Pumpkin Donut Recipe

5 from 2 reviews

Pumpkin donuts made with yeast for a light crumb and fried for a crisp crust. Roll them in pumpkin spice sugar as soon as they come out of the fryer for a super crunchy finish.

Prep Time30

Bake Time20

Rising Time2 30

Total Time3 20

Servings:12 donuts

Ingredients

Dough

4 oz water (1/2 cup, warm)
8 oz pumpkin puree (1 cup)
2 ¼ tsp instant yeast (1 packet)
2 oz unsalted butter (melted)
1 egg (room temp)
4 oz granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
17 ½ oz all-purpose flour (3 1/2 cups, divided, see note)
1 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Pumpkin Spice Sugar

8 oz granulated sugar (1 cup)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 quarts vegetable oil (for frying)

Instructions

Make the dough (day 1)

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl combine4 oz water, 8 oz pumpkin puree, 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast, 2 oz unsalted butter, 1 egg, and 4 oz granulated sugar. Add half of the flour and mix until it forms a thick batter. If using a stand mixer switch to the dough hook.
With the mixer running on low add 1 teaspoon table salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg to the batter. Add the rest of the flour.
Knead on medium speed for 5 minutes 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 then 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.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead into a smooth ball. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat it with oil. Cover and set the dough aside at room temperature for 1-1 ½ hours until it's doubled in volume. (Alternately, you can put the bowl in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours before making the donuts.)
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 3 ½" 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 them 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. The unrisen donuts can also be frozen at this point.

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 or froze the dough they may take longer to rise).
Meanwhile, combine 8 oz granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ginger and ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg in a small bowl. Heat 1 quarts vegetable 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 it in the pumpkin spice 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