Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts {Growing Pains and Online Workshop}

I had this whole story ready for you but really all I can think about at the moment is how big my feet balloon up at night from standing / walking around all day. I’m at the point where my wedding ring is too tight (there’s a current indentation where it once was actually) and my birkenstocks are really the only “comfortable” shoes for my feet at the moment and I can neither sit nor stand for very long without pain.Also. I know being pregnant for a second time is a privilege so I don’t want to complain too much but, man, my body is bigger and it’s been a rough adjustment. I think I’ve always had issues with just "feeling bigger" my whole life - I dunno WHY really (deep thoughts for another day) - but "pregnancy" and "big" go hand in hand so as much as I am T-R-Y-I-N-G to enjoy it, I’m like, so ready to not be pregnant anymore. It’s really taken a toll on my self-esteem. Sometimes I cry a little when I look at my new stretch marks in the mirror. HORMONES ARE REAL you guys.The double chin, swollen body parts, aches, constant pains, sciatica, nausea, ear infections, heartburn and rashes all over are not my favorite. I am grateful what my body can do, (and try to praise my body for growing a baby even though it isn’t easy) but sometimes it feels like I’ve volunteered as tribute. Moms, and women of the world (kids or no kids), I applaud you for being a woman, cause it’s freaking hard sometimes.On the other hand my heart is exploding with happiness that my son gets a sibling. But am I ready to be a mother of two? Like I’m equally stoked and terrified. I worry that my heart might burst at the thought of loving another tiny little person of mine; and at the thought of seeing my son and with his baby sister. Like can a heart possibly take it all in? Tips welcomed.I’ve also been working really hard on this live online, workshop style class I have coming up to help you friends interested in food photography + styling for instagram. I get asked about this often and I am SO STOKED to teach you everything I know. I feel slightly unqualified, and putting myself out there is NOT MY FAVORITE but I honestly can’t wait to "meet" you. (sign up here if you wanna hear more, it’s coming up like SO SOON!)Also. Doughnuts. Make these. Cause we’re pretty much talking about pie (and one savory FAVORITE) for the rest of the month so, take advantage of a different topic while you can lol!Love you friends. xo

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

adapted from bon appetite

I’ve tried these doughnuts both ways, fried and baked, and they are, in my opinion overwhelmingly better baked. When baked, you can still catch the hint of apple cider - then when you coat them with salted melted butter and toss with cinnamon and sugar, they’re pretty dang unbeatable. So unbeatable, that I’m not even giving you the fried option. It’s not worth the mess. Trust me.

• 2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
• 3 cups / 709ml apple cider ((this will boiled down to ⅓ cup / 78ml))
• ½ cup / 125g <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/apple-butter" target="_blank">apple butter</a> ((I used Trader Joes apple jam, see bakers notes))
• ½ cup / 118ml buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg ((optional))
• 3 ½ cups / 490g all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
• 1 ½ tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (divided)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
• ¼ cup / 50g light brown sugar ((packed))
• 1 ¼ cups / 280g granulated sugar (divided)
• 2 large eggs
• 4-6 tablespoons salted butter, melted ((this is for dunking your cooked doughnuts))

1. One day or several hours ahead: Bring apple cider and cinnamon sticks to a boil, and then reduce heat to a low simmer until the liquid becomes a thick syrup yielding ⅓ cup. This took me two and half hours to achieve on low heat. So, brace y’self. Set aside to cool to room temp. (Don't stress about how long this step takes you, if it takes a longer or shorter amount of time, that's fine, the end goal is 1/3 cup of sticky syrup.) 

2. In a separate medium bowl, take the cooled syrup and mix it with the apple butter, buttermilk and vanilla.

3. In a large bowl whisk together all dry ingredients: baking powder, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, flour and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

4. In an electric mixer beat together butter, brown sugar and ¼ cup granulated sugar. Beat until light and fluffy - about 5 minutes. 

   Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. 

5. Reduce mixer speed to low, and add dry ingredients in 2 additions, alternating with the apple cider mixture in 2 additions. Start with the dry ingredients and end with the wet cider ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. 

6. Dough will be SO SO SO SOFT, almost like a sticky cookie dough. You didn’t do it wrong. This is how the dough is.

7. Chill dough for at least 3-4 hours. You can just let the dough chill in the bowl, covered tightly and then scoop it out later. Dough can easily chill overnight (my dough usually chills overnight).  

8. Chilled dough should be very stiff. 

9. Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C degrees.

10. Scoop chilled dough onto a very floured surface (use about ⅓ cup of flour here - more if needed) and gently pat, fold and turn dough over a couple of times until dough soaks up some of the flour and becomes softer and less sticky. You’re not really doing an official “knead” here, it’s kind of a fake knead to get the dough to soak up some of the flour - so take care to not overwork the dough. Dough should be soft, not sticky anymore. 

11. Gently pat the dough and form a large “disk” until it’s about a generous 1 inch thick. 

12. Douse your doughnut cutter in flour too, and cut out doughnuts. Then place doughnuts in a GREASED doughnut mould for baking. (I like coconut oil or butter for greasing). bakers note: Doughnuts will probably be heavily coated in flour, try to lightly shake off just little bit of the flour if you can - otherwise, don’t stress about it. The excess flour doesn’t ruin anything.

13. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until doughnuts reach a golden brown color. Adjust baking time according to your oven. 

14. While doughnuts are baking make the cinnamon and sugar mixture in a medium sized bowl: 1 cup sugar to 1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon. Melt 4-6 tablespoons of butter in shallow bowl, big enough to dip a doughnut.

15. Once baked, let doughnuts cool for about 3-5 minutes. Then dunk + dip in a bowl of salted melted butter followed by an invigorating dip in cinnamon and sugar. Repeat this process until all doughnuts are covered in melted butter and sugar. 

16. My doughnut mould can only bake 12 doughnuts at a time - so "bake and repeat" until you've baked off all of your remaining dough. 

17. Doughnuts keep tightly wrapped for about 2 days, but are best the day they’re baked. (Really, they’re best warm, fresh out of the oven).

bakers notes: you need a doughnut mould for these. (sorry!) A doughnut cutter (mine is about 3") that can cut out doughnuts that fit into your doughnut mould is ideal. (My cutter is sold out or else I'd link it). Most doughnut moulds I've seen, create doughnuts that are about 3"s. You CAN of course cut the doughnut shape using something else - cookie cutter or a jar? - and cut the middle of the doughnut with something smaller, but I really think a mould here makes the doughnuts bake up beautifully. 

plan ahead. It took me a couple of hours to boil down the apple cider to ⅓ cup worth of sticky syrup, so when making these a couple of times I usually did this one day ahead of time. Also the dough needs to chill for 3-4 hours before you can work it into doughnuts

Also, if you have a hard time finding apple butter you can easily take apple sauce, add a couple tablespoons of sugar and some cinnamon to it and cook it down on low low heat until it becomes thicker and sweeter. While not exactly apple butter, I used Trader Joes seasonal apple jam here and it worked great.

I used a 3” doughnut cutter and a 3” doughnut mould to make these doughnuts. So I’d cut the doughnuts out, and then lay each doughnut in the greased mould for baking. See resources

resources: crate and barrel and william sonomoa and sur la table are great resources for doughnut moulds. I got my doughnut cutter from Food52. 

Resources:

Check out the doughnut mold from Wilton on AmazonI got my doughnut cutter from Food52 but it looks like they don't have it anymore :(