Friday, September 10, 2010

apple cider doughnuts!



I have been craving and craving apple cider doughnuts the past few weeks... but there is no cider mill anywhere near me!! Which is really weird to me, growing up in Kansas there are cider mills everywhere, or apple markets, or other places that have these delicious cider doughnuts. So I decided to order some cider doughnuts from the amazing Louisburg Cider Mill (mmmm.. they are delicious!) a couple weeks ago, but all that did was make me want them even more! And unfortunately, ordering donuts and paying for shipping makes them cost a lot more than they are probably worth. :(
SO: I decided to attempt to MAKE my own cider doughnuts! How hard could it be, right? Here is the recipe I picked:

Apple Cider Doughnuts
  • 1 cup apple cider
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 2t baking powder
  • 1t baking soda
  • 1/2 t ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1/8 t ground nutmeg
  • 4 T butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • Shortening or vegetable oil for frying
  1. In sauce pan over medium-low heat, gently reduce cider to 1/4 cup (about 20 minutes). Let cool.
  2. Meanwhile, combine flour, baking powder & soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
  3. Using a mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, continuing to beat.
  4. Reduce speed to low and gradually add reduced cider and buttermilk, mixing just until combined. Add flour mixture and continue to mix just until dough comes together.
  5. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and sprinkle generously with flour. Turn dough onto one sheet and sprinkle top with flour. Flatten until 1/2 inch thick. Transfer dough to freezer and freeze until slightly hardened, approximately 20 minutes.
  6. Pull out of freezer & cut doughnut shapes. Place cut doughnuts and holes onto other baking sheet and refrigerate another 20 to 30 minutes.
  7. Add enough oil or shortening (I picked shortening.. the doughnuts are less greasy I hear when you pick shortening!) to a deep sided pan to measure almost 2" deep. Heat over medium to 350*.
  8. Carefully add donuts to oil and fry each side until golden-brown. Drain on paper towels.
Now... I read this recipe and thought "sounds simple enough.. I can totally do this!" So I got all the necessary ingredients and equipment and attempted it. I did not, however, purchase an oil thermometer, so I had to guess the temperature and do the fry a donut hole, check to see if the inside is as done as the outside method. It failed and failed. Finally, I called my grandma (who I swear knows everything about everything to do with cooking/baking/frying, etc). She suggested baking them on a wire rack with a cookie sheet underneath it to catch the oil after frying. She said that should dry up the inside a bit. And guess what? She is a genius.. It worked! my done on the outside but not on the inside doughnuts were done all the way around after 5 minutes in a 350 oven! I wish I had a picture to show you, but I don't. Anyway... here's the glaze recipe, because they don't taste as good without a topping:

Apple Cider Doughnut Glaze
  • Simmer 1 cup apple cider until reduced to 1/4 cup (again). Whisk in confectioners sugar until smooth and glossy, I used almost 1 cup.
  • In another bowl, mix 1 cup sugar & 2 t cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Set aside
  • After doughnuts are done, dip one side in the glaze and then in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
mmm... these are delicious! It makes about a dozen... and I have eaten one. My husband has eaten 5... yes, FIVE... since last night.

Speaking of the husband.... Our 2 year anniversary is coming up on Monday! Isn't that precious? The picture at the beginning of this post is a picture taken of us almost exactly 2 years ago. So much has changed since then!

Baby Talk:

I had another appointment yesterday, which was not very exciting actually. Baby's heart beat is the exact average of what most baby's heart beats are (which it has been since like... week 7). I think that is probably good though! I asked if there was any way to tell if he is breech or if he has already flipped himself into the right birthing position, and so she pulled in an ultrasound machine and said that we could find out right then. I wish Brad could have been there, but he had to work and didn't know that we would have the ability to see an ultrasound.. anyway, this baby is absolutely precious and I cried a few tears yesterday... He is adorable! His head looked HUGE.. but I am hoping that is just the ultrasound distorting it a bit :) .. His belly also looked big, which is good because chunky babies are absolutely adorable and because that means he is growing quite well inside of me. The midwife showed me his little hands, and I saw all 10 fingers. I think he actually had some of his fingers in his mouth, but it was hard to tell. Anyway.. all this to say that he is head down, feet up, ready to come out. I would have guessed this being as I feel his hiccups so low and such powerful kicks up in my ribs. But it is good to know for sure!

Anyway... that is pretty much it! They won't check dilation until 40 weeks or until I am having real contractions for a couple days with no increase in intensity or duration. Or until I am in labor at the hospital, of course. I do have appts for the next 3 weeks scheduled though, but I am hoping I don't need them!

Any guesses on when he decides to arrive? I keep telling him there's a whole big world out here, and he can actually stretch out (which he so wants to do... but unfortunately either a rib, or a bladder, or the side of my belly, etc. stops him from fully stretching) Hopefully I can sweet talk him out early! Brad even told him he would buy him anything he wanted if he appeared by a certain date... with suggestions like a pony, a toddler motorcycle (hah.. we'll see about that..), an ATV... really mostly things Brad probably wants to buy him anyway!

--Jessica




2 comments:

  1. Those donuts sound delicious! You have the best cravings ever! Sadly, I can't try out your recipe though because they don't even have apple cider here in South Africa. Oh well.

    Crazy how close we are to meeting our babies!!!!

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