Pumpkin Spice Donuts with Pumpkin Custard [no knead]
Serves 18
30 mins prep
15 mins cook
80 mins Rest Time
45 mins total
These pumpkin donuts are crispy, soft, and filled with a creamy pumpkin custard that tastes exactly like pumpkin pie. They’re coated in a sugar and pumpkin spice mixture. The donut dough has pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice to really amp up that pumpkin flavour! Oh and the dough is a no knead dough which gives the donuts beautiful open middles perfect for filling. They turn out so soft and pillowy. You will need just over a 16 oz can of pumpkin.
Pumpkin Custard Filling
Donuts
Pumpkin spice sugar
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Pumpkin Custard Filling
In a saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch breaking up any lumps. Add eggs and whisk to break them apart. Add the pumpkin, cream, milk, pumpkin spice, vanilla bean seeds and pod, and salt.
⅕ 4 cornstarch⅕ ½ brown sugar⅕ 4 large eggs⅕ 16 canned pumpkin puree⅕ 1 heavy cream⅕ ½ milk⅕ 2 pumpkin spice⅕ 1 whole vanilla bean⅕ ⅛ saltHeat the mixture on low heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a simmer and becomes very thick.
Add cold butter, stir until melted, and transfer into a container. You can strain it if you see any lumps but I didn't need to. Put plastic wrap right over the surface of the custard.
⅕ ½ unsalted butterRefrigerate until cold. I popped mine into the freezer for one hour.
Donuts
Dissolve the yeast in a bowl with the warm water and 1 tsp sugar, stirring until completely dissolved. Set aside for a few minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients. You want it to start to form a foam on top to make sure that the yeast is active.
⅕ ½ water⅕ 1 granulated sugar⅕ 1 packet active dry yeastCombine flour, brown sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix. Make a well in the middle and add butter, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin puree, milk, and the yeast mixture.
⅕ 5 all purpose flour⅕ ¼ brown sugar⅕ ⅛ salt⅕ ¼ butter⅕ 2 large eggs⅕ 1 pure vanilla extract⅕ ¾ canned pumpkin puree⅕ ¼ milkUse a spoon to mix at first and then get in with your hands to mix until a sticky and shaggy dough forms. If not all of the butter gets mixed into it, it's ok.
Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place (see notes) until doubled in size, about 30- 45 minutes.
Turn out the dough onto a well floured surface and flatten and fold a few times with your hands to give it a good mix. Roll out to ¾" thick. Cut out about eighteen 3.5" circles of dough and transfer onto a parchment lined baking sheet, rerolling the dough as needed. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, about 15 minutes. Save the dough scraps.
While the dough is rising, heat the oil in a large heavy bottom pot (I used a wide and narrow pot). Clip a cooking thermometer onto the side of the pot to monitor the temperature. Heat to 190°C (370°F).
⅕ 48 vegetable oilPrepare a baking tray lined with 4 layers of paper towels for the freshly fried donuts. Prepare a cooling rack with a layer of paper towels underneath as well. Mix together the sugar and pumpkin spice in a large bowl for the sugar topping.
⅕ 1 granulated sugar⅕ 1 pumpkin spiceWhen the oil comes to temperature, add the dough scraps. Fry on each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oil with tongs or a spider. Gently shake excess oil off and transfer onto paper towels. Blot them with paper towels and transfer onto cooling rack.
Repeat with the rest of the dough, making sure that the oil temperature stays at 190°C (370°F) and do not overcrowd the pan.
Once donuts are cool enough to handle, coat in sugar mix and coat well. Set aside to cool completely.
Once the donuts are completely cool, poke a hole through one side with a chopstick or knife.
Fill a piping bag fitted with a piping tip with the cooled pumpkin custard filling. Fill the donuts through the hole until they feel heavy and the filling starts to come out. Enjoy!
