Oh, doughnuts. The iconic hole’d dessert treat that somehow is making one hell of a comeback. While browsing through Crate & Barrel recently, I picked up an adorable little book written by Lara Ferroni called Doughnuts. Along with a couple of necessities like a baking pan specifically for doughnuts and this adorable screenprinted tea towel, I grabbed all of my gluten-free baking supplies to make these delicious gluten-free doughnuts. My first test was the baked recipe. I made regular cake doughnut topped with chocolate and maple icing. Sprinkled with some crushed walnuts – let’s just say Sunday night family dinner attendees were pleased.
While I don’t have a deepfryer I really wanted to try making the gluten-free raised dough version using active yeast and guar gum. Let me just say how exciting it was to see a gluten-free flour product rise! I have never used yeast before besides when I made bread with a mix in the breadmaker. Very cool. And dropping the doughnuts into the hot oil was entirely satisfying. In fact, I was shocked at how quickly they cool. Really only a couple of seconds does the trick. The result is chewy and moist. Sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar – it is an absolute dream come true for someone avoiding gluten in their diet. I thought I would never have a good doughnut ever again let alone make them myself.
I definitely recommend checking this book out – it has 2 great gluten-free dough recipes along with plenty of regular doughnuts and a never-ending list of toppings and fillings. Next up Boston Cream and Lemon Curd!
