Apple Cider Donuts (Provided photo — Yvona Fast)

October is time for country drives to view the changing leaves. It is time for hay rides, corn mazes, and football. It is time for visits to the farm to gather pumpkins, and to the orchard to pick apples, watch cider being pressed, and eat donuts.

Apple trees arrived in the New World with European colonists. In the early 19th century, John Chapman, known as Johnny Appleseed, traveled the countryside planting apple trees from Pennsylvania through Ohio and Indiana.

By the early 17th century, apple cider was produced in Connecticut. In 1920, the Prohibition spelled the death knell for hard cider. At the same time, the introduction of refrigeration made sweet cider a popular seasonal beverage. Soon, “cider” began to refer to fresh, unprocessed apple juice — an unfiltered, unfermented liquid containing some pulp left over when apples are processed. Today, most cider is made from a blend of apples, giving a balance of sweet and tart flavors.

Sweet apple cider is tastier and healthier than processed apple juice, which is filtered to remove all apple pulp. Cider has a more complex flavor. The pulp contains pectin and polyphenols, natural antioxidants with cancer-protective properties. Look for unpasteurized ciders; pasteurization kills bacteria and deactivates some enzymes. It extends shelf life but inhibits oxidation, affecting the flavor.

In addition to drinking, cider is great for cooking and baking! One of the best-known autumn treats are cider donuts.

Early colonists used the abundant fat from fall butchering to fry dough, which was often mixed with apples. In 1921, Russian refugee Arthur Leavitt invented the donut machine, which plopped perfect dough circles into hot oil and automatically flipped them. It was much easier than hand-rolling the dough, cutting out the doughnuts, and frying them in a pot.

In 1952, the American Doughnut Corporation started by Leavitt 30 years earlier introduced a new item, the Sweet Cider Donut, advertised as a “spicy round cake” with “fall appeal.” The cider doughnut is made by adding cider, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the basic buttermilk dough. The acid from the apples yields a tender crumb.

Today, many orchards and cider mills serve these donuts to leaf-peeping and apple-picking visitors in the fall — but you can make your own at home!

In addition to donuts, cider is great in baked goods like apple bread and muffins. Use it as a substitute for water or broth, adding sweetness and a taste of fall to pancakes, soup, and stew. Use cider in place of milk when making gravy. Beat with eggs in place of milk for pancake batter. Combine with salt to brine turkey or pork. Mix with maple syrup and butter and use as a glaze for roasting root vegetables. Make pancake syrup by whisking cider with sugar and cornstarch over heat until thickened.

It’s just not autumn without apples and cider.

–

Apple Cider Bread

–

Ingredients:

1 pint apple cider

2 medium eggs

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 Tablespoons cooking oil or melted butter

2 apples

1/2 cup walnuts or raisins, optional

Directions:

Place cider in saucepan, bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and cook until reduced in half. Cool.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare bread pans (butter or line with parchment paper).

In quart bowl, combine flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, beat egg with fork or whisk. Whisk in cooled cider. With a wooden spoon, stir in dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in butter or oil.

Wash, core and dice the apples fine. No need to peel. Stir in, along with nuts and raisins if using.

Fill bread pans 2/3 full, and bake about 50 minutes, until golden brown and done all the way through.

Option: Fill muffin tins and bake about 20 minutes.

–

Apple Cider Donuts

–

(Recipe based on Damn Delicious Apple Cider Donuts from Dec. 19, 2017.)

Ingredients:

For coating:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

For donuts:

3 cups apple cider

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt (preferably coarse, kosher salt)

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

6 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1 apple

2 cups cooking oil (for frying)

Directions:

To make coating, mix together granulated sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

In saucepan, bring to a boil 3 cups of apple cider. Lower heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1 cup. This should take about 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flours; baking powder, baking soda and salt; spices — cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Stir in brown sugar, making sure there are no lumps.

In another bowl, beat eggs. Beat in melted, cooled butter.

Stir egg mixture into dry ingredients, mixing just until moist.

Peel and core the apple. Shred, and stir into the batter.

Place in refrigerator to chill for about an hour.

Divide dough in half; keep half in the fridge.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough 1 1/2 inch thick rounds. Cut out with a 2 1/2″ cutter to shape doughnuts.

In a Dutch oven or large kettle, heat the oil until it reaches 375 degrees F.

Add a couple donuts at a time to the oil. Cook about 1 minute, then turn over and cook another minute. They should be golden and crispy.

Remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Allow to drain and cool for about 30 seconds.

Have the cinnamon-sugar mixture ready and roll the donuts to coat.

Serve warm.

Makes about a dozen donuts.

— — —

Author of the award-winning cookbook Garden Gourmet: Fresh & Fabulous Meals from your Garden, CSA or Farmers’ Market, Yvona Fast lives in Lake Clear and has two passions: writing and cooking. She can be found at www.yvonafast.com and reached at yvonawrite@yahoo.com or on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter: @yvonawrites.