Yeasted Apple Cider Donuts

4.56 from 86 reviews

Yeasted Apple Cider Donuts

Apple cider donuts made with yeast for a light crumb and fried for a crisp texture. Roll them in a coating of cinnamon/cardamom sugar as soon as they come out of the fryer for a super crunchy finish.

Prep Time1

Bake Time20

Additional Time12

Total Time13 20

Servings:12 donuts

Ingredients

Dough

32 oz apple cider (4 cups)
2 oz unsalted butter (cold)
4 oz warm water (½ cup)
2 ¼ tsp instant yeast
18 ¾ oz unbleached all-purpose flour (3 ¾ cups, see note)
1 large egg (room temp)
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon table salt
1 quart cooking oil

Coating Sugar

1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom

Instructions

Make the dough (day 1)

In a large saucepan, bring 32 oz apple cider to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the 4 cups of cider are reduced to 1 cup. Transfer the reduced cider to a bowl and add 2 oz unsalted butter to the cider so that it melts. Set the bowl aside until the reduced cider is cooled to about 110°F (a little warmer than body temp).
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl combine 4 oz warm water, 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast and 1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz) of the flour. Mix until it forms a thick batter. Cover the bowl and set it aside for 30 minutes (while the cider is cooling).
With the mixer running on low, add 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon cardamom, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon table salt and reduced cider to the batter. Add another 2 cups (10 oz) of flour and mix until it forms a thick batter.
Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining 1 1/4 cups (6 1/4 oz) of flour. The dough will start out quite sticky. Knead on medium low speed for 5 minutes (speed 2 on my stand mixer) until the dough clings to the hook and clears the sides of the bowl. If working by hand mix in as much of the flour by hand as you can then turn the dough out onto a floured surface and continue kneading in the remaining flour. Knead for 5 minutes. If you have a hard time working with the sticky dough you can sprinkle a few more tablespoons of flour as you knead.
Knead into a smooth ball. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough. Cover and set the dough aside at room temperature for 1-1 ½ hours until it's doubled in volume.
Without kneading the dough (kneading will cause it to spring back as you cut) roll to ½" thick on a lightly floured surface.
Use a 4" round cutter to cut donuts. Use a smaller cutter to cut a center hole in each donut. Line the donuts on a well-oiled baking sheet, leaving space between the donuts for the dough to rise (I used 2 baking sheets). Reroll the scraps of dough and continue cutting donuts until all the dough is used up.
Brush the tops of the donuts lightly with oil. Cover the sheet pans with plastic wrap. If you'd like to make the donuts in the morning refrigerate the donuts overnight. If making the donuts the same day, continue with the next step now.

Make the Donuts (day 1 or 2)

Allow the donuts to rise until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour. The time will vary based on the temperature of the room and the temperature of your dough (if you refrigerated the dough overnight they may take longer to rise).
In small bowl combine 1 cup granulated sugar with 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom. Set the sugar aside.
Meanwhile, heat 1 quart cooking oil to 350 °F in a large heavy pot. Fry the donuts a couple at a time, about 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and puffy.
As you take each donut out of the oil, immediately roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Set on a cooling rack while you fry the rest of the donuts.
Best eaten slightly warm or within a couple of hours of frying.

Notes

If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.

Nutrition