These Mini Pumpkin Doughnuts are incredibly soft and fluffy pillows of pumpkin spice. The dough is flavoured with pumpkin puree (or butternut squash!), pumpkin spice and after frying, are coated in a delicious pumpkin spice sugar. They are so good for the autumn months when pumpkins and butternut squash are in season and a little bit of spice to warm up is welcomed. These mini doughnuts are best eaten shortly after frying, while they are still warm and gloriously delicate.
These mini doughnuts are made easily, with a simple doughnut dough with added flavour of pumpkin and pumpkin spice. The dough is then left to rise, cut into shapes and deep fried. The fried doughnuts are then tossed in pumpkin spice sugar to finish.
To begin making the dough, melt the butter in a microwave safe container. You can also melt the butter in a small saucepan on a low heat if you prefer. Once melted, whisk in the milk and add the yeast. Whisk this together again until the yeast has dissolved. Leave this to one side while you weigh out the other ingredients. Add the flour, egg, sugar, salt, pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice to a stand mixer bowl or a large mixing bowl. Add the yeasted milk.
If you are using a stand mixer, mix using a dough hook for 4-5 minutes until the dough has become smooth and elastic. If you do not have a stand mixer, combine all ingredients in the mixing bowl with your hands or a wooden spoon. When the dough starts to form, place onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with cling film or a tea towel and leave somewhere slightly warm for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Once the dough has risen, lightly flour a work surface and place the dough on top. Sprinkle some more flour on top of the dough and gently roll the dough using a rolling pin. Using your small round cutter (I like to use a 5cm round cutter) as a guide, roll the dough to about half the height of your cutter, this should be around 2cm.
Place the cut doughnuts onto a flat lined baking tray or trays. Allow space in between each doughnut as they will double in size before you fry them. Gently knead together any leftover dough. Roll the leftover dough a little thinner than the first time. The doughnuts made with leftover dough tend to rise more and it’s important to try to get them all a similar size. Repeat the above steps until all the dough has been used. Once all the dough has been shaped, cover the cut doughnuts lightly with cling film or tea towels. Leave in a warm place to rise until they have doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
Once the doughnuts have risen, begin heating your deep fryer or a large saucepan half filled with oil suitable for frying. You are looking for a temperature of around 160-170°c (330-340°f). To check if the oil is ready, you can add a doughnut or a small piece of bread into the oil. If it darkens a lot within a minute or two, the oil is too hot. If it doesn’t make any noise or bubbles within a minute or two, the oil is too cold. To help make sure you have the right temperature when not using a deep fryer, consider getting a sugar thermometer to help get an accurate reading.
Once the oil is the right temperature, gently place 4-5 doughnuts into the hot oil. Allow to cook for 4-5 minutes, carefully turning them often until they are an even golden brown colour. Cautiously remove the doughnuts from the hot oil using a steel spider strainer and place onto a couple paper towels to drain. In a bowl, mix together the sugar and pumpkin spice. Place the hot doughnuts in the bowl and gently toss to coat the doughnuts completely. Remove from the sugar and leave to one side while you fry off the remaining doughnuts.
I use strong flour for this recipe. This is because it is high in gluten which helps provide good structure and a nice fluffy crumb inside.
I use fresh yeast in this recipe. If you wanted to use dried yeast, you can calculate how much you would need using this Fresh to Dry Yeast Converter.
You will get the best results for frying with vegetable (rapeseed) oil or sunflower oil. These are both relatively affordable oils to use.
Ideally, you’re looking for a temperature around 160-170°c (320-340°f).
To check if the oil is ready, you can add a doughnut or a small piece of bread into the oil. If it darkens a lot within a minute or two, the oil is too hot. If it doesn’t make any noise or bubbles within a minute or two, the oil is too cold. To help make sure you have the right temperature when not using a deep fryer, consider getting a sugar thermometer to help get an accurate reading.
You can make your own pumpkin puree or butternut squash puree to use in the recipe. Simply peel and remove the seeds from a medium sized pumpkin or butternut squash. Cut into small chunks and place onto a baking tray. Cover tightly with tin foil and cook at 160°c (320°f) for 20-30 minutes until completely softened. Once cooked, blend or mash together until smooth. Allow to cool before using.
You absolutely can if you have a doughnut cutter! The large doughnuts made need a little longer frying to cook fully, and I would recommend adding only 2-3 at a time to your fryer depending on the size you have.
For more No Bake recipes, check out my No Bake Category, here.
Do you want more Dessert Recipes? Take a peek at my Dessert Category, here.
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