Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts

I love this recipe for pumpkin ice cream muffins-- to me they taste like doughnuts.  So I wondered how they would work if baked in a doughnut pan-- would they make decent doughnuts?  Today I finally tried it, and they were ...  underwhelming.  I've always been skeptical of doughnut baking pans because the key part of a doughnut -- what makes it so decadently delicious -- was the crispy fried exterior with that extra bit of fat.  It not only has a different mouth feel, but it has a different flavor as well.  In the absence of that, it's just another baked good.

The doughnuts tasted fine, but they weren't very substantial.  It didn't feel like I was eating a doughnut, but rather a skinny muffin.  So I gave up and overfilled the tins to make something more like a flat muffin.  One of these days, I'll have to try one of the recipes that claims to actually be a doughnut batter.

Pumpkin Swirl Bread

More explorations into pumpkin breads, this one from a magazine I bought last year.  Compared to this yeasted pumpkin bread, it's sweeter because of the swirl center, but otherwise similar in mild flavor.

Here's what I used:

2¼ - 2½ cups all-purpose flour 

1½ cups whole wheat flour 

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats 

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar 

1¼ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

3/4 teaspoon salt 

2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast 

3/4 cup water 

1/2 cup canned pumpkin 

1/6 cup canola oil

1/6 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated 

1 egg 

 

Filling 

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar 

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 

In a large bowl, combine one cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oats, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and yeast.  In a saucepan, stir together water, pumpkin, oil, and applesauce; heat to 120F to 130F.  Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.  Add eggs; beat on high 2 minutes.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much remaining all-purpose flour to make a firm dough; turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 6 to 8 minutes to make a smooth and elastic dough; shape into a ball.  Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning to grease surface of dough. Cover with towel; let rise in warm place until double in size (about one hour). 

 

For filling, in a small bowl combine brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

 

Lightly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.  Punch dough down, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface; roll into an 18 x 9-inch rectangle. Spread with 2 tablespoons butter to within 1/2 inch of edges; sprinkle with brown sugar mixture.  Cover with towel; let rise in warm place until doubled in size (about 30 minutes).

 

Preheat oven to 350F.  Bake loaf 50-60 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped.  Cool bread in pan on wire rack 10 minutes, then remove from pan to cool completely.

 

I didn't have applesauce, so I tried shredding the apple and cooking it with the other ingredients, the idea being it would turn into mush in the process.  It didn't exactly fail, but I'd try something different in the future.

Chocolate and pumpkin are always a good combination!

Conclusion:   Not especially pumpkiny, especially after spreading with butter and honey or cinnamon, but still tasty. The filling added just the right amount of sweetness so you didn't need anything more. Could have used a little more salt to counter the sweetness. My only real complaint is that the outside whirl is too dry. Perhaps it was overbaked? Didn't look it, and the sugar that spilled out wasn't burned. 

Recipe: "Pumpkin Swirl Bread" via America’s Favorite Pumpkin Recipes by Centennial Kitchen