Vermont Apple Cider Donuts

By amaliana

From "The Apple Lover's Cookbook" by Amy Traverso

Ingredients

• Notes:
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for work surface
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 1/3 cup boiled apple cider(see notes)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Canola or safflower oil for frying
• Cinnamon-sugar(see notes) for sprinkling
• You can buy boiled cider from the King Arthur Catalog or Woodcidermill.com, or you can make it yourself by simmering 1 1/2 cups down in about 25 minutes.
• To make cinnamon-sugar, mix 1 1/2 cups sugar with 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon.

Preparation

Step 1

In a large bowl using a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the sugar and butter until the mixture is pale and fluffy, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for a minute after each. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.

Pour the buttermilk, boiled cider, and vanilla into the sugar-butter-egg mixture. Mix well, and don't worry if the mixture looks a bit curdled; it'll smooth itself out. Add the flour mixture and gently mix just until fully moistened. The mixture may appear a bit lumpy, but the most important thing is not to over mix.

Line the baking sheets with wax paper or parchment paper and dust generously with flour. Turn the dough out onto one baking sheet and gently pat into a 3/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle dough with additional flour, cover with plastic wrap and put in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up. Remove the dough from the freezer and use a lightly floured 3-inch doughnut cutter(or two concentric biscuit cutters) to cut out about 18 doughnuts with holes. You can gather the scraps and re-roll as needed, but you may need to chill the dough more to firm it up. Put the cut doughnuts on the other baking sheet as you go, then transfer to the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up again.

Preheat the oven to 200F and set a rack in the middle position. Set a plate lined with a few layers of paper towels nearby. In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat 3 inches of oil to 370F(test with a thermometer).
Drop 3 or 4 doughnuts into the oil, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook until browned on one side, about 1 minute, then flip and cook until browned on that side, about one minute more. Transfer doughnuts to the paper-towel-lined plate and keep warm in the oven as you cook the rest. Repeat with the remaining dough(if you find it getting too soft as you work your way through the batches, pop it in the freezer again for 10 minutes). When the doughnuts are cool enough to handle, but still warm, sprinkle all over with the cinnamon-sugar or confectioner's sugar.

Serve immediately.