Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two standard doughnut pans. If you don't have doughnut pans, you can bake these in a standard muffin tin; they just won't be doughnuts.

  2. Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth.

  3. Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.

  4. Fill the wells of the doughnut pans about 3/4 full; use a scant 1/4 cup of batter in each well. If you're making muffins, fill each well about 3/4 full; the recipe makes about 15, so you'll need to bake in two batches (unless you have two muffin pans).

  5. Bake the doughnuts for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. If you're making muffins, they'll need to bake for 23 to 25 minutes.

  6. Remove the doughnuts from the oven, and after about 5 minutes, loosen their edges, and transfer them to a rack to cool.

  7. While the doughnuts are still warm (but no longer fragile), gently shake them in a bag with the cinnamon-sugar. If you've made muffins, sprinkle their tops heavily with cinnamon-sugar.

  8. Cool completely, and store (not wrapped tight) at room temperature for several days.

Tips from our Bakers

  • Want to make these doughnuts with King Arthur Unbleached Self-Rising Flour? Reduce the salt to 1/2 teaspoon; omit the baking powder, and substitute 2 cups (8 ounces) self-rising flour for the all-purpose flour. Bake the doughnuts for about 18 minutes.

  • Want to make this gluten-free? For great results, substitute King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour for the all-purpose flour in this recipe. Be sure to bake thoroughly; gluten-free baked goods often need a bit more time in the oven.

  • Don't wrap leftover doughnuts tightly in plastic; they'll become soggy. If you're not going to consume all of the doughnuts at one sitting, add the final coating of cinnamon-sugar only to those you'll eat; store the rest, without their sugar, on a plate covered with a cake cover; or in a plastic bag that's not fastened shut. Add cinnamon-sugar coating just before serving.
  • We've baked these doughnuts cutting the sugar back to just 1 cup; and while they were slightly less tender, we found them just as delicious.
  • Can you make this batter into doughnut holes? Yes! Portion the batter into a lightly greased mini muffin pan or doughnut hole pan, filling the wells about 3/4 full; a teaspoon cookie scoop works well here. Bake in a preheated 425°F oven for 7 to 8 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the doughnut holes comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven, let the holes cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then toss them in cinnamon-sugar. Repeat with the remaining batter. Yield: about 5 1/2 dozen doughnut holes.

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