OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 • COOK’S COUNTRY 13APPLE CIDER DOUGHNUTS
Serves 12 (Makes 12 doughnuts and
12 doughnut holes)
Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts
or more for this recipe.
COATING
½ cup (3½ ounces) sugar
1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch table salt
DOUGHNUTS
2½ cups (12½ ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon table salt
½ cup thawed apple juice concentrate
1⁄3 cup (21⁄3 ounces) sugar
¼ cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter,
melted and cooled
1 large egg
2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
- FOR THE COATING: Whisk
sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in
medium bowl; set aside.
2. FOR THE DOUGHNUTS: Whisk
flour, baking powder, baking soda,
cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in
bowl. Whisk apple juice concentrate,
sugar, buttermilk, melted butter, and
egg together in large bowl. Whisk
half of flour mixture into apple juice
concentrate mixture until smooth. Add
remaining flour mixture; using rubber
spatula, use folding motion to mix and
press dough until all flour is hydrated
and no dry bits remain. (Dough can be
covered with plastic wrap and refriger-
ated for up to 24 hours.)
3. Dust counter heavily with flour. Turn
out dough onto floured counter, then
dust top of dough with additional flour.
Using your floured hands, gently pat
dough into ⅓-inch-thick round, 10 to
11 inches in diameter. Using floured
3-inch round cutter, cut out 9 to 10
doughnut rounds. Using 1-inch round
cutter, cut hole in center of each round.
4. Lightly dust rimmed baking sheet
with flour. Transfer doughnut rounds
and holes to prepared sheet. Combine
dough scraps, then knead into cohesive
ball and pat into ⅓-inch-thick round.
Cut out 2 or 3 more doughnut rounds
and holes (you should have 12 of each).
Transfer to sheet and refrigerate while
heating oil.- Set wire rack in second rimmed
baking sheet and line half of rack with
triple layer of paper towels. Add oil
to large Dutch oven until it measures
about 1½ inches deep and heat over
medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Add
6 doughnut rounds and cook, flipping
every 30 seconds, until deep golden
brown, about 2 minutes. Adjust burner
as needed to maintain oil temperature
between 325 and 350 degrees. - Using spider skimmer or slotted
spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper
towel–lined side of prepared rack and
let sit while frying remaining doughnut
rounds. Return oil to 350 degrees and
repeat with remaining doughnut rounds. - Return oil to 350 degrees and, us-
ing spider skimmer or slotted spoon,
carefully add doughnut holes to hot oil.
Cook, stirring often, until deep golden
brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to
paper towel–lined side of wire rack.
Lightly toss doughnuts and doughnut
holes in coating and transfer to unlined
side of wire rack. Serve.
Could the answer to ramping up apple flavor
be ditching the cider? by Alli Berkey
Dust, Pat, and Stamp
Follow the steps below to shape the dough
and cut the doughnut rounds and holes.- Dust dough with flour, then use your
hands to pat dough into round. - Use large and small round cutters to
stamp out doughnut rounds and holes.
Apple
Cider
Doughnuts
THE AIR GETS sweeter as you walk
through the dirt lot toward the apple
orchards in fall. It’s the aroma of hot
apple cider doughnuts straight from
the fryer: warm and spicy. But these
treats can be a bait and switch, promis-
ing apple flavor but rarely delivering
it. I challenged myself to make a home
version that packed in a ton of apple
flavor. Believe it or not, it can be done!
After researching existing recipes,
I gathered the basics: flour, sugar, eggs,
butter, and milk. I needed a formula
that would yield doughnuts with a
rich flavor, tender interior, and lightly
crunchy exterior. I settled on 2½ cups
of flour, one egg, and ¾ cup of milk for
richness and moisture. Four tablespoons
of melted, cooled butter gave me plenty
of butter flavor and a workable dough.
Leavening came next. I started with
both baking powder and baking soda,
a combination we’ve found makes
for fluffy doughnuts in other recipes.
However, without any acid to activatethe baking soda, my doughnuts never
puffed up while they cooked. Swapping
acidic buttermilk for the milk unleashed
the power of the baking soda while also
adding a bit of tang.
I had light, tender doughnuts, but
I still needed apple flavor. I tried adding
store-bought apple cider, boiled cider
(reduced for strong flavor), and even
shredded apple, but my tasters were
disappointed. I needed a new idea.
That was when a colleague men-
tioned apple juice concentrate. It
provided intense apple flavor—no
cooking required. I replaced some of
the buttermilk with thawed apple juice
concentrate to balance the wet and dry
ratios, and crossed my fingers.
A quick run through with my round
cutters and my doughnuts were ready
to fry. When the doughnuts were deep
golden brown, I removed them from
the oil and tossed them in cinnamon
sugar. The sweet apple flavor came
through in every bite.