Pumpkin Spice Donuts

A Brief History of Donuts

Fried dough in some version or another has always been around, but where it come from and why is there a hole in the middle? While many fried dough things existed, grandfather donut was born in Manhattan with a Dutch name of “oil cakes.” Later on in the 19th century, a New England ship captain’s mother started making fried dough for her son’s voyages since they kept longer. She would use spices, zests, and nuts in the dough’s center since it did not cook as well as the outside. She called them doughnuts in a very literal way. The son, then thought of a better idea to have the doughnuts cook better in the middle: remove the middle all together.

Although there is some debate as to the captain’s rationale for removing the center, the fried ring of heaven was born here. Donuts did not become wildly popular until WWI when homesick soldiers were fed doughnuts to help remind them of home. When they came back from the war, they craved those delicious rings of heaven and wanted more doughnuts causing the popularity to increase and cause the first doughnut machine to be made in Manhattan in 1920! Read all about the fascinating history here!

Understanding the How and Why of Pumpkin Spice Donuts:

Mix the Preferment:

These pumpkin spice donuts use a preferment (also known as a starter) which you make the night before. Cool. What is that? It is essentially making a small portion of the dough ahead of time to allow it to age. This aging gives a better flavor, gives strength to the flours, and gives a jumpstart to the proofing process. Once it sits overnight, you add it to the dough as a regular ingredient.

Make the Pumpkin Spice Donut Filling:

I’ll make this first because it’s a pastry cream based filling that needs to be cold before filling. You can make this 1-2 days in advanced. Pastry cream is a fundamental product, and I use it in several recipes. Boil the milk, temper the egg mixture, bring to a boil, whisk in the butter, cool. Tempering in baking is bringing two liquids you plan to combine to a similar temperature before mixing all together. The cornstarch, primary, and the yolks, secondary, are the thickening agents here. When boiling it all together, make sure it comes to a full boil while whisking constantly otherwise the bottom will burn, and let it boil for 1-2 minutes to remove the cornstarch taste and texture.

After you’ve made the pastry cream, have it chill in a bowl in the fridge. Place some plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream to prevent any skins from forming. Once the pastry cream has chilled you simply whip up the heavy cream and fold in the pumpkin puree followed by the whipped cream. This part can be done just prior to filling. Before folding everything together, massage the pastry cream a bit with your spatula to make it easier.

Mix the Donut Dough:

Time to make the donut dough which is super easy. Add all ingredients (don’t forget the prefermen!), except for the last measurement of flour, and mix with a dough hook until the windowpane test is achieved (explained further).

The science of kneading and the windowpane test:
Flour is composed of starch and protein and the proteins are called glutenin and gliadin which are long and tangled. Together, glutenin and gliadin form gluten. Kneading rubs these “subproteins” together to stretch them out, line them up, and cross-link themselves to create a net that helps retain gasses during the proofing stage. Kneading also incorporates oxygen in the dough which helps yeast breath and produce carbon dioxide. The windowpane test proves if you have developed enough gluten strands for proper structure to help retain those gasses for the final rise. 

Test for the windowpane by taking a small portion of dough and roll into a ball. Stretch it out gently starting in the middle. Stretch it into a square and until the center is a thin film. If your dough easily stretches thinly without tearing, then the dough is strong enough and enough gas can be retained in the network of gluten strands. If it rips easily, then you need to develop more gluten strands by more kneading/mixing. You should also see the network of gluten strands. It’s called the windowpane test because light should be able to pass through like through a window.

Allow to Proof

After all that work of mixing and providing a GREAT net of gluten strands, the dough needs a break. During that break the yeast activates, eats the carbohydrates, and releases carbon dioxide which leads to proofing. That net you just weaved kneading is now doing its job. The amount of time it takes to proof will depend on your environment. The warmer and more humid it is, the faster it will proof. The colder and drier, the longer. See my tips for speeding up proofing times if you’re tight on time or if it’s cold in your dwelling. While your dough is proofing, mix your coating and set up your fry station.

Mix the Coating

I will use a medium sized mixing bowl to mix the coating in which makes dredging the donuts easier to do. I use a tossing motion for coating, but if you’re not confident in your tossing ability, using your hands is just fine or shaking violently with a cover on top (that one may be more fun).

Knead in the Remaining Flour:

So what’s with that extra flour? Well now that it has proofed, it is time to hand knead that in. Yes, I said hand knead. Work the flour into to the dough pushing it away, rotating, and pushing again using the heel of your hand. Knead until it is no longer sticky. You may need more flour which is dependent on how humid it is. Let this rest for 30 minutes then you can start rolling. There is no need to perform the windowpane test again.

Rolling and Cutting

When rolling you want to be careful of shrinkage (no not that kind!). When you start to work dough through means of rolling, it becomes more elastic which means it will shrink down a little with every roll. Instead of trying to prevent it, lean into it. Roll it slightly thinner than needed to account for the contraction. I will run my arm under the dough to encourage the shrinkage so I know the thickness better. Punch out with your cutter remembering that it will increase in size when you fry.

You can absolutely knead the scraps and reroll as many times as you’d like. However, the more times you reroll, the more elastic it will be, and it will become harder to roll. You will also notice that the circles you punch out will warp and become oblong. But that’s okay because you’re just frying them anyways! Once you have all that you want punched out, cover and allow to rest for another 30-60 minutes (if it’s cold then 60, if it’s warm then 30).

Fry the Donuts

The best part! Your oil should be between 350*F and 375*F. Anything lower and they will not brown. Anything higher and the outside will burn before the inside cooks. I always think donuts should be fried because that is what donuts are, but that’s just me. Make sure to ready your station prior to frying, and don’t be scared! When you drop them in they do not violently bubble; they just mildly sizzle. You are looking for a a nice golden brown on each side. If you’re attempting to flip and there is a bubble prevent such actions, carefully rip the bubble apart so it can stay turned over. Definitely read my tips above on frying donuts before attempting!

Fill the Pumpkin Spice Donuts

Filling donuts can be tricky if you don’t know what to look or feel for while filling. First, start with poking a hole in the side of the donut. Next, fill your pastry bag halfway with filling (you can also use a gallon ziplock back with a corner cut off!). If you fill it too much, the cream may fall out right out of the back! When filling, insert the bag as far as it can go. Squeeze while slowly removing the piping bag. You will feel it get heavier and will also feel it expand. Look out for areas where it may be splitting from too much filling. Check out my tips below for more help!

These pumpkin spice donuts are best the day of. By the next day they will harden and become denser. They still taste great but the texture is not as good anymore. I will usually flash in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds since these do need to be refrigerated from the cream filling.

Troubleshooting:

• My dough isn’t rising! Your yeast is either expired, it’s too cold, or you did not knead enough. For now, trying creating a makeshift proofbox in your oven by filling a pan with boiling water and placing in the oven with your donut dough. If that isn’t working then it has something to do with either the kneading or the yeast. If you passed the windowpane test then your yeast is dead and you need to start over with fresh yeast. However, if you did not pass the window pain test then try to knead some more until you do. 
• My pastry cream has little hard lumps in it! Those are little lumps of cornstarch from not whisking enough! Whisk the pastry cream vigorously and continuously once you add the cornstarch. For now you can either not care or push the pastry cream through a strainer or cheesecloth.
• My donut are shrinking and warping when I punch them! This is completely normal. To help reduce shrinkage, run your arm under the dough and allow it to contract. Let it rest for about 60 seconds, then punch. If it’s still contracting a lot, let the dough rest for 30 – 60 minutes, then roll out.
• My donuts are crisp on the outside but raw on the inside! Your oil is too hot. You can’t fix your current batch, but you can save the next one by either adding more oil to cool it down or turning off the heat. The oil should be between 350*F-375*F.

Something else going wrong? Reach out and we will troubleshoot together!