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Home » Baking » Buttermilk Bars

Published: Jan 21, 2021 · Modified: Jun 22, 2021 by Kathy · This post may contain affiliate links

Buttermilk Bars

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Fried donuts topped with a glaze on a white dish.

An old fashioned donut shaped into a rectangular bar. These bars are made with buttermilk and flavored with nutmeg and dipped into a light vanilla glaze.

These are a delicious treat to serve anytime you are craving a donut!

Buttermilk bars piled on a white plate.
Table of Contents
Why make this recipe
Key ingredients
Steps to make
Tips for successful bars
Frequently asked questions
Buttermilk Bars

Why make this recipe

These buttermilk bars are a delicious fried donut that is made without yeast. It's really an old fashioned donut or a cake donut and is similar to these cinnamon sugar donuts.

I love a good donut and I seem to have several recipes - some are fried and some are baked. The one thing they all have in common is they are all delicious!

If you are a donut lover too, you'll want to try these maple bars, apple fritters, baked chocolate donuts, baked mini powdered sugar donuts and these apple cider baked donuts.

An old fashioned donut on a white plate.

Key ingredients

  • Buttermilk - after all, these are buttermilk bars!
  • Flour - all purpose flour
  • Nutmeg - freshly grated if available, but ground will do.
  • Sugar - granulated for the dough and powdered sugar for the glaze

Steps to make

  • Combine sugar, melted butter and vanilla
  • Add eggs, one at a time
A yellow batter in a mixing bowl.
  • Mix in buttermilk
A liquid yellow mixture in a bowl.

  • Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg
  • Add flour mixture to buttermilk mixture. Stir just until combined. Use a spatula to fold any remaining flour into batter
A cakey batter in a mixing bowl.
  • Place batter into a smaller bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour
A bowlful of batter in a white bowl.
  • Place dough on a heavily flour surface
  • Shape dough with flour hands, into a long rectangle
  • Slice dough into rectangles
Dough cut into small rectangles.

  • Place a slit in the center of each rectangle, slicing almost all the way through. This helps the bars cook through the center
An indentation cut into the center of dough.
  • Cook in preheated 375 degree oil
Buttermilk donuts frying in a pot with oil.
  • Place on a baking rack to cool
Fried bars on a baking rack.
  • Make glaze by combining powdered sugar, vanilla and boiling water
  • Dip the top of each bar into the glaze
A bar being dipped into a bowl of white glaze.
  • Allow the glaze to dry before eating

Tips for successful bars

  • Once you add the flour, do not overmix. Just stir until combined. Overmixing will cause the donuts to be tough
  • Be certain to fully chill the dough. It is very sticky and chilling makes the dough more manageable to work.
  • Use a generous amount of flour on your surface and on your hands. Even though the dough is chilled, it will still be sticky.
  • Cut bars into evenly sized pieces for consistent cooking time
  • The slit in the center helps make certain the donuts cook in the center and it also gives the bars an interesting look.
  • Make certain oil is preheated to 375 degrees. Use a thermometer and check temperature often to make certain it doesn't go above 380 or below 365.
  • Only cook a few bars at a time. Do not overcrowd pan or the donuts will not cook evenly.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make ahead of time?

The dough or batter can be made ahead of time. It needs at least an hour in the refrigerator to chill. You can chill the dough up to 24 hours before frying. Once the bars are made, they are best eaten the same day. Leftovers are still good, but they tend to go stale quickly. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Can this recipe be doubled?

Yes, this recipe can be doubled and you will still get great results.

Do I need to add the glaze?

No, but the glaze really makes these bars look and taste great.

Glazed bars  on a white plate with coffee and cups in the background.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop

Be sure to check out all my delicious baking recipes!

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Buttermilk bars piled on a white plate.

Buttermilk Bars

Kathy
An old fashioned donut made from a quick dough and deep fried.
4.77 from 17 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Chilling Time 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 40 mins
Course Baking, Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 Bars
Calories 256 kcal

Equipment

  • Instant Read Thermometer
  • Measuring Cups
  • Measuring Spoons
  • Cooling Rack
  • Cookie Sheet
  • Stand Mixer
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
  

Donuts

  • 2 cups flour (plus additional flour for rolling out dough)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons butter (melted)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • ⅓ cup buttermilk
  • oil for frying (I use canola oil)

Glaze

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ¼ cup boiling water

Instructions
 

Donuts

  • Combine sugar, melted butter and vanilla
    2 tablespoons butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • Add eggs, one at a time and mix well
    2 eggs
  • Mix in buttermilk
    ⅓ cup buttermilk
  • Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg
    2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • Add flour mixture to buttermilk mixture. Stir just until combined. Use a spatula to fold any remaining flour into batter
  • Place batter into a smaller bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour

Shaping and Frying

  • Place oil in a heavy pot. You will need at least two inches of oil (amount will vary depending on size of pot) Heat oil until it reaches 375 degrees.
    oil for frying
  • Generously flour surface for shaping dough. Place dough on surface and sprinkle top of dough with a light coating of flour. Flour your hands and shape into a long 24"x3" rectangle. You can use a well floured rolling pin, but your hands work just as well with this soft dough. The dough will still be sticky!
  • Cut into 12 evenly sized pieces - 2"x3" bars
  • When oil reaches 375 degrees, you are ready to begin frying. Place a slit down the center of each bar. You want the slit to be deep, but do not cut the bar in half.
    An indentation cut into the center of dough.
  • Place 2-3 bars in oil. Do not overcrowd pot. The size of your pot will determine how many you can cook at one time. Cook bars for 1 ½ minutes - 2 minutes per side. You want a nice brown color.
  • Remove bars from oil and place on a baking sheet lined with a rack. Continue cooking remaining bars. Be certain to recheck temperature to make certain the oil stays between 365-380.

Glaze

  • While bars are still slightly warm, begin mixing glaze.
  • Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and boiling water to a bowl. Whisk until smooth.
    2 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ¼ cup boiling water
  • Dip the top of each bar into the glaze. Place bars back on rack to allow excess glaze to drip off.
  • Let bars sit for 10-15 minutes before serving so glaze will set up.

Notes

Tips:
  • Once you add the flour, do not overmix. Just stir until combined. Overmixing will cause the donuts to be tough
  • Be certain to fully chill the dough. It is very sticky and chilling makes the dough more manageable to work.
  • Use a generous amount of flour on your surface and on your hands. Even though the dough is chilled, it will still be sticky.
  • Cut bars into evenly sized pieces for consistent cooking time
  • The slit in the center helps make certain the donuts cook in the center and it also gives the bars an interesting look.
  • Make certain oil is preheated to 375 degrees. Use a thermometer and check temperature often to make certain it doesn't go above 380 or below 365.
  • Only cook a few bars at a time. Do not overcrowd pan or the donuts will not cook evenly.
 

Nutritional Disclaimer:

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1BarCalories: 256kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 178mgPotassium: 77mgFiber: 1gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 109IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Buttermilk Bar, donuts, Old Fashioned Donuts
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @BeyondTheChickenCoop or tag #beyondthechickencoop!

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Comments

  1. Millie says

    May 22, 2022 at 7:57 am

    5 stars
    have you cooked in an air fryer, I love buttermilk bars, but would like to try a little more "healthy" version.

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      May 23, 2022 at 6:49 am

      Hi Millie,
      I'm afraid I have not used an air fryer before so I don't know how they would turn out. I do have a few baked donut recipes (not the same as a buttermilk bar!) that you may want to try.
      Kathy 🙂

      Reply
  2. Arrow says

    March 15, 2022 at 11:16 am

    1 star
    These donuts turned out very poorly for us. They didn't cook all the way through, they weren't very flavorful and were a big disappointment. Not sure why they didn't turn out for us because it looks like it worked for other people. Very unfortunate.

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      March 15, 2022 at 1:54 pm

      Hi Arrow,
      I'm sorry these didn't turn out for you. Did you use a thermometer to measure the temperature of your oil? If the oil is too hot, the outside will look cooked before the inside of the donut is cooked. The taste is mimicked after an old fashioned donut I ate as a child. It's different than a regular donut.
      Kathy

      Reply
  3. Tiffani says

    February 06, 2022 at 6:02 am

    Thanks for the great recipe. I made one change and I added chopped, drained maraschino cherries and a drop of almond extract to recreate a buttermilk bar I had in Oregon a few years ago. A definite keeper.

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      February 06, 2022 at 7:00 am

      Hi Tiffani,
      Thanks for your comment! Glad you enjoyed these buttermilk bars. The addition of the maraschino cherry sounds so interesting. I'll have to give that a try!
      Kathy 🙂

      Reply
  4. Riley says

    May 17, 2021 at 12:34 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe I fried 3 and baked the remaining 9 (400F 18 minutes) of course there’s nothing like the fried version, still, very tasty! I glazed them hot out of the oven so it set up nice and crackly. I also injected some raspberry jam. I would make these again a bit less nutmeg next time for me. Thanks for the recipe 🙏

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      May 17, 2021 at 7:46 pm

      Thank you! I think now I need to try baking them and I love the idea of filling with raspberry jam. Great idea!

      Reply
  5. David @ Spiced says

    January 22, 2021 at 4:31 am

    5 stars
    For when "you are craving a donut"....so you mean all the time!? 🙂 I love a good donut, and these look fantastic, Kathy. They remind me of the donuts that Little Debbie makes - at least I think it was Little Debbie. I used to love those as a kid! I need to make a batch of these ASAP!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      January 22, 2021 at 5:14 am

      They are similar to those Little Debbie snacks. I was testing these one day for my husband and his friend. They were calling them Little Debbie's but after eating a few they started calling them "Little Kathy's". Who knows, maybe we have a new name!

      Reply

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I'm Kathy, a busy working mom who loves to cook from scratch, grow a garden, and raise farm animals. Take a look around and find all my recipes, gardening tips, and country living antics.

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I'm Kathy, a busy working mom who loves to cook from scratch, grow a garden, and raise farm animals. Take a look around and find all my recipes, gardening tips, and country living antics.

More about me →

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