Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Bourbon Glaze
Directions
- 1Pour the warm milk into a small bowl or glass measuring cup.
- 2Add 1 tbsp (13g) of the granulated sugar and sprinkle the yeast overtop.
- 3Stir and allow to sit for 5-7 minutes, until frothy and activated.
- 4In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- 5Once activated, pour the yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if mixing/kneading the dough by hand).
- 6Add the rest of the sugar (1/4 cup minus the 1 tbsp that was used to activate the yeast), pumpkin puree, melted and cooled butter, eggs, vanilla, and the flour mixture.
- 7With the dough hook attachment (or with a wooden spoon if mixing by hand), mix on low speed for 1 minute, until barely combined.
- 8Allow to rest for 5 minutes so the flour can soak up the liquids.
- 9Then, mix on medium speed for 5-7 minutes, until the dough is elastic, smooth, and is pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
- 10If the dough seems a little too sticky, you can add 1 tbsp more flour at a time, until it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl (I ended up adding ~2 tbsp more flour).
- 11If you are mixing and kneading by hand, pour the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes by hand.
- 12Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl.
- 13Cover and allow to rise in a warm environment for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- 14Once the dough is almost finished rising, cut out 10-12 squares of parchment paper and spread them across 2 baking sheets.
- 15Lightly dust each square of parchment paper with flour.
- 16Once the dough is doubled, punch it down and turn it onto a lightly floured surface.
- 17Roll the dough out to ~1/2” thickness.
- 18Using a 3” donut cutter, cup, or mason jar lid, cut the donuts out.
- 19Then, using a smaller 1” cutter or the wide end of a piping tip, cut out little holes in the middle of each donut.
- 20Save the little holes for donut holes or add back to the remaining dough to re-roll to cut out more donuts.
- 21Place the donuts onto the prepared parchment paper squares on the baking sheets.
- 22Loosely cover with a kitchen towel and allow to proof for 30-45 minutes, until puffy.
- 23While the donuts are proofing, prepare the maple bourbon glaze.
- 24In a large bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth.
- 25For the bourbon, I would start with 3 tbsp and add 1 more tbsp if you want the taste to be stronger (I did a full 4 tbsp).
- 26When the donuts are almost done proofing, fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven with oil, filling ~2” in the pan.
- 27Heat on medium-high until it reaches 350F-365F.
- 28Line a wire cooling rack with a thick layer of paper towels.
- 29Once the oil is hot enough, carefully transfer the parchment paper squares with the donuts on them slowly into the hot oil, 2-3 at a time.
- 30After 10-15 seconds, pull the parchment paper away from the donuts (it should almost immediately release).
- 31Fry the donuts for 1-2 minutes on each side (2-4 minutes total), until a deep golden brown.
- 32Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the donuts from the oil and to the rack with paper towels.
- 33Repeat with the remaining donuts.
- 34While the other donuts are frying, dip the warm donuts into the glaze, making sure to generously coat both sides.
- 35Then place onto a cooling rack that’s positioned on top of a baking sheet to let the glaze set.
- 36Serve warm with a cup of coffee.
- 37Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 0.75 cup milk, warmed (~110F)
- 0.25 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 2.5 tsp active dry yeast
- 0.5 cup pumpkin puree, at room temperature
- 0.5 cup salted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 4 cups bread flour (substitution: all-purpose flour)
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp salt
- Avocado oil, for frying
- 3.75 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 3 tbsp bourbon whiskey, depending on desired strength of taste
- 6 tbsp salted butter, melted
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- Large pinch of salt
Equipment
small bowlglass measuring cuplarge bowlstand mixerdough hook attachmentwooden spoonlightly oiled bowlparchment paperbaking sheets3 inch donut cutter1 inch cutterpiping tipkitchen towelheavy-bottomed potDutch ovenwire cooling rackpaper towelsslotted spoon
Tips
- Use pure pumpkin purée, not pie filling.
- Don’t overmix the dough to keep donuts light and fluffy.
- Use a thermometer to maintain oil temperature between 350–365°F.
- Fry in small batches (2–3 at a time) to avoid greasy donuts.
- Drain donuts on a wire rack over a baking sheet.
- Glaze donuts while warm for best adhesion.
- Adjust bourbon amount in glaze to your taste.
- Serve fresh for best quality.
- Store plain donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day; refrigerate glazed donuts.
- Leftover glaze can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- The dough can be made the night before and refrigerated.
- These donuts are best fried for the intended texture.
- You can omit bourbon or replace it with extra vanilla extract.
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