What you need (makes ten mini donuts)
apple, all-purpose flour, bread flour, corn starch, sugar, butter, instant yeast, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and cinnamon powder (optional: apple cider vinegar, milk).
What you do
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 30g butter. Add ½T vanilla extract, 1 diced apple, ½T sugar, and ¼T cinnamon powder. Stir and cook for 5-10 minutes until the apples soften (optional: Pour in 1 T apple cider vinegar and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool).
In a mixing bowl, combine 80g warm milk, 4g instant yeast, and 60g pastry flour (I used 52g sifted all-purpose flour and 8g sifted cornstarch instead). Stir well and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes until it becomes slightly bubbly.
In another bowl, whisk together 2 egg yolks, 50g sugar, 30g butter, ½T salt, ¼T cinnamon powder, and ½T vanilla extract. Add 15g pastry flour (I used 12g sifted all-purpose flour and 3g sifted cornstarch instead) and 60g bread flour. Mix until well combined.
Mix two mixtures together until fully incorporated. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until a smooth dough forms. Lightly oil a bowl, place the dough inside, and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for 1.5 hours or until it doubles in size.
After proofing, gently fold the caramelized apples into the dough. Roll out the dough to about ½-inch thickness and cut into rounds using a cookie cutter. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and fry the donuts for about 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let them cool to room temperature.
In a small bowl, whisk together 120g powdered sugar and 2 T milk until smooth. Dip each donut into the glaze, letting any excess drip off. Place on a wire rack and allow the glaze to set before serving.
Lab notes
I started making these donuts after tasting some amazing apple fritter donuts from my neighborhood grocery store. They didn’t have much apple filling inside, but they were crispy here and there, and I really liked that.
I loved the idea of caramelizing the apples before adding them to the dough—I came across this technique while searching for apple fritter donut recipes on YouTube. It not only makes the donuts less soggy but also enhances their flavor, which I personally love.
I think for extra crispiness, frying them a little longer than 2 minutes would be perfect.