Pumpkin Doughnuts
Source/Author: Mary
Pumpkin donuts combine warm spices, rich pumpkin puree, and a soft cake-like texture that feels like autumn in every bite. They’re a modern twist on old-world fried dough traditions, and their cozy flavor profile—cinnamon, nutmeg, clove—has roots in centuries of festive baking.
Ingredients:
| • sugar | 2 tablespoons |
| • salt | 0.5 teaspoon |
| • vegetable oil | ~ 200 g |
| • Egg yolks | 3 |
| • flour | 4 cups (640 g) |
| • milk | 100 ml |
| • dry yeast | 8 g |
| • pumpkin puree | 350 g |
| • butter (softened) | 2.5 tablespoons |
| • ground cinnamon (for coating) | 2 tablespoons |
| • sugar (for coating) | 2 tablespoons |
| • pumpkin spice (optional) | 1 tablespoon |
| • cinnamon sticks (for decoration, optional) | 2-3 |
| • cotton butchers twine string (for pumpkin shape) | 1 |
* You may need more or less vegetable oil. It depends on the size of the pan you will be frying the donuts in.
* All ingredients for the dough should be at room temperature.
1. Heat the milk (to approximately 40°C). Add the yeast. Stir, cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let stand for 15-20 minutes. The yeast should become frothy.
2. In a large bowl: mix the dissolved yeast with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Add 3 egg yolks and 350 g of pumpkin puree. Mix. Sift in half of the flour. Mix. Add 0.5 teaspoon of salt and mix. Then gradually add the remaining flour, kneading the dough well (you can do this by hand or with a mixer with a dough hook attachment). Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
3. Add 2.5 tablespoons of softened butter to the dough. Knead the dough well again. Cover the bowl with the dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise. The time depends on the room temperature, from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours. The dough should double in volume.
4. Place the dough on a floured surface. Roll it out to a thickness of approximately 1 inch. Cut out circles. Tie each circle with cotton butcher's twine string, giving it a pumpkin shape. Place the finished pumpkins on a floured tray and cover with a clean, dry towel to prevent the dough from drying out.
5. In a bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon, and, if using, 1 tablespoon of pumpkin spice.
6. Prepare a large plate lined with paper towels for placing the donuts after frying. Place scissors and the bowl with sugar and cinnamon next to it.
7. Prepare a large plate lined with parchment paper for the finished pumpkins.
8. Over high heat: heat the oil in a deep pan or pot. (The oil is hot enough if, when you dip a wooden spoon into it, bubbles form around the spoon.) Reduce the heat to medium. Fry the donuts on both sides until golden brown. Place them on a plate lined with paper towels. Let cool slightly, cut and remove the strings. Roll donuts in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place them on a plate lined with parchment paper. Repeat with all the donuts.
9. Optionally, decorate the donuts with cinnamon sticks.
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COFEE-FLAVORED CREAM
Ingredients: white chocolate - 100 g, cream - 200 g, instant coffee - 2 tablespoons, butter - 2 tablespoons, spices (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg) - to taste.
Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring continuously until the chocolate is completely dissolved. Do not boil! Strain the resulting mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Whip with a mixer. Put the cream into a pastry bag. Make indentations in the donuts and fill them with the cream.
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