Pumpkin Donuts with a Tender Crumb

Pumpkin Donuts with a Tender Crumb is filed under Donuts and built around granulated sugar, unsalted butter, and egg yolks. Plan on 12 people.

Count on 30 minutes of prep, 30 minutes of cooking, 2 hours of resting, about 3 hours from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

For the Donuts

• 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground mace
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
• 96 fl oz oil for frying I use canola

For the Glaze

• 100 mL whole milk
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3¼ cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

How the cooking goes

To Make the Donut Dough

1. In a small saucepot cook the pumpkin over a gentle flame to remove excess moisture, about 20 minutes. Cool completely and drain off any moisture that separates.
2. In a mixing bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and all spices. Keep it to one side. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream and pumpkin. Keep it to one side.
3. Line a large mixing bowl with plastic wrap and then spray the surface of the plastic wrap or generously flour a piece of plastic wrap like you do in the Youtube video. Keep it to one side.
4. In the bowl of a electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the granulated sugar, butter, and yolks on high speed until the mixture lightens and the volume increases, about 2 minutes.
5. With the electric mixer on low, gradually alternate the dry ingredients and the pumpkin mixture a large spoonful at a time. Stop the mixer when the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. You want to do this as quickly as possible so that not too much gluten develops, which will make tunnels in your cake and it will be tough.
6. Move the dough to the plastic wrap lined bowl, spray the top of the dough with nonstick spray and then fold the edges of the plastic over the top to cover. You can also scrape the dough ontop the floured plastic wrap, sprinkle with more flour and then wrap well.
7. Refrigerate for 60 minutes. At this point the dough can be held in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Cut the donuts

1. Line a baking half-sheet pan with baking paper and spray the paper with nonstick spray and keep it to one side.
2. Generously dust a work surface with flour – this dough is stickier than other donuts. While the dough is still in the bowl dust the top of the dough with flour. Turn the dough out onto your floured work surface, floured side down. Dust the top with more flour.
3. Working quickly to keep the dough cool, roll out the dough to ½ inch thick.
4. Brush any excess flour from the top of the dough. Use a 3-inch and 1 ¼ – inch ring cutters to cut the donuts and holes. Tap the rings in flour before cutting each donut. Place the donuts and donut holes on the prepared sheet pan. [After you cut all the donuts, you went back and cut more “holes” with the small cutter from the scraps of dough. Waste not, want not!].
5. Cover sheet pan with plastic wrap, but be sure not to let the plastic touch the top of the donuts. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. You let mine chill overnight at this step.
6. While your donuts chill, make the glaze. In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, powdered sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Cover the glaze with plastic wrap directly on the surface. You can heat up the glaze over a pot of simmering water on the stove if you want it thinner. You dipped the donuts while they were still very hot, so you didn’t need to do this.

How to fry pumpkin donuts

1. Tip oil into a fryer or a Dutch oven, making sure the oil is at least 2 inches deep. Heat your oil to 350° F. Adjust your heat to keep the temperature between 350° – 360° F while frying. You will need a clip-on fry/candy thermometer for this. You heat the oil up to 360° F before adding a batch of donuts because the cold dough will lower the temperature of the fryer oil.
2. Gently place 3 donuts in the fryer, keep the remaining donuts in the fridge. Once they rise to the surface, cook for 30 seconds and then flip them with a slotted spoon. Fry until the bottom develops a nice deep gold color, about 65 seconds. Flip it again and then fry for another 40 seconds or until the color is a nice even deep gold. Move it onto a wire rack set over a sheet pan or paper towels.
3. Donut holes fry for 30 seconds then flip, then another 40 seconds. They will puff up and be deep gold all over. You can also poke them with the cake tester to be sure.
4. Once the donut is just barely cool enough to handle (you only waited about 20 seconds but you have no feeling left in the fingertips…), dip the donut in the glaze and place back on the wire rack. Dipping a hot donut will give you a nice, even glaze that isn’t too thick or too thin!

After it comes off the heat

Give the plate the rest the method asks for. Cover leftovers and refrigerate them when the dish includes meat, eggs, or dairy.

If you want another plate from Donuts, open Lemon Cake Donuts Baked Until the Center Springs Back and Coffee Donut Bread Pudding with a Steady Rise.