Yeasted Apple Cider Donuts
Yeasted apple cider donuts — fried, not baked, for a bready crumb and crisp crust. Made with reduced cider for real, concentrated apple flavor. Makes 12 large donuts.
donuts
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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
- ½ 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 2 ½ oz unbleached all purpose 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 the reduced cider to the batter. Add another 10 oz unbleached all purpose flour and mix until it forms a thick batter.
- Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining 6 ⅖ oz unbleached all purpose flour. The dough will start out quite sticky. 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. 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. You can add the center cuts to the scraps or fry them separately as donut holes.
- 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)
- The donuts should begin to rise in the refrigerator overnight. You want them to be almost doubled in size. If the haven't finish rising leave them at room temperature until they're ready. The time will vary based on the temperature of the room and the temperature of your dough and how much they rose in the refrigerator.
- In small bowl combine 1 cup granulated sugar with 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon and ½ 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 spiced 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.
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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.
Storage
Cider donuts are best eaten slightly warm from fryer or within a few hours of frying. They will keep at room temperature for a day. Leftovers can be frozen. Rewarm previously frozen donuts in a low oven to revive the texture. Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!