Pumpkin Old Fashioned Doughnuts

My pumpkin recipe today comes from a new cookbook I bought by the owners of a Seattle landmark, Top Pot Bakery--Mark and Michael Kiebeck.

In an old warehouse on Fifth Avenue, in downtown Seattle, Top Pot bakery produces more than 75 million doughnuts each year.  In addition to their own retail shops, Starbucks and local grocery stores sell these delicious doughnuts and now they have a book out for the home baker to replicate their doughnuts...just in case you can't get out, or like me, at the spur of the moment, just want a doughnut!

Even though my mother occasionally made doughnuts, she had stop when my grandfather started coming for dinner every Tuesday--he always brought a dozen as a treat.  I picked up the "habit" of making my own after I got married; for Halloween.  I'd make yeast doughnuts, cruellers, and my favorite, "Old fashioned."  So, you can see why I was hooked, reading through the pages of my new cookbook, when I came across Pumpkin Old Fashioned Doughnuts.

When Kelly moved back home, while we were living in Connecticut, we'd stop at Dunkin Donuts every morning before I dropped her off to work.  She'd get her coffee and we'd both get a chocolate cake doughnut except during the Fall when they had the pumpkin doughnuts out--that was our choice.  Yeast doughnuts are good, but for me, there's nothing like a good cake doughnut and this recipe, compliments of Top Pot, was well worth the 4-mile run I did before eating one: ) !

Pumpkin Old-Fashioned Doughnuts
3 cups Queen Guinvere Cake Flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. iodized salt
3/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 T. shortening
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
Canola oil (or peanut oil) for frying

Pumpkin Glaze:
4 1/2 cups confecioners' sugar
2 tsp. light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. iodized salt
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup hot water


In a separate bowl, stir the dry ingredients together.  In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, beat the shortening and sugar together until it resembles sand.  Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the egg yolks and mix for 1 minute more, scrapping down the sides if necessary, until the mixture is light colored and thick.  Add the dry ingredients in three separate additions with the sour cream and pumpkin puree, mixing just until combined on low speed.  The dough will be sticky, like a wet cookie/biscuit dough.

Transfer dough to a clean bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap/cling film for 45 minutes or up to 24 hours.  This is a great step if you want to make the dough up the night before for a surprise breakfast treat.  For me, it was my time for a run!


Before rolling out the dough, make the glaze.  Mix all ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.

Meanwhile, in a large pot or deep fryer, heat at least 2-inches of oil.  Use a candy/oil thermometer to check temperature of 325F-degrees.  (I used my Delonghi fryer--the temperature for doughnuts in that model was 364F-degrees.)


Lightly flour a pastry board and roll out the dough to 1/2-inch thickness.

Using a doughnut cutter, dipped in flour, begin cutting out the doughnuts.

With my 3-inch cutter, I was able to produce 10 doughnuts and holes, re-rolling the dough once.  Shake off any excess flour off the doughnuts before carefully adding them to the hot oil a few at a time.  Don't over crowd because the oil temperature will fall and the doughnuts end up absorbing too much oil!


Once the doughnuts float, fry for 15 seconds, then flip them over and fry 75 to 90 seconds.  Flip them back to their original side and fry another 75 to 90 seconds. (In my fryer, it actually took 2 minutes on each side.)  Transfer to a rack set over paper towels.  While the doughnuts are still quite hot, dip the side with the deepest cracks on each into the warm Pumpkin Glaze.  Let dry on the cooling rack, glaze side up for about 15 minutes.

One of the handiest tools I have that worked well with making these doughnuts is my Ebelskiver Turning Tools.

All I can say, the run was worth it!  The golden pumpkin cake with the most delectable pumpkin glaze was just the thing to have while I cozied up on the sofa, watched a movie and did my Sunday crossword puzzle--perfect way to treat yourself. Enjoy!