We had friends in town from Japan (!!) and despite all of us having already eaten dinner when we finally got a chance to kick back and chat, I felt I needed to make something to nibble on. Lately I’ve been a little homesick for that amazing New England foliage, which of course means an intense craving for all things pumpkin and cider related, so pumpkin donuts and hard cider won. I poked through Pinterest and the interwebs in general, and came across this recipe which I used as a base.
- Place 2TB butter and 1/3 cup milk into a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds until warmed through and butter starts to melt. Whisk for about 45 seconds.
- Sprinkle 1 TB yeast over the warm milk. Sprinkle 2 TB sugar over the yeast. Make sure they both sink – proof until foamy.
- Add 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 TB pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 tsp salt, & 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the yeasty liquid, 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, and 1 egg into the dry ingredients and mix with the bread hook attachment.
- Rise until doubled on a heating pad, about 1 hour.
- Once risen, punch down the dough and roll out to about 1 inch on a well floured surface.
- Use 2 random pieces of glassware (or a donut cutter if you’re cool) to cut out donuts. *Cover loosely with a cloth and let rise while heating the oil for frying. (* I was so excited I cut this step short – it’s rather important)
- Fry 1-2 minutes per side in hot oil and set on a paper towel to collect excess grease.
- We dusted them with powdered sugar and happily shoved them in our faces. So. Good.
We only had a few leftover from a batch of about a dozen donuts (as well as the holes) and found they were just as good zapped in the microwave with some cinnamon sugar and vanilla ice cream. Sometimes life is hard indeed.
You can of course bake these guys instead of frying them (for the health conscious out there) but I am not in possession of a donut pan, and honestly feel if you’re going to make a donut, do it the right way. But it’s totally up to you.
annie.crafty.pants 