingredients with tablespoons and cups which greatly increases your chances of a successful bake.
- Both sourdough discard and active sourdough starter will work for this recipe.
- Make sure your discard is fully dissolved before adding the flour. This will prevent rubbery spots from forming in your donuts.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Excess gluten development can result in tough, gummy donuts. Mix the ingredients just until the batter comes together.
- Sift your powdered sugar. This helps create a smooth and creamy glaze.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Just add an extra 56 grams of flour and 56 grams of water to your batter.
Your baking powder might be past its prime or you may have over mixed your batter.
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Spiced Sourdough Coffee Cake Donut Recipe
Equipment
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Ingredients
Batter
- 86 grams salted butter melted
- 170 grams light brown sugar
- 113 grams sourdough discard
- 1 large egg
- 57 grams plain Greek yogurt
- 56 grams milk
- 255 grams all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Topping
- 85 grams salted butter melted
- 95 grams all purpose flour
- 57 grams cane sugar
- 57 grams light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Glaze
- 142 grams powdered sugar sifted
- 28 grams milk
Click US Customary to view volume measurements
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Make the batter: In a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter, light brown sugar, sourdough discard, and egg. Mix using a hand mixer until combined.86 grams salted butter, 170 grams light brown sugar, 113 grams sourdough discard, 1 large egg
- Add in the yogurt, milk, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, all spice, cardamom, cloves, and black pepper in that order. Mix on low until a stiff dough forms. Transfer to a piping bag with no tip.57 grams plain Greek yogurt, 56 grams milk, 255 grams all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Make the topping: In a medium bowl, add the melted butter, flour, cane sugar, light brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix together with a spatula until a paste texture forms.85 grams salted butter, 95 grams all purpose flour, 57 grams cane sugar, 57 grams light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Lightly grease two donut pans with olive oil cooking spray to prevent sticking. Pipe the donut batter into the pans, this makes 10 donuts.
- Crumble the topping on top of the donuts.
- Bake: Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center come out clean the topping looks golden brown. Allow the donuts to cool completely in the pans.
- Make the glaze: In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar and mix. Whisk together until a smooth glaze forms.142 grams powdered sugar, 28 grams milk
- Transfer the donuts to a wire rack. Spoon or drizzle the glaze on top.
- Enjoy and Store: Serve fresh with a cup of coffee. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Tips
These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I've included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.
Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.
Notes
- Both sourdough discard and active sourdough starter will work for this recipe.
- Make sure your discard is fully dissolved before adding the flour. This will prevent rubbery spots from forming in your donuts.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Excess gluten development can result in tough, gummy donuts. Mix the ingredients just until the batter comes together.
- Sift your powdered sugar. This helps create a smooth and creamy glaze.
Jessica Reed
I have made these several times. They are absolutely delicious and even fantastic by subbing gluten free sourdough and flour. Everyone loves them both!
Hannah Dela Cruz
Oooh I'm so glad you love this recipe! Can I ask which gluten free flour you're using? I'd love to share it with people who want to bake these gf!
JS
Very tasty! I don’t have a donut tin, so I used a 10x6 glass pan and cooked for about 40 mins at 400•
Hannah Dela Cruz
I'm so glad it worked in a pan!