Doughnut Disaster

I love apple cider doughnuts that are available this time of year. Since I have some apple cider from last year in my basement fridge that I need to get rid of, I thought I would make my own.

In my effort to eat more healthy, I decided to make them whole wheat. Isn't that mutually exclusive? Healthy doughnuts?

Then I got it in my head they were going to be so delicious that I needed to quadruple the recipe.

Can't I just be normal?

I didn't have enough sugar for those healthy doughnuts so I went to the store to get some, came home and realized I forgot to get the sugar.

Next, distracted, distracted. And more distracted which led me to forget that I didn't put any sugar in it. Fourteen cups of whole wheat flour and no sugar. Obtained sugar and tried to add it. Keyed word there: tried

I could tell they were not going to be the tasty little morsels that were dancing in my head so I made some the dough into graham crackers. After eating one cracker the verdict on those were "I can't eat another one." I am thinking graham cracker crust.

Bottom line. Stick to the recipe.

Apple Cider Doughnuts
Yield: About 15 doughnuts and 15 holes (serving size: 1 doughnut and 1 hole)
Cost per Serving: $0.48
From All You

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
• 6 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Preparation

1. Line baking sheet with parchment. Line a large plate with paper towels. In a paper bag, combine 1 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp. cinnamon; shake to mix well. Set aside.
2. Bring cider to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cider has reduced to 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
3. In a large bowl, whisk baking powder, salt, 1 cup flour and remaining sugar and cinnamon until well combined. In a small bowl, whisk butter, eggs, yolk and cooled cider until well combined. Add cider mixture to flour mixture; whisk until smooth. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups flour and mix until just combined. Dough will be slightly sticky. Refrigerate 10 minutes.
4. Pour oil into a large pot and attach a candy thermometer to side (thermometer should not touch bottom of pot). Heat oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 375ºF, watching and adjusting as needed to keep oil from overheating.
5. Turn dough out onto a well-floured countertop and coat fingertips with flour. Pat dough out to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a doughnut cutter or 2 round cookie cutters (one large and one small), cut out doughnuts and holes. Transfer both to lined baking sheet. Gather scraps and re-pat dough, cutting as many doughnuts as possible.
6. Working in batches, carefully slide doughnuts into hot oil. After about 1 minute, doughnuts will rise to surface and begin to brown. At that point, turn over and fry 1 1/2 minutes longer. Transfer to lined plate to drain. Bring oil back to 375ºF before frying another batch. When doughnuts have cooled for 1 minute, add to bag with cinnamon sugar and toss to coat. Remove to a clean plate and serve.

Nutritional Information

Calories:480

Fat:18g (sat 5g)

Protein:6g

Carbohydrate:79g

Fiber:1g

Cholesterol:65mg

Sodium:322mg