Full of fall flavor
The secret behind Grim’s apple cider doughnuts
Open the door of the small gray building in Breinigsville and the warm smell of cinnamon sugar and deep-frying sweetness surround you as you walk past the racks of freshly-made apple cider doughnuts.
Carol Leiby, ever so gently, folds the batter, incorporating the ingredients.
“We have people come in over the summer asking for them but they are seasonal,” said the Kutztown resident.
Leiby is one of the folks who make dozens and dozens and dozens of apple cider doughnuts at Grim’s Orchard & Family Farms in Breinigsville through the season.
Maybe it’s the fact that when you go to Grim’s it’s a total fall experience that makes the doughnuts so popular. It’s one of several places in the Lehigh Valley where you can pick pumpkins (from warty and interesting to smooth and carvable), work your way through a corn maze, and pick apples to take home to make pie or apple sauce.
But it’s the food, specifically the apple cider doughnuts, that brought us to Grim’s on this day. Folks will tell you they go there specifically each fall to get a dozen (or two).
We stopped by to see the bakers in action recently and we met with Leiby and John Berry of Emmaus.
“I stand here all day and do this,” said Berry as he was frying up mini versions of the sweet treats..
Around this time of year, they will have four fryers going to make doughnuts and Berry estimates he can make about 1,200 a day just himself.
Apple cider doughnuts are traditionally a cake doughnut flavored with warm fall spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon. Apple cider is also added and that’s what makes these doughnuts really seasonal, along with just being autumnal flavors. The best-tasting apple cider is in the fall during apple harvest and it’s a key reason why Grim’s doughnuts are so tasty.
Leiby shared an expert tip for the Grim’s doughnuts: Heat up the cider to about 80 to 90 degrees before adding to the batter. Heating the cider helps the magical chemistry of the batter come together better.
The other secret to Grim’s doughnuts: They are fried the old-fashioned way, in lard.
“Everything made in lard is better,” Berry said.
The doughnuts are fried till golden brown and then immediately rolled in cinnamon sugar. The heat allows the sugary topping to adhere to the doughnut and slightly crystallize.
The flavor: Sugary, spicy fall perfection.
How much: $5.99 for a 6 pack; $4.99 for a cup of minis.
Info: Grim’s is at 9875 Schantz Road, Breinigsville; email: grims@ grimsorchard.com; 610-395-5655 grimsorchard.com