Sourdough Apple Cider Donuts
September is for apple season, and if you love apple picking you know that making donuts with fresh cider is mandatory. These Sourdough Apple Cider Donuts are rich with spiced cider, have a soft cake-like crumb, and are dipped in butter and tossed with cinnamon sugar to make them downright irresistible.
Equipment
- Standard donut pan (or muffin pan) - for baking donuts.
- Kitchen scale (optional) - for accurate measuring, especially helpful with sourdough baking.
- Measuring cups and spoons - for measuring smaller ingredients.
- Small pot - for reducing down the apple cider.
- Spatula - for combining ingredients.
- Mixing Bowl - for mixing donut batter.
- Hand mixer or sturdy whisk - for mixing donut batter.
- Cooling rack - to cool donuts.
- Pastry brush (optional) - for brushing donuts with butter.
- Ziplock bag or pastry bag (optional) - for piping batter into pans.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup (200g) reduced apple cider (from 2 cups fresh cider) see notes below
- ½ cup (120g) sourdough starter or discard (100% hydration)
- ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
- ½ cup (100g) white sugar
- 1 (50g) large egg room temp
- 2 Tbsp (30g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 Tbsp (30g) avocado oil
- ¼ cup (60g) sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- 1 cup (200g) white sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
For Brushing:
- 4-6 Tablespoons (57g) salted butter, melted
Instructions
Step 1: Reduce the Apple Cider
- Transfer the 2 cups apple cider to a medium sized pot, and turn the heat on medium. Bring the cider to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. I like to add a cinnamon stick to the cider to amplify the cinnamon flavor, but you can skip this of you don't have cinnamon sticks.1 cup (200g) reduced apple cider (from 2 cups fresh cider)
- You'll want to simmer the cider for about 20 minutes, it'll thicken slightly and reduce in half. This amplifies the cider flavor to make sure you can really taste it in the donuts. Pour the cider into a heatproof measuring cup, if you have more than 1 cup, return it to the pan and simmer longer.
- Allow the reduced cider to cool completely before adding it to the batter. While the cider cools mix the donut batter.
Step 2: Mix the Donut Batter
- In a large bowl, whisk together reduced cider, sourdough starter, white sugar, brown sugar, egg, melted butter, oil, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth.½ cup (120g) sourdough starter or discard (100% hydration), ½ cup (100g) brown sugar, ½ cup (100g) white sugar, 1 (50g) large egg, 2 Tbsp (30g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, 2 Tbsp (30g) avocado oil, ¼ cup (60g) sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and salt to the wet ingredients. Whisk until batter is smooth and no dry streak remain. Don't overmix!2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, 1 ¼ tsp baking powder, ¾ tsp baking soda, 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground cardamom, ½ tsp salt
- Optional Overnight Fermentation: Cover batter with plastic and transfer to the refrigerator overnight. Remove batter from refrigeration and allow to rest at room temperature for 1 hour before baking donuts.
Step 3: Bake the Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray your donut pans with cooking spray so they don't stick.
- Transfer some of your donut batter to a ziplock bag or a pastry bag. Snip a 1/8 inch tip off the corner of the bag.
- Pipe the batter into the pans filling the donut cavity halfway full. I find anything more than this and the donuts lose their center.
- Bake the donuts for 11-12 minutes. They should spring back when you touch the top with your finger. Remove from the oven and dump gently onto a cooling rack. Bake the rest of the donuts using the same method.
Step 4: Coat the Donuts in Cinnamon Sugar
- Melt the butter used for brushing in a microwave safe bowl.4-6 Tablespoons (57g) salted butter, melted
- In a shallow dish, combine the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom for the cinnamon sugar coating.1 cup (200g) white sugar, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- Brush both sides of the donuts with butter.
- Coat both sides of the donut in the cinnamon sugar topping.
- Donuts best enjoyed warm.