Apple Cider Donuts
Makes 12-18 Donuts
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour + extra for work surface
- ¼ cup graham flour for texture (can substitute whole wheat)
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup apple cider
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large egg yolks
Cinnamon Sugar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Additional Ingredients
- nonstick cooking spray
- vegetable shortening (amount depends on width of pot being used; need about 4” deep of melted shortening, about 6-8 cups)
Special Equipment
- stand mixer with paddle attachment
- bench scraper
- donut cutter
- rolling pin
- parchment paper
- baking sheet
- frying thermometer
How-to
Make Dough
- Whisk together all-purpose flour, graham flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Transfer mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer
- On low speed, add remaining ingredients - buttermilk, melted butter, apple cider, vanilla and egg yolks. Increase speed to medium and mix just to incorporate ingredients. Do not overwork ingredients or dough will stiffen
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 15 minutes
Roll & Cut Shapes
- Flour your work surface. Place dough on work surface, dust the top of the dough, your hands and rolling pin with flour
- Fold dough on itself to incorporate flour into the dough, so that it will not be too wet to roll. Repeat this process a couple of times until dough is not too wet to work with
- Roll out dough to a thickness of about ½”. Dust surface of dough with more flour
- Use a donut cutter, shot glass or the open end of an empty 6 oz tomato paste can to cut out small circles of dough. Dip rim in flour before each cut, to prevent sticking
- Transfer shapes to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and coated with nonstick cooking spray. Allow donuts to rest a few minutes at room temperature before frying
Make Cinnamon Sugar
- In a bowl, whisk cinnamon and sugar until combined and set aside
Fry & Add Cinnamon Sugar
- Melt shortening in a heavy-bottomed pot to about 4" deep, or in a home fryer according to manufacturer’s suggested amount and heat to 360º - 365º
- Working in small batches, fry about 1 - 1½ minutes per side (could take 30 seconds longer) until golden brown. Donut holes will puff up as they fry
- Remove to paper towels to drain off excess oil and while still warm, roll donuts in cinnamon sugar