Apple Cider Doughnuts Yeast Raised Recipes

APPLE CIDER (BAKED) DONUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray four 6-cavity donut pans with nonstick baking spray.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon zest. Whisk for 30 seconds to distribute the leavening.
• In a liquid measure cup, combine the cider, buttermilk and vanilla.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix on high until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
• With the mixer on low, add one-third of the flour mixture and then half of the cider mixture. Continue alternating between the two until the batter is just combined. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and, using a large rubber spatula, fold the batter a few times to make sure the ingredients are well distributed.
• Transfer the batter to a piping bag or a large zip-close bag with a corner snipped off, and pipe into two of the donut pans. Top each pan with a second, inverted pan and use clips to hold them in place. (Some pans come with clips; otherwise, use metal hardware or paper clips.) Bake until the cake just springs back when gently touched, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Turn the donuts out onto a cooling rack; immediately brush with melted butter, then dip in the cinnamon sugar.

YEASTED APPLE CIDER DONUTS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring the 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 the 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 the warm water, yeast, and 1/2 cup 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 the egg, cardamom, cinnamon, salt and cider to the batter. Add another 2 cups of flour and mix until it forms a thick batter.
• Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining 1 1/4 cups 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 1-1.5 hours until it's doubled in volume.
• Without kneading the dough (kneading will cause it to spring back as you cut) roll to 1/4"-1/2" 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.
• 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).
• Meanwhile, heat 2 quarts of oil to 350F° 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/cardamom 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.

APPLE CIDER DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring cider to a rapid boil; cook over high heat until reduced by half, about 12 minutes. Cool completely., Whisk together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, melted butter and cooled cider; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened (dough will be sticky). Refrigerate, covered, until firm enough to shape, about 1 hour., Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, pat each portion to 1/2-in. thickness; cut with a floured 3-in. doughnut cutter., In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 325°. Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden brown, 2-3 minutes on each side. Fry doughnut holes, a few at time, until golden brown and cooked through, about 1 minute on each side. Drain on paper towels; cool slightly. If desired, dip doughnuts into glaze or sugar of your choice.

APPLE CIDER DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Mix 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon together in a resealable freezer bag.
• Bring apple cider to a boil in a saucepan; cook, stirring occasionally, until cider has reduced to 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
• Whisk 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Mix butter, eggs, egg yolk, and cooled cider together in a separate bowl until smooth; stir into flour mixture. Stir remaining 2 3/4 cup flour into mixture until dough is smooth. Refrigerate dough for 10 minutes.
• Heat oil in a large pot or deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Turn dough onto a well-floured work surface using floured hands; pat dough into 1/2-inch thickness. Cut dough into doughnuts using a doughnut cutter or 2 round cookie cutters (1 large and 1 small). Gather scraps and re-pat dough to cut out as many doughnuts as possible.
• Carefully slide doughnuts, working in batches, into hot oil; fry until doughnuts rise to the surface and begin to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip doughnuts and continue frying until opposite side is browned, about 1 1/2 minutes.
• Remove doughnuts with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate to cool until easily handled, about 1 minute. Toss cooled doughnuts in the reserved bag of cinnamon-sugar. Bring oil back to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) before frying next batch.

CLASSIC APPLE FRITTERS DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• For the dough: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the yeast to the warm water. Add the sugar, stir and let stand 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, mace and salt. Set aside.
• When yeast is ready, add the shortening, egg and vanilla and mix with the PADDLE attachment on low speed for 1 minute (to break up the shortening). Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Add a second third of the flour mixture and again, mix until combined. Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining flour mixture. Knead with the hook until all that flour is incorporated. If dough is sticky, start adding flour in 1 Tbsp. increments, until the dough comes together, clears the bottom of the bowl and is becoming smooth. Knead on medium for about 2 minutes more. The dough should be smooth and but still a bit moist (but not sticky).
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set-aside to rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
• Meanwhile, make the apple filling. Place the diced apples, sugar and lemon juice into a skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until all the liquid has evaporated and the apples are softened, about 5 minutes. Remove to a bowl to cool completely before using.
• *See the video above this Recipe Card for a complete demonstration of the following shaping and cutting process.
• When bread has finished it's first rise, remove to a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10-inch x 10-inch square. Sprinkle the apples over one half of the dough. Sprinkle all the cinnamon evenly over the apples and then sprinkle with the 1 Tbsp. flour. Fold the empty side of the dough over the side with the apples. Using a sharp knife or a bench scraper, cut the dough into 1/2-inch wide strips from top to bottom. Repeat cutting 1/2-inch strips from side to side, so you end up with small chunks of dough. Gather up the dough bits and cut some more, from different directions, until it is in small chunks and evenly mixed with cinnamon/apples/dough etc.
• Using floured hands, roughly shape into a 12-inch long x 3-inch wide log. Cut the log into 1 inch slices. With each slice, roughly pat into a disc, about the size of your palm (use some additional flour, as needed, if your dough is sticky). Place the dough discs onto a parchment lined or floured baking sheet, leaving a couple of inches of room around each. Repeat with all 12 dough pieces. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and set-aside to rise until doubled again, about 30-45 minutes (approximately. Will vary depending on room temperature. The fritters should double in size and look puffy).
• When the fritters are almost risen, prepare the glaze. Add the icing sugar, corn syrup, salt and vanilla in a large bowl. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, bring the water and white granulated sugar to a boil over high heat then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 minute. Add this mixture to the bowl with the icing sugar and whisk until all the sugar and has been incorporated and the mixture is smooth. (You don't want any lumps :) Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until needed.
• When dough is about ready to cook, heat oil in a deep fryer to 370° (alternately, use a heavy deep pot and a thermometer to monitor temperature). Fry each donut until deep golden on the underside (1 1/2 - 2 minutes), flip over and fry the other side. (*time and temperature may need to vary. Watch closely the first few to determine timing. If they seem to be browning too quickly, lower temperature slightly or likewise, if they seem to be taking too long to brown, raise the temperature slightly). Remove to a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet. If there are any loose apples in the frying oil, scoop out between batches so you don't have any apple pieces burning in the oil and causing bitter flavours.
• While the fritters are still quite warm (as soon as they are cool enough to handle), dip into prepared glaze and return to cooling rack to cool completely. *Stir the glaze mixture regularly during the process, to keep it nice and smooth.

BAKED APPLE CIDER DONUTS

Steps:

• Stirring occasionally, simmer the apple cider in a small saucepan over low heat until you're left with about 1/2 cup. Start checking at 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, etc until you have 1/2 cup (120ml). Mine takes about 20 minutes. If there are any spices or solids on top of your reduced apple cider, leave them. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray donut pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Whisk the melted butter, egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together. Pour into the dry ingredients, add the reduced apple cider, and whisk everything together until smooth and combined. Batter will be slightly thick.
• Spoon the batter into the donut cavities-for ease, I highly recommend using a large zipped-top bag. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cup, filling about halfway.
• Bake for 10-11 minutes or until the edges and tops are lightly browned. To test, poke your finger into the top of the donut. If the donut bounces back, they're done. Cool donuts for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Re-grease the pan and bake the remaining donut batter.
• Combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and apple pie spice together in a medium bowl. Once cool enough to handle, dunk both sides of each donut in the melted butter, then generously in the apple spice topping.
• Donuts are best served immediately. Leftovers keep well covered tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

APPLE CIDER DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Pour the apple cider into a saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and boil until it is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Set the concentrated boiled cider aside to cool.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir or whisk to blend thoroughly and set aside.
• In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk and eggs together until well blended. Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla extract.
• Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients along with the 1/4 cup of reduced apple cider, and mix to form a soft, well-blended dough. You can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for this step or mix by hand.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; sprinkle liberally with flour. With floured hands, pat the dough out onto the parchment paper to a thickness of about 3/8 inch to 1/2 inch. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer for about 15 minutes, until firm and well chilled. Alternatively, refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, pour about 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil into a Dutch oven or large, heavy saucepan. Attach a deep-fry thermometer to the pan and heat the oil to 350 F.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator or freezer and transfer it to a floured work surface. Cut the donuts out with a 3-inch doughnut cutter. Dip it into flour between cutting out the dough to keep the dough from sticking. Separate the donuts from the doughnut holes. Re-roll the dough as necessary and continue to cut out donuts until all of the dough is used.
• For the cinnamon sugar, combine the 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
• Place paper towels on a baking sheet and set aside.
• Using a metal spatula or skimmer, lower the about 3 to 4 donuts into the hot oil. Fry the donuts on one side for 1 minute and then turn them over and fry for about 1 minute longer, or until golden brown. Carefully remove the donuts to the paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Repeat with the remaining donuts; fry the donuts holes last; they will take a bit less time.
• Dip the donuts into the cinnamon-sugar mixture while they are still warm, coating them completely or just the tops.

YEAST RAISED APPLE FRITTERS

Steps:

• Cook the apples in the sugar, butter, salt and spice until they turn a bit golden brown.
• In the meantime, reduce the cider and cider vinegar by half.
• When the apples are starting to get some color, add the reduced liquids and cook together until almost dry. If the apples are getting too much color before the liquid reduces sufficiently, simple drain them in a colander and call them done.
• Set aside.
• This dough uses the straight dough method, so just put all the ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and turn it on medium-low speed.
• Once the dough has come together, turn the speed up just a bit and let the mixer knead the dough for about 5 minutes. The dough will be extremely soft--sort of on the edge of being a batter.
• Spray the top of the dough very well with pan spray and then cover and let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours. It does not need to double, and it might not because of all the yolks and butter.
• Once the dough has risen, spray your hands well with pan spray (or rub them with coconut oil or something) and press the gases out of the dough.
• Press the dough up the sides of the pan a bit and then put about 1/3 of the apple mixture in the center.
• Fold all the sides in and press down again. Pan spray as necessary to keep things from sticking.
• Press the dough down again and up the sides of the bowl, and add another third of the apples.
• Fold in and then add the last third of the apple in the same way. Press down and fold over a couple of more times.
• There will be a lot of apples, so if some poke out, don't worry. Just keep going.
• Cover and let rest for about 20 minutes.
• Place the sugar, salt and baking spice in a gallon-sized zip top bag. Shake to distribute the spices and salt. Taste and add a bit more seasoning if necessary.
• Heat the oil to 350F.
• Have a cooling rack set over several layers of paper towels ready.
• When the oil has reached 350F, scoop the batter using a 1.5 ounce disher (about 3 tablespoons). Fry no more than four at a time. Total fry time will be about 5 minutes, until the fritters are a lovely deep golden brown.
• Place the first four on the draining rack.
• When the oil is back to temperature, fry four more.
• While those four are frying, place the first four in the gallon bag and shake so the fritters are completely covered with the spiced powdered sugar.
• Continue frying and "sugaring" until all the fritters are done.
• Dig right in.
• They are lovely with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, too.

APPLE CIDER DOUGHNUTS (YEAST RAISED)

Steps:

• Place the 1/4 cup of warm cider in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Sprinkle the yeast on the surface of the cider and let stand for about 5 minutes, until foamy.
• Add the flour, the remaining 1/4 cup of cider, milk, butter, egg yolks, the 2 tablespoons of sugar and the salt. Beat on the lowest speed until the flour is incorporated, then increase the speed to medium and beat for about 5 minutes to form a soft, elastic dough that creates a ball around the dough hook.
• (Alternatively, you can mix the dough by hand with a wooden spoon until it forms a wet, sloppy mass. Oil your hands and give the dough a few turns using the heel of your palm against the edge of the bowl.).
• Use a little of the oil to lightly grease the inside of a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with a clean dish towel and place in a warm spot. Let the dough rise for about 1 1/2 hours, until it has doubled in bulk.
• Flour a clean work surface. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and have a wire rack ready. Heat enough oil to fill about 3 inches in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat.
• Punch down the dough; it will be sticky. Place the dough on the floured surface, then roll it out to a thickness of 1/2-inch, adding flour as needed to keep the dough workable. Use a 3-inch doughnut cutter or two cookie cutters, in 3-inch and 1/2-inch sizes, to create 8 to 10 doughnuts. Do not reroll the dough; because it is leavened, it needs the rising action for structure. Rerolling will flatten the lift you've achieved. Save any scraps for frying.
• Place the doughnuts on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with the clean towel and let the doughnuts and any scraps of dough rise for 15 to 30 minutes, until well puffed (they do not need to double in bulk).
• Combine the remaining 2 cups of sugar and the cinnamon in a medium bowl.
• Once the oil reaches 325 degrees, begin frying the raised doughnuts in batches of 2 or 3 at a time. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes on the first side until golden brown, then use tongs or long metal skewers to turn the doughnuts and fry on the second side for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown.
• Use a skimmer or skewer to transfer one doughnut at a time to the bowl of cinnamon sugar; immediately turn as needed to coat evenly on all sides. Transfer to the wire rack and repeat with the remaining raised doughnuts and any leftover scraps of risen dough.

EASY FRIED APPLE CIDER DONUTS

Steps:

• In a medium sauce pan, over high heat, bring cider to a rapid boil; cook until reduced by half, about 12 minutes. Cool completely.
• Whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and spices. You may need to use a pastry blender to "cut" brown sugar into flour mixture.
• In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, melted cooled butter, and cooled cider together until well blended.
• Create a "well" in the center of the flour mixture. Pour wet ingredients into center of well. Begin mixing from inside the well to the outer edges until a sticky dough forms.
• Cover dough and chill for one hour, or until firm enough to shape.
• Place dough on floured surface. Gently roll, or pat dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with floured doughnut cutter.
• In an electric skillet or deep fryer, or in a deep pot on the back of your stove, heat about 3 inches of oil to 325°. Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden brown, 2-3 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Cook doughnut holes 1 minute per side or until golden brown.
• Drain on paper towels; cool slightly. If desired roll donuts in cinnamon sugar coating and serve warm.