How to Make Homemade Doughnuts
It’s apple season here in Michigan which also means it’s doughnut season. Up here in the Mitten state we just can’t drink a cold, tangy glass of apple cider without chasing it down with a doughnut. You can buy doughnuts just about everywhere you find cider for sale, but there’s nothing quite like biting into a homemade doughnut that’s still warm on a chilly fall night.
Making homemade doughnuts takes a little time, but isn’t difficult and well worth it. Here’s what you’ll need:
Equipment
- Heavy duty pan for deep-frying
- Candy thermometer
- Slotted spoon
- Wire cooling rack
- Biscuit or doughnut cutter
- Rolling pin
Ingredients
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ⅛ teaspoon of nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons of shortening
- ½ cup of sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- ⅓ cup of buttermilk (Make your own buttermilk by putting a tablespoon of vinegar in the bottom of a measuring cup. Add enough milk to make one full cup. Stir and let stand for 10 minutes.)
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Cinnamon Coating
- ½ Cup of sugar
- 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon
First, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. 
In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together shortening, sugar and the egg. Add vanilla.
Then added the alternate mixing in the milk and dry ingredients into the sugar mixture.
Mix until dough comes together.
Chill dough in refrigerator for one hour. Then roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface to about a 1/4 inch thickness.
Cut the doughnuts out. Use a specialized doughnut cutter or improvise. I used a biscuit cutter, then used a pop bottle cap to cut out the doughnut holes. Keep reworking the scraps and rolling them back out until you use all the dough.
Fill a pan about four inches deep with oil, and heat the oil on the stove to 375 degrees. Use the candy thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil. Try to maintain it at 375 degrees by adjusting the burner. If the oil is to hot the doughnuts will burn. If the oil is too cool the doughnuts will get greasy.
Depending on the size of your pan you can fry two to three doughnuts at a time. After the underside of the doughnut is golden brown flip it over. When the other side is browned use the slotted spoon to remove the doughnut and let it drain on the wire rack.
In a small bowl mix together the half cup of sugar and one tablespoon of cinnamon. After it’s cooled for about two minutes, dip the doughnut in the cinnamon sugar to coat.
You can also coat some in powdered sugar or even frost them. 
Now, enjoy your homemade doughnuts with a nice tall glass of Michigan apple cider!
