Fresh-Milled Spelt Apple Cider Donuts

Spelt brings a sweet, nutty depth that fits apple cider beautifully. Reducing the cider first gives these donuts real apple flavor without flooding fresh-milled flour with excess liquid.

Ingredients

Donuts

• 240 g apple cider, reduced to 120 g and cooled
• 260 g fresh-milled spelt flour
• 100 g brown sugar
• 6 g baking powder
• 2 g baking soda
• 4 g ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground allspice
• 3 g fine salt
• 50 g egg (1 large)
• 80 g plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
• 50 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 5 g vanilla extract

Cinnamon-sugar finish

• 35 g melted butter
• 80 g granulated sugar
• 5 g ground cinnamon

Method

1. Pour 240 g cider into a small saucepan. Simmer until reduced to 120 g. Cool to room temperature.
2. Heat oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease two 6-cavity donut pans.
3. Whisk spelt flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt.
4. In another bowl whisk cooled reduced cider, egg, yogurt, melted butter, and vanilla.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry and fold just until no dry streaks remain. Rest batter 10 minutes.
6. Transfer batter to a piping bag or zip-top bag with one corner snipped. Fill cavities about ¾ full.
7. Bake 10–12 minutes, until tops spring back lightly and a tester comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes, then turn onto a rack.
8. Mix sugar and cinnamon. While donuts are still slightly warm, lightly brush each with melted butter and coat in cinnamon sugar.

For the best texture

Do not overmix spelt batter; once hydrated, it develops quickly and can become tough. The cider reduction matters—using 240 g unreduced cider will make the batter too loose and dilute the apple flavor.

More fresh-milled baking

See Fresh-Milled vs. Store-Bought Flour for practical flour-handling differences, then browse the full Grainiac recipe collection.