A Fall Outing in the Country, with Doughnuts
Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 4:00AM 
I’m really a sucker for fall. This weekend, I visited the Barnstable County Fair on Cape Cod, which promised harvest provisions, crafts, and prized barnyard beasts. The cattle (all three of them) were lowing, I purchased a fine tea cozy and opted out of fall foliage face paint only when faced with a restless line of age-appropriate customers.
So it wasn’t exactly the autumnal fete I had hoped for. But there was one culinary highlight that made the trip exceptionally worthwhile.
En route to exit the fairgrounds, we came upon a stand selling cider doughnuts and having already dined on some carnival classics, we nearly passed them by. But I noticed that the cakes were being cut and fried to order. “Hot Cider Donuts,” this upped the ante.
Then, an exuberant customer returned to the stand, professing the doughnut to have been the best of her life. Ok; I had to sample. It was no mistake. If not the best doughnut, it certainly made the top three. It was rich, with a fluffy crumb, sinfully crisp crust, cinnamon sugar coating and, to knock it out of the park, the pronounced, tangy flavor of apple cider.
When I asked the doughnut guru of Great Cape Baking Company his secret, he cited “lots of cider.” Hmmm, tricky. Well, I had something to go on and set about making a home version the very next day.
The pros use a doughnut cutter to shape the rings, but there’s no need to go buy a new tool. You can re-create the iconic doughnut form at home using one each large and small cookie cutters, or even two different sized glasses, as my mom remembers my grandmother doing. But the simplest solution, both for forming and frying doughnuts at home, is to simply roll balls of dough to make doughnut holes.
Starting with a wet, muffin-like, batter and literally folding in the remaining flour ensures that the dough doesn’t get overworked, creating a delicate crumb. Plus, the dusting of flour on the surface of the dough makes for that crunchy crust.
For flavoring, I prefer clove, but you could use anything from cinnamon to pumpkin pie spice. To get those distinct flecks of spice, freshly grate on a Microplane grater.
Cider Doughnut Holes
Makes about 25
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more (about 1/2 cup) for rolling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3/4 cup apple cider
2 quarts canola or vegetable oil, for frying
Cinnamon sugar for coating
In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and clove. Move the flour mixture up around the sides of the bowl, leaving an empty space in the middle, known as a well.
In a medium bowl, whisk egg and butter into the apple cider and pour mixture into the well. Using a wooden spoon, gradually incorporate the dry into the wet ingredients until completely combined.
Heavily flour a work surface and your hands. Pour about half of the dough onto the floured surface and dust the top of the dough with more flour. Gently fold flour into the dough just until no longer sticky on the outside, the dough will still be pretty loose. Break off the dough into 25 even pieces and roll the pieces into balls with lightly floured hands
In a large, deep pot, heat the oil until rippling but not smoking, or until a deep-fat thermometer registers 360°F. Working in batches of about 8, (depending upon the width of your pot – do not crowd) fry the balls until deep brown all over, 2 to 3 minutes, turning the balls once or twice during cooking. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the doughnut holes to paper towels to drain.
Toss donuts in cinnamon sugar mixture and serve warm.
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Reader Comments (2)
Great post Katie! Can't wait to try these. They look delicious.
Andrew
Thanks, Andrew! I had a house full of happy tasters; hope you'll enjoy too!