Recipe: Cider And Spice Buckwheat Puffs
You could call them apple cider dough-nots, but whatever you call them, they're damn good.
I’ll confess it’s been a minute since I ate one, but I also kind of recall that nobody ever devoured an apple cider doughnut and thought to themselves, wow — you can really taste the cider in these. Also rarely stated, post-doughnut: “I have zero regrets!” and “Wouldn’t these be delicious gluten-free?”
Well, here you go! Magical little doughnut-adjacent mouthfuls that solve for all these variables. Choux, the base for éclairs and cream puffs and gougeres, those savory little cocktail bites, has a fancy French name but is dead simple to make and — thanks to nutty buckwheat flour —delicious when made gluten-free. The dough freezes well so you can portion it out and be ready to bake from frozen as needed, whenever the urge to doughnut strikes.
Cider and Spice Buckwheat Puffs
Makes about two dozen
For the caramel:
4 cups fresh apple cider
¼ cup heavy cream4 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the puffs:
1¼ cup (200g) sweet white rice flour
¼ cup (44g) buckwheat flour
1 cup water
8 tablespoons (½ cup) unsalted butter
½ teaspoon salt
4 eggs
For the cinnamon sugar:
1. Make the caramel: Pour the cider into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook at a low, steady boil until the cider has reduced to a scant cup, and is thick and syrupy. Add the butter and cream; stir vigorously until well combined and then bring back to a low boil and continue to cook for 3-5 minutes. Pour into a clean jar and reserve. (You will have more caramel than you need for this recipe, but rest assured it is delicious on ice cream and other things that sit comfortably under caramel sauce; it will keep refrigerated for months, and can be reheated by letting the uncovered jar stand in a pan of hot water and stirring until smooth.)
2. Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Combine the flours in a small bowl and reserve.
4. In a heavy medium saucepan, bring the water, butter, and salt to a boil over medium heat. Dump in the reserved dry mixture and stir briskly with a wooden spoon. It should all come together in a lumpy mass.
5. Lower the heat, and stir the lump around for about a minute to dry it out a little. Don’t fret over what sticks to the pan.
6. Remove the lump to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat it for a minute on its own to let some of the steamier heat escape. (You can also use a regular hand-held mixer.)
7. One at a time, crack each egg into a small cup (this prevents the very sad accident of dropping an egg shell into the path of the beaters) and add it to the bowl, beating well after each egg until it is fully incorporated. The dough is still hot enough to cook the first couple of eggs on contact, so you really want to be sure to beat, beat, beat once the egg is added. It may look sketchy at various points as you add eggs, but keep the faith and keep mixing to incorporate each egg well before you add the next, and by the end you should have a thick, shiny mass. Scrape the bowl down after the last egg has been added and beat for 30 seconds more.
8. Using two spoons or a small ice cream scoop, portion the dough in little mounds a few inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. Slide into the hot oven, and bake about 15 minutes or until puffed and beginning to turn golden. Now reduce the heat to 375°F, rotate the sheets in the oven, and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until the puffs are deeper golden and firm to the touch.
9. While the puffs are baking, combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl, and melt the butter.
10. When baking time is up, use a fork to spear each puff, dip it into the melted butter, and then roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Arrange them on a plate as you proceed.
11. Dip a fork into the caramel and use it to drizzle the caramel syrup over the little cakes. Serve immediately.
12. To freeze for later baking, plop the dough blobs onto a parchment-lined tray and move to the freezer. Allow them to freeze solid, a matter of a couple hours, then wrap in a tightly-sealed bag to store. If you are baking from frozen there is no need to thaw them, but you will want to add a few minutes to the baking time.
