Into the Kitchen: Pumpkin Spice and Apple Donut Holes

My good friend Pat and I were chatting about baking with yeast the other day and she passed along this wonderful, easy recipe. What's more perfect with coffee on a lazy Saturday in winter?

Pumpkin Spice and Apple Donut Holes

For dough:
1/2 cup of warm water (around 110 degrees)
1 package of dry yeast (I like the Rapid Rise kind--so much faster)
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp shortening
1 egg
1 1/2 cups sifted flour (my version of sifting now is using a whisk)
1 1/12 cups of chopped Macintosh apple (optional)
3 cups or so of canola oil for frying

For sugar:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp or more cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
dash of ginger
dash of clove

Stir water and yeast together to dissolve. In a medium bowl mix sugar, salt, shortening, egg and flour. Stir well for about 1 minute. Blend in apple. Cover and let rise in warm oven about 20-30 minutes. When dough has doubled, pat it into a rectangle 1 inch thick. Using a sharp knife cut dough into cubes. Heat oil in a pan to 375 degrees using a candy thermometer. Fry until golden brown, turning donuts only once. Drain and dip in pumpkin spice sugar.