By Tracey
Cinnamon-Sugar Pumpkin Doughnuts
adapted from Bon Appetit
Ingredients:
Doughnuts
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- canola oil, for frying
Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions:
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves together in a medium bowl. In a measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and pumpkin puree, whisking until blended. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well blended. Mix in the egg, the egg yolks and the vanilla, beating until completely incorporated. With the mixer on low, alternately add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and pumpkin/buttermilk mixture in 2, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (it’ll need at least 3 hours – I left mine in the fridge overnight and fried the next morning).
Add enough oil to a large Dutch oven to measure about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in depth. Set the pan over medium heat. Let it start getting hot while you cut out the doughnuts – you’re looking to get it to between 365 and 370 F on a candy thermometer. Prep the coating by stirring the sugar and cinnamon together in a wide bowl.
Meanwhile, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. It’ll probably be a little tacky so you may need to add flour as you go. Roll the dough until it is about 1/2-inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter to cut rounds from the dough (you’ll probably want to flour the cutter). To cut the holes in the center of the doughnuts use a small cutter (the wide end of a large piping tip works well). Save the centers – you can make doughnut holes with them! Gather and reroll the scraps to cut more doughnuts.
When the oil reaches the desired temperature, add a few doughnuts at a time and fry them for 3-4 minutes total (flipping once so both sides cook evenly), or until golden brown and cooked through. Use a spider strainer to remove the doughnuts from the oil and transfer to a paper towel-lined cooking rack. Let the oil come back up to temperature before continuing to fry more doughnuts. The doughnuts holes will require less time to cook, about 1-2 minutes total (remember to flip at least once).
When the doughnuts are still slightly warm, coat them with the cinnamon-sugar mixture on both sides. The doughnuts are best shortly after being fried.
