Pumpkin Pie Sufganiot

Place 2 1/2 cups of flour and the salt in a large bowl and whisk to aerate and combine; set aside. Coat a second large bowl with vegetable oil; set aside.

Place the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the water, stir to combine, and let sit until the mixture is foaming, about 5 minutes.

Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the egg yolks, almond milk, and vanilla and mix to combine. Add this the flour mixture and stir with the paddle attachment until the dough comes together and begins to form a ball. Change to the dough hook.

Add the margarine to the dough and knead until the margarine is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add up to 1/4 cup of additional flour as needed if the dough is sticky. It should be soft to the touch but should not stick to your fingers. Form the dough into a ball, place it in the oiled bowl, and turn it to coat it in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Punch down the dough, transfer it to a lightly floured work surface, and roll it out until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. Using a 2-1/2-inch round cutter, stamp out as many dough rounds as possible and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 1/4 inch apart. Gather the dough scraps into a ball and roll out and cut again. Discard any remaining dough scraps.

Cover the dough rounds loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let them rise in a warm place until puffy and about 1/2 inch thick, about 30 minutes.

Place the oil in a Dutch oven or a large, heavy-bottomed pot and set it over medium heat until the temperature reaches 365°F on a candy/fat thermometer. Meanwhile, fit a wire rack over a second baking sheet; set aside. Combine the remaining sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl; set aside. Transfer the pumpkin pastry cream to a piping bag fitted with a bismark tip; set aside.

When the oil is ready, add 4 of the dough rounds and fry until golden brown, flipping halfway through, about 2 minutes total. (If air bubbles appear in the donuts, pierce them with the tip of a paring knife.) Using a slotted spoon, remove the donuts to the wire rack. Add 4 more dough rounds to the oil. While these dough rounds are frying, use tongs to transfer the first 4 (still-hot) donuts into the bowl of sugar. Toss to coat in the sugar, then return to the wire rack. Repeat frying and sugarcoating the remaining dough rounds.

When the donuts are cool enough to handle, stick the bismark tip into the center of the doughnut and squeeze out about a tablespoon of pastry cream. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pumpkin Pastry Cream

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2 1/2 cups

Whisk the egg yolks and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. Set a fine mesh strainer over a large clean bowl and set aside.

Place the sugar, cornstarch, almond milk, coconut milk and pumpkin pie spice in a medium sauce pan and whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking to make sure it is smooth.

Gradually pour the hot mixture into the eggs, whisking continuously to make sure the eggs don’t scramble. Whisk in the pumpkin.

Transfer the mixture back to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Immediately pour the mixture through the strainer and use a strainer to push the mixture through. Whisk in the vanilla and oil and refrigerate until cool. (Can be made one day ahead.)