Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Fall wouldn't be complete without pumpkin spice somewhere now would it!? These literal pillows from heaven are tossed in pumpkin spiced sugar and filled with a creamy and dreamy pumpkin filling. My pumpkin spice donuts are sure to hit your classic fall pumpkin cravings and a unique dessert to serve at Thanksgiving.
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Thermometer
- Piping bag & straight tip
- Ring cutter- 3"
Ingredients
Overnight preferment
- 114 g All purpose flour
- ½ tsp Active dry yeast
- 100 g Water
Pumpkin spice cream filling
- 160 g Whole milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- ½ Tbs Pumpkin pie spice
- 60 g Granulated sugar
- 1 Tbs Cornstarch
- 40 g Whole milk
- 3 ea Egg yolks
- ½ Tbs Butter, unsalted
- 120 g Pumpkin puree
- 120 g Heavy cream
Donut dough
- ½ Tbs Active dry yeast
- 142 g Whole milk warmed
- 315 g All purpose flour
- 1½ Tbs Granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- ½ stick Butter, unsalted softened
- 1 ea Egg yolks
- ½ tsp Vanilla extract
- 4 Cups Frying oil Use canola, grapeseed, or avocado oil for frying. May need more depending on pan size
Donut coating
- 1 Tbs Pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup Granulated sugar whisk with the pumpkin spice above and set aside
Instructions
To prepare the preferment:
- Mix all three ingredients of the overnight sponge together until a dough forms. Cover and sit overnight.
To prepare the pumpkin cream and fill:
- In a small pot, combine the first measurement of whole milk, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and half the sugar. In a separate bowl whisk together the cornstarch with the other half of the sugar first then whisk in the second measurement of milk with the egg yolks.
- Bring the spiced milk to a boil. Whisk a small portion into the cornstarch egg mixture and pour it all back into the pot.
- Cook on medium high heat whisking constantly until it starts to thicken and boils.
- Remove from heat immediately and whisk in the butter. Pour into a heat safe bowl. Cover the top with plastic wrap and allow to cool in the fridge until cold.
- Once the pastry cream is cold, and you're ready to fill the donuts, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks.
- Mix the pastry cream until smooth and whisk in the pumpkin puree then fold in the whipped cream.
To prepare the donut dough and fry:
- Lightly warm the milk then whisk together with the active dry yeast in the bowl of your mixer. Make sure the milk is no hotter than 120℉ before adding the yeast.
- Add in the rest of your ingredients to the mixer bowl except the second measurement of sugar. With the paddle of your stand mixer or dough attachment for your hand mixer, mix on low speed until a dough comes together and it scrapes the sides of the bowl.
- If using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook and increase speed (for both hand and stand mixer) to medium low. Mix until you pass the windowpane test.
- Cover and allow to proof until tripled in size.
- Roll out the dough to half an inch thick and use a 3" ring cutter to cut. Place the rounds on a lightly sprayed sheet pan. Knead together any scraps, reroll, and cut again. Repeat until you do not have enough dough for a final donut.
- Spray the tops of the rounds and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for another 30-60 minutes. When you have 15 minutes left, prepare your frying station (see tips above), turn on the heat, and make sure it hits 350-375°F.
- Carefully remove the donuts from the pan (you don't want them to deflate!), and carefully add to the frying pan. I use my hands but if you don't feel comfortable, you can use a metal spatula, slotted spoon/spider, or a pair of tongs. Depending on the size of the pot depends how many you can fit in. I will usually squeeze them in with a little wiggle room.
- Allow to fry for 2-3 minutes per side and flip once when it turns golden brown. You can check their internal temperature for doneness; it should read at least 190℉.
- Remove from the oil, let the oil drip off and toss in the sugar coating.
- Allow the oil to get back to the 350-375° temperature range and repeat until you have fried all the donuts. Allow to cool before filling.
To fill the donuts:
- Poke a hole in the donuts, and fill your pastry bag half way with the filling. Insert the bag into the donut and squeeze while slowly removing the pastry bag. Stop squeezing when you fully remove the bag.
- Serve within 1-4 hours at room temperature and store in the fridge overnight.
Notes
Protips:
On order of operations: Make the dough first then while you're waiting for it to rise, make the pumpkin pastry cream. While waiting for the pastry cream to cool, fry the donuts then finish the filling and fill.
On allowing the dough to rise: How quickly your dough will rise depends on how warm your environment is. The warmer and more humid the faster it will rise. Always keep an eye on your dough!
On rerolling the dough: When you go for a reroll and cut with the dough it will be much more elastic which means it will do a lot of shrinking as you roll and especially when you cut. After a roll release the dough from the table and run your hand/arm under the dough so it can shrink back. Repeat until it is the thickness you need and no longer shrinks. I would not advise rerolling more than 3 times.
On filling your piping back: Fill your pastry bag half way, twist the top and grip there because you don't want any to spill out the back!
Nutrition
Calories: 314kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 5gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 96mgPotassium: 121mgFiber: 1gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 1879IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 2mg
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