Baked Apple Cider Donuts - easy and flavorful fall recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret for soft doughnuts? ›

There's only one way to make doughnuts even softer and fluffier and that is by scalding some of the flour. Scalding is a technique used to not only make bread softer, but also to make it stay soft for longer. You can use it for pretty much any recipe you like.

Nothing pairs better with our apple cider donuts than a nice, creamy slathering of our Chiles Family Orchards apple butter. If you're looking to branch out into more fall flavors, try our rich and scrumptious pumpkin butter. A good tip for this dessert is to heat up your apple butter and toast your donut.

If there's too much flour, the donuts will turn out dry and stiff. If you can, measure the flour with a food scale. Otherwise, to ensure you use the exact amount needed, gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level if off with a flat edge.

What Are Apple Cider Doughnuts? Apple cider doughnuts are a New England treat — one of the symbols of fall as the spectacular foliage turns autumnal and the weather starts to feel crisp. They're made with a base of boiled-down apple cider, which turns into a syrup that's sweet and deeply apple-y.

Sugar: Sugar sweetens the doughnuts, but it also feeds the yeast, increases its activity, and tenderizes the dough. Eggs: Eggs provide structure and flavor. Butter: Melted butter promises enhanced flavor. Salt & Vanilla Extract: Both add flavor.

Use real cake flour – not DIY cake flour!

DIY substitutions don't really cut it, and AP flour will not create doughnuts with that same soft texture. Also, bleached cake flour will work best. Unbleached (like King Arthur Baking) won't absorb as much moisture, and you may end up with doughnuts that crumble while frying.

Cider doughnuts are cake doughnuts that get their flavor from cinnamon, nutmeg and apple cider used in the batter. They are a harvest tradition in autumn in the northeastern United States and are sometimes sold at cider mills.

What's So Special About Apple Cider Donuts? Apple cider donuts are a fall tradition in New England. Every year during the apple harvest, cider makers use some of their freshly pressed juice to make soft and tender “cake doughnuts”. Every fall, my dad sends me a delivery of fresh cider donuts from Vermont.

If the bench time is too long, volume could be lost in the proofing process; the donuts will shrink during frying; the texture will be coarse; and the flavor will not be up to your standards. Always let the dough rise on the bench for approximately 45 minutes before proofing.

Should I sift flour for donuts? ›

Here are some recipes posted previously where, for the best results, I always sift the dry ingredients: Angel Food Cake, Chocolate Doughnuts, Pound Cake, and Spanish Buns. Sifters have been around for centuries, and though their form has changed over time, they still perform the same functions: Aeration and mixing.

Unless the dough is completely relaxed, it will shrink and become misshapen as it is cut. When rolling out the dough, try to get the entire piece down to a uniform thickness (usually ¼" to ½", or 6.4 mm to 1.3 cm, thick).

Note that while apple cider donuts include apple cider, they're actually not designed to TASTE very strongly of apple, per several readers. Fittingly, most of these recipes are basically excellent cinnamon sugar cake doughnuts with a hint of apple.

Cider Donuts are to be eaten with cider, that's where the name comes from. So if you grew up in rural New England, as I did, you have indelible memories of the smell of cider donuts at Apple Orchards this time of year.

In a small saucepan, whisk together the cider, cornstarch, and sugar. Boil. Bring mixture to a boil, and continue to cook, whisking often, until mixture is thickened, about 2 minutes.

Add eggs: Eggs add richness and moisture to the dough. Add oil: Oil helps to keep the donuts moist. Don't overmix: Overmixing the dough will make the donuts tough. Let the dough rise: Letting the dough rise will help it to develop flavor and become light and airy.

Yeast-raised: Krispy Kreme donuts are yeast-raised, which gives them a softer and fluffier texture compared to cake donuts, which are denser.

The secret ingredient, mashed potato, gives the donuts moistness and tenderness. It's rumored potato is in the secret Krispy Kreme recipe too! The first Krispy Kreme shop was opened in 1937 in North Carolina by Vernon Rudolph, who used his uncle's yeast-raised donut recipe.

To make light and fluffy donuts, make sure that your dough is properly risen by allowing it to rest in a warm place until it doubles in size. Also, avoid overmixing the dough as it can lead to a denser texture. Handling the dough gently and not overworking it will help maintain the desired fluffiness.