Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Donut Recipe (Baked)

A delicious donut to make with your sourdough starter this fall. This Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Donut Recipe (Baked) is perfect for a crisp fall morning with coffee, or a sweet afternoon treat. These donuts have the best texture and then they are dipped in butter and rolled in spiced sugar! You can either use active sourdough starter or sourdough discard for these perfectly spiced sourdough pumpkin donuts.

If you are looking for the loved Apple Cider Donut Recipe on my blog…. here it is Sourdough Apple Cider Donuts. They are a huge hit! How fun would it be this fall to make a batch of each for a fall gathering. Which one are you going to make first?

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Ingredients for Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Donut Recipe

• All Purpose Flour – I love using King Arthur all-purpose flour for this recipe.
• Baking Powder- This helps the donuts have the perfect loft especially if doing this as a discard recipe.
• Baking Soda – This helps out the baking powder.
• Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves– The spices that make this the perfect fall treat full of warm spices!
• Salt- To balance the flavors.
• Pumpkin – I like using stewed pumpkin, but you can also use canned pumpkin for this recipe.
• Eggs – Room temperature eggs are the best for baking. They incorporate better than cold ones.
• Sourdough Starter – Either active starter OR sourdough discard will work for this recipe. It’s best to have the sourdough discard at room temperature but it can work cold too if that is what you have.
• Pure Vanilla Extract – Who doesn’t love the flavor pure vanilla extract gives?
• Butter – Melted and added for a flavorful moist donut.
• Brown Sugar – I love brown sugar for it flavor profile and obviously its lovely sweetness it adds to a recipe!
• Sour Cream – Do you like soft donuts? Then you won’t want to skip this step!

Equipment to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Donuts:

• Donut Pan – I have a silicone donut pan right now but if I were to invest in one again, I would get this one.
• Pastry Bag/Piping Bag – This isn’t necessary, but it could be helpful when piping the donuts into the pan.
• Kitchen Scale – The recipe is written in both metric and standard, but I love using my kitchen scale to get the most accurate recipe results!
• Wire Rack – I use my wire cooling rack so much! Works perfectly in this recipe.

Frying instead of Baking Sourdough Pumpkin Donuts:

If you prefer to fry these donuts, you can do that too.

Instructions for Frying the Donuts:

• In a Dutch oven heat 1 ½ inches of canola oil or other frying oil, like vegetable oil, to 375 degrees. You can measure the temperature using a candy or instant read thermometer.
• Once the oil has heated up take your dough out of the fridge and place on a floured surface. Pat to about 1 ½-2 inches thick and cut into donuts or donut holes…or both! Use a donut cutter, biscuit cutter, or a cookie cutter to do this.
• Transfer to the hot oil, being careful not to burn yourself. Fry for about 2 minutes on each side.
• Then transfer to a paper towel lined plate or pan and then dip in melted butter and the cinnamon sugar mixture once they have cooled enough to handle. Enjoy!

How to Ferment these Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Donuts:

Using active sourdough starter, you can easily make these a fermented donut. Mix up the batter and let sit at room temperature for 4 hours or in the fridge overnight. Then, the next day or later the same day you can continue with the directions below to finish baking the donuts.

Other Sourdough Donuts to Try:

• Sourdough Apple Cider Donuts
• Sourdough Apple Fritters
• Sourdough Bavarian Cream Filled Donuts

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Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Donut Recipe (Baked)

Ingredients for Donuts:

• 2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp (6g) baking powder
• ½ tsp(2g) baking soda
• ½ tsp (1g) cinnamon
• Pinch, Nutmeg
• Pinch, Cloves
• 1 tsp (6g) salt
• ¾ cup (170g) pumpkin puree or stewed pumpkin
• 1 egg
• ½ cup (120g) sourdough starter, active or discard
• 2 tsp (8g) pure vanilla extract
• 3 T (45g) butter, melted
• 1/3 cup (72g) brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (76g) sour cream

Spiced Sugar Coating to Dip Donuts:

• 5 T (75g) butter, melted
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp (2g) cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Instructions to Make the Donuts:

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
• First in a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all the dry ingredients.
• Next, in a medium bowl combine the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, butter, and sour cream. Mix well. Add the vanilla extract, egg, and sourdough starter. Mix until the mixture is well combined.
• Once the wet ingredients are incorporated add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the large bowl and mix just until combined. It’s okay if there are still a few lumps you just want to be sure not to overmix the batter.
• Next, grease your donut pan if necessary. I have a silicone donut pan so I usually do not grease it.
• Place the batter in a zip top bag or pastry bag and with a wide end (about ½”-1”) pipe the donut batter into the donut pan. I use a kitchen shears or my fingers to pinch off the batter. Continue until all the donut spots are filled to the top of the pan or a little below.
• Place the donuts in the oven and bake for 16-20 minutes or until they spring back when touched lightly and are slightly brown.

Prepping the Butter and Sugar Mixture for Dipping:

• In a small bowl add the white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and stir. Set aside. In a separate small bowl, melt the butter and set aside.

Dipping and Finishing the Donuts:

• Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and let sit 5 minutes before removing them from the pan and back to the cooling rack.
• Once they are cool enough to handle, take one warm donut at a time and dip each side in the melted butter and then the sugar mixture. Set on the cooling rack and finish the rest of the donuts.
• Enjoy! Donuts are best fresh, but they can be stored in an airtight container and reheated for up to 3 days.

Makes about 15 Donuts.

NOTES:

• To Freeze: Place the undipped donuts in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Donut Recipe (Baked)

A delicious donut to make with your sourdough starter this fall. This Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Donut Recipe (Baked) is perfect for a crisp fall morning with coffee, or a sweet afternoon treat.

By: Mariah Nienhuis

Serving Size: 15 donuts

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Ingredients

  

Ingredients for Pumpkin Donuts:

• 2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp (6g) baking powder
• ½ tsp (2g) baking soda
• ½ tsp (1g) cinnamon
• pinch Nutmeg
• pinch Cloves
• 1 tsp (6g) salt
• ¾ cup (170g) pumpkin puree or stewed pumpkin
• 1 egg, large
• ½ cup (120g) sourdough starter, active or discard
• 2 tsp (8g) pure vanilla extract
• 3 T (45g) butter, melted
• 1/3 cup (72g) brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (76g) sour cream

Spiced Sugar Coating to Dip Donuts:

• 5 T (75g) butter, melted
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp (2g) cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Instructions

 

Instructions to Make the Donuts:

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
• First in a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all the dry ingredients.
• Next, in a medium bowl combine the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, butter, and sour cream. Mix well. Add the vanilla extract, egg, and sourdough starter. Mix until the mixture is well combined.
  
• Once the wet ingredients are incorporated add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the large bowl and mix just until combined. It’s okay if there are still a few lumps you just want to be sure not to overmix the batter.
  
• Next, grease your donut pan if necessary. I have a silicone donut pan so I usually do not grease it.
• Place the batter in a zip top bag or pastry bag and with a wide end (about ½”-1”) pipe the donut batter into the donut pan. I use a kitchen shears or my fingers to pinch off the batter. Continue until all the donut spots are filled to the top of the pan or a little below.
  
• Place the donuts in the oven and bake for 16-20 minutes or until they spring back when touched lightly and are slightly brown.
  

Prepping the Butter and Sugar Mixture for Dipping:

• In a small bowl add the white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and stir. Set aside. In a separate small bowl, melt the butter and set aside.

Dipping and Finishing the Donuts:

• Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and let sit 5 minutes before removing them from the pan and back to the cooling rack.
• Once they are cool enough to handle, take one warm donut at a time and dip each side in the melted butter and then the sugar mixture. Set on the cooling rack and finish the rest of the donuts.
• Enjoy! Donuts are best fresh, but they can be stored in an airtight container and reheated for up to 3 days.
  

Notes

Makes about 15 Donuts.

To Freeze: Place the undipped donuts in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

These sourdough pumpkin donuts are the perfect treat to curb your fall flavor cravings. The sweetly spiced donut is so good warm from the oven on a cool fall evening. Serve in the morning with a cup of coffee or in the afternoon as a treat. The warm spices offer the perfect fall comfort food flavors! I love how a great place to enjoy treats with your friends and family can be right in your own home. What would you bake these delicious donuts for?

Leave a comment below if you have any questions or leave a review. I appreciate hearing how you are enjoying the recipes! What a great way to start pumpkin season!

Happy Baking Friends,

Mariah Nienhuis | TheFarmChicken

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
1 Peter 3:15

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