Pumpkin Nutella Donuts with Pretzel Stems

Instructions

1. Prepare the dough base: In a bowl, mix 180ml of lukewarm milk, 8g of dry yeast, and 60g of sugar. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
2. Combine wet ingredients: Add 1 egg and 1 tsp of vanilla extract, then mix.
3. Color the dough: Add 25 drops of orange food coloring and mix until you achieve a bright orange color.
4. Add dry ingredients: Add 350g of flour and 1 tsp of salt, then start kneading.
5. Incorporate butter: Gradually add 50g of soft butter and knead until the dough is soft and elastic.
6. First rise: Cover the dough and let it rise for 1 hour in a warm place.
7. Shape the pumpkins: Punch down the dough and divide it into 8 balls. For each ball, lay 4 pieces of cotton thread on the work surface, place the dough ball on top, and gently wrap the threads around it to create the pumpkin shape. Do not tighten too much.
8. Second rise: Let the shaped dough rest again for 20–30 minutes.
9. Fry the donuts: Heat oil and fry the donuts, turning them to ensure they are golden on all sides.
10. Cool and unwrap: Remove from the oil and let them cool slightly before carefully cutting and removing all the threads.
11. Coat: Mix granulated sugar with brown sugar and optional cinnamon. Roll the still-warm donuts in this mixture.
12. Fill: Make a small hole on top of each pumpkin and fill generously with Nutella using a piping bag.
13. Decorate: For the stems, dip pretzel sticks into white chocolate mixed with green food coloring and let them set. Place a stem in the center of each pumpkin.