I love apples in my dessert, from pies to cinnamon rolls to of course, doughnuts. I made a version of apple cider doughnuts two years ago and they were very nice, but that version was more of a cake doughnut. I was craving apple-y yeast doughnuts this time around, and I found this interesting recipe by Serious Eats which looked promising.
I had a ton of apples in the fridge which needed using as well, so unlike last time when I used store-bought cider, here I used homemade apple cider made in a pressure cooker. The dough was reasonably easy to work with, but I wonder if it would be easier to just cut the dough into rounds and punching holes into them with my finger, instead of using a doughnut cutter.
These were so good. Mummy of all people were asking for them as an after-dinner dessert, and she very rarely asks me to take out anything particular for her to eat. The original recipe used apple-cinnamon sugar for the topping, but I opted for a cider glaze. Do note that keeping glazed doughnuts in the fridge will result in the doughnuts absorbing all the coating and making them sticky, so you can either keep them stored in an airtight container at room temperature, or store them unglazed in the fridge. I’ve also included a note for making these in the airfryer, which I’m most like going to try next time. Enjoy!
Apple Cider Doughnuts
Ingredients
- 385 grams plain flour
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (from about 5 whole cloves)
- 1 3/8 cups apple cider
- 1 1/2 teaspoons rose water
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
- 55 grams brown butter OR ghee OR hazelnut oil, melted
- 1 cup icing sugar
- Oil for frying
Directions
In a measuring jug, add 255 grams (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) apple cider, rose water and almond extract, and stir to combine. Set aside.
In your food processor, add the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda and cloves, and pulse a few times to combine.
With the processor running, add the apple cider mixture.
Let the machine run for about 50 seconds, until a soft, sticky dough is formed.
With the processor still running, add the browned butter or ghee, and process for another 10 seconds.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased mixing bowl.
Cover and let rest, until dough is puffy and doubled in size, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a lightly dusted surface.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to 12 mm (about 1/2 inch) thickness.
Dust off any excess flour, and cut into 3-inch rounds.
If not using a doughnut cutter, poke a hole in the center of each round, and gently stretch the dough into a ring.
Arrange the doughnuts in a lightly greased tray.
Knead the scraps together, let rest for a few minutes, the repeat the rolling and cutting process.
Cover and let rise, until the dough has risen to about 18 mm thickness, 40 minutes.
Fry the doughnuts. In a large pot, add enough cooking oil up to 2 inches deep.
Heat the to 185 degrees C over medium heat.
Fry 4 to 5 doughnuts at a time, 1 minute 15 seconds per side.
If using an airfryer, spray the doughnuts with cooking spray, and fry at 180 degrees C in a single layer, 4 minutes.
Prepare the glaze. In a medium sized bowl, add the icing sugar and the remaining 1/4 cup cider, and whisk until smooth.
When the doughnuts are cool enough to handle, dip into the cider glaze.
Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately.
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