The Ultimate Gluten Free Doughnuts

INGREDIENTS FOR HOMEMADE GLUTEN FREE DOUGHNUTS 

• Active dried yeast. Unlike cake doughnuts that use only baking powder and/or baking soda for leavening, these are proper yeast doughnuts. The yeast contributes to their wonderful flavour and makes them wonderfully pillowy-soft. If using active dried yeast, you’ll need to first activate it in a bit of warm milk – this also tells you whether or not your yeast is active. If you don’t see any bubbles or frothing appearing on top of the milk-yeast mixture after about 5-10 minutes, then your yeast isn’t active and you need to use a new batch of yeast. (If you want to use instant yeast instead, check out the substitutions section and the recipe below.)
• Sugar. You can use either caster/superfine or granulated sugar for this recipe. The sugar plays two roles: firstly, it makes the doughnuts slightly sweet and, secondly, it gives the yeast something to feed on, which in turn makes the yeast more active. Note that the doughnuts themselves aren’t super sweet. Because any fillings and toppings (jam and cinnamon sugar in this case) are plenty sweet already, the doughnuts as a whole work best if the dough isn’t overly sweet.
• Warm whole milk. You’ll use this milk to activate the yeast, that’s why it’s important that it’s either warm or lukewarm.
• Psyllium husk. This acts as a gluten substitute and it’s what gives the final, fried doughnuts their pillowy-soft and slightly chewy texture. Without psyllium husk, you won’t get a dough that you can actually handle and shape, and the doughnuts won’t proof properly. You can’t substitute the psyllium husk with another ingredient. This recipe uses WHOLE psyllium husk, but you can also use psyllium husk powder – if you use the powder form, use only 85% of the amount listed in the recipe below. You can read more about the role of psyllium husk in gluten free baking here!
• Cold water. Unlike milk, you want to use COLD water (it doesn’t need to be chilled from the fridge, just cold from the tap is OK). That’s because the dough, once made, will go straight into the fridge to chill. It will chill down faster and with minimal proofing if you use cold water.
• Tapioca starch. (For substitution options, check out the substitutions section or the recipe below.)
• Millet flour. (For substitution options, check out the substitutions section or the recipe below.)
• Sorghum flour. (For substitution options, check out the substitutions section or the recipe below.)
• Xanthan gum. This also acts as a gluten replacement. In enriched dough recipes, such as cinnamon rolls or doughnuts, I like to use a mixture of psyllium husk and xanthan gum (unlike with artisan loaves, where you can use only psyllium husk). Using the mixture of both binders gives a softer, more delicate crumb. In comparison, using psyllium husk only would give a more robust, hearty, chewier crumb. You can read more about the role of xanthan gum in gluten free baking here!
• Salt. It’s important to add salt to any bread recipe, as it brings out all the flavours.
• Baking powder. Yes, we’re making *yeasted* doughnuts – but we’ll still be adding baking powder. I’ll explain more about this below, but in short: baking powder makes these gluten free doughnuts much softer and fluffier, and therefore closer in texture to “regular” doughnuts made from wheat flour.
• Cold egg. Much like with the cold water, using a cold egg will speed up the chilling step and will therefore save time.
• Softened unsalted butter. This gives richness to the doughnuts. However, compared to “regular” doughnuts made with wheat flour, we’ll be using a smaller amount of butter. Using too much butter can weigh the gluten free doughnuts down too much and can make them too dense.

In addition to the ingredients above that are required to make the dough for the gluten free doughnuts, you’ll also need: 

• Oil for frying (I like to use sunflower oil, but if you have another favourite oil for frying you can use that – just make sure that it’s neutral in flavour and that it has a high smoking point).
• Cinnamon sugar for rolling the doughnuts.
• Jam of choice for filling (any jam will work well, so long as there aren’t any large pieces of fruit in it – I filled a few doughnuts with strawberry jam and a few with apricot jam).

SIDE NOTE: BAKING POWDER IN YEAST DOUGHNUTS???

First of all, let’s get one thing out of the way: we are making yeastdoughnuts here. We’re not making cake doughnuts.

And yes, yeast doughnuts typically don’t contain any baking powder – they rely entirely on yeast for their fluffy, soft texture and open crumb.

However, I’ve tested this recipe both with and without the added baking powder and there’s a marked difference between the two: the gluten free doughnuts made WITH baking powder are noticeably fluffier and softer compared to those made without baking powder. They puff up more during frying, so that they end up larger (greater in volume) than those without baking powder.

So, even though adding baking powder to yeast doughnuts isn’t “traditional” or “typical”, it does help them to achieve a better, more delicious texture. And even though some might consider this “cheating” – in the end, at least to me, the final result is the most important part. So, if you want your gluten free doughnuts to be wonderfully fluffy and soft: trust me and add the baking powder.

The recipe uses 2 teaspoons baking powder per one batch of 8 doughnuts. I’ve also tested it with just one teaspoon of baking powder, and I prefer the version with more baking powder. However, both versions are incredibly soft and delicious: so, while I recommend using 2 teaspoons, you could also use just one teaspoon.

MAKING THE GLUTEN FREE ENRICHED DOUGH

There’s nothing complicated or difficult about making the dough for these doughnuts: just activate the yeast and make the psyllium gel (by mixing the psyllium husk with water), and then combine all the other ingredients except the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or just a large bowl if making them by hand) and knead everything together into a smooth, sticky, soft dough.

Add the butter and knead until it’s fully incorporated. The final dough will be fairly soft and sticky – that’s okay! The next chilling step will make the dough much less sticky and easier to handle.

CHILLING THE DOUGH

Transfer the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with cling film (plastic wrap) and chill in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours.

Chilling the dough is pretty crucial, as it cools down and sets the butter in the dough, which in turn makes the dough firmer and easier to handle and shape into the individual doughnuts. It also gives the gluten free flours time to properly hydrate (that is, to absorb the moisture in the dough), which also makes the dough less sticky.

You could even chill the dough overnight, and then shape, proof and fry the doughnuts the following day!

SHAPING THE DOUGHNUTS

Although most doughnut recipes will ask you to cut out the individual doughnuts with a large round cookie cutter, I’ve found that I get the best results by shaping the doughnuts into balls and then flattening them slightly (almost like making burger buns that you pat down slightly to make them flatter).

By shaping the doughnuts by hand into flattened balls, the final fried doughnuts have a nicer, rounder shape. In comparison, doughnuts that have been cut out with a cookie cutter are flatter in shape (though they still puff up nicely during proofing and frying), with a less rounded top.

That said, you can also cut out the doughnuts if you find it easier and more convenient. The doughnuts will still be fluffy and delicious, but they won’t have the same rounded shape. If you go down the cut-out doughnut route: roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1 inch (2.5cm), and then use a round cookie cutter about 3 inches (7.5cm) in diameter to cut them out (dip the cookie cutter in a bit of flour to prevent sticking). Re-roll any scraps to make more doughnuts.

To shape the doughnuts into flattened balls, first divide the chilled dough into 8 equal pieces (each piece should weigh about 88g). I recommend using a digital food scale to get all pieces the same weight, as that will ensure that they all cook at the same rate and will therefore prevent any doughnuts from being undercooked.

Then, shape the doughnuts into balls, as you would dinner rolls or burger buns, and finally flatten them. Make sure to work on a lightly floured surface (I usually use millet flour for flouring). Here’s the step by step process of how to do it:

1. First, flatten one piece of dough.
2. Take the corners and bring them in towards the middle,
3. until you get something resembling a pouch. Pinch the ends together.
4. Turn the piece of dough upside down, so that the seams face downwards.
5. Form your hand into a “claw” over the piece of dough and move it in a circular motion on the surface. This will essentially rotate the dough in place, which will help to form a perfectly round ball and also seal the seams together.
6. Finally, gently flatten the ball until it’s about 1-1 ¼ inch (2.5-3cm) thick at the centre point (take into account that it will have rounded edges and it will therefore be thinner towards the edge), and about 3 inches (7.5cm) in diameter. Repeat with the rest of the dough pieces.

PROOFING UNTIL ABOUT DOUBLED IN VOLUME

I like to proof the doughnuts by placing them on individual squares of parchment/baking paper on a large baking sheet. These squares of parchment paper will make placing the proofed doughnuts into the frying oil much easier and pretty much stress-free.

You’ll need to proof the doughnuts in a warm place for about 1 ½ hours or until about doubled in volume. Lightly cover them with a sheet of cling film to prevent them from drying out. If your kitchen is on the cold side, you can proof them in a lukewarm oven (the ideal proofing temperature is around 79ºF/26ºC).

FRYING UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN

After the doughnuts have been proofing for about 1 hour, you can start setting up the “frying station”. For this, you can use a large heavy-duty pot or deep pan, a large cast iron pot or a deep fryer if you have one. If you’re using a pot or a deep pan, make sure that you fill it with enough oil so that the oil is at least 2 inches (5cm) deep.

The best oil for frying is one that’s neutral in flavour and has a high smoking point. I prefer to use sunflower oil, but you can use your favourite frying oil instead (so long as it fulfils those requirements).

Heat the oil to 320-330ºF (160-165ºC). In this temperature range, the doughnuts will get beautifully golden brown by the time they’re fully cooked through and they’ll absorb only a very minimal amount of oil (pretty much negligible). A lower oil temperature can leave them pale and can also result in them absorbing some of the oil, which can make them greasy. A higher oil temperature will cause them to brown too much and too quickly.

It’s best to use a digital food thermometer, a candy thermometer or a deep-fry thermometer to make sure that your oil is at the right temperature.

To fry these gluten free doughnuts to perfection:

1. Make sure that the oil is heated to 320-330ºF (160-165ºC) before you start frying the doughnuts, and make sure to maintain this temperature throughout the frying process (you might need to adjust your stove’s heat to maintain the oil temperature at the correct temperature range).
2. Carefully place the doughnuts into the hot oil. Use the squares of parchment paper to help you lower the doughnuts into the oil. The number of doughnuts that you’ll be able to fry at the same time will depend on the size of your pot, pan or fryer. Don’t crowd them together too much. I used a large, deep pan so I was able to fry 4 doughnuts at the same time.
3. After 10-15 seconds, you can use kitchen togs to remove the squares of parchment paper out of the oil.
4. Fry the doughnuts on this first side for about 2 ½ minutes or until deep golden brown, then flip them over.
5. Fry them on the other side for a further 2 ½ minutes.
6. Then, use a slotted spoon to remove the doughnuts out of the oil and onto a large plate or wire rack lined with paper towels. Make sure to drain your doughnuts properly before placing them onto the paper towels. I like to cover them with a layer of paper towels on top as well, just to absorb any oil on top of the doughnuts.

Note that the doughnuts will initially have a crisp crust immediately out of the hot oil, but the crust will soften after a minute or two.

Assembling gluten free jelly doughnuts

There are two parts to assembling these doughnuts: first, rolling them in cinnamon sugar and, secondly, filling them with jam.

It’s best to roll the doughnuts in the cinnamon sugar while they’re still hot or at least very warm, as that will help it to adhere to the doughnuts. For the cinnamon sugar, I like to use superfine/caster sugar (again, it simply gives a more even coating on the doughnuts), but you can also use granulated sugar instead. (Also, if you prefer your doughnuts dusted with powdered/icing sugar, you can do that too! In that case, dust them with sugar after you’ve filled them.)

Then, it’s time to fill them. It’s best to fill the doughnuts when they’re either lukewarm or cooled completely to room temperature. First, make a hole in the doughnuts – I like to use a long thin knife for this, but I’ve seen people use everything from scissors to skewers. Making a hole will make filling the doughnuts much easier.

Then, transfer your jam of choice to a piping bag fitted with a nozzle. Now, ideally, use a Bismark piping tipfor filling the doughnuts – because it has a long tip, it’s perfectly suited to filling the very centre of the doughnuts (instead of having all the jam in just one half, which I find really annoying). If you don’t have a Bismark piping tip, a round piping nozzle will work in a pinch.

Fill the doughnuts until the jam starts coming out of the hole – that tells you that the doughnuts are filled to their maximum capacity. If you want to get precise about it, I fit about 35-40g of jam per doughnut.

And that’s it!! All that’s left is to tuck in and enjoy.

What’s the best temperature for frying gluten free doughnuts?

The best oil temperature for gluten free doughnuts is 320-330ºF (160-165ºC). In this temperature range, the doughnuts will get beautifully golden brown by the time they’re fully cooked through and they’ll absorb only a very minimal amount of oil (that is, oil absorption is pretty much negligible).

A lower oil temperature can leave them pale and can also result in them absorbing some of the oil, which can make them greasy. A higher oil temperature will cause them to brown too much and too quickly.

It’s best to use a digital food thermometer, a candy thermometer or a deep-fry thermometer to make sure that your oil is at the right temperature.

Torta al limone senza burro e farina, sofficissima

Per otto porzioni ci vogliono:
– quattro uova;
– 150 grammi di mandorle sbucciate;
– 50 grammi di stevia oppure un etto di normale zucchero semolato;
– la scorza e il succo di un limone, possibilmente biologico;
– sale q.b.

Si comincia montando a neve ferma gli albumi, con l’aggiunta di un pizzico di sale. Le chiare saranno montate a neve quando sollevando le fruste rimangono attaccate.

Quanto ai rossi, quelli si lavorano in una boule a parte insieme alla stevia (o allo zucchero normale, a scelta).

Frattanto con un robot da cucina avrete macinato le mandorle sgusciate. Dovranno acquistare una consistenza farinosa. Attenti a non macinare troppo, sennò si ottiene del burro.

Dopodiché questa farina di mandorle andrà aggiunta ai tuorli insieme alla scorza di limone grattugiata e al succo di limone: amalgamare bene.

L’ultimo passo è aggiungere gli albumi montati a neve: un po’ alla volta e mescolando con una spatola (o un cucchiaio) dal basso verso l’alto, che non si smontino.

Adesso si preriscalda il forno a 180 gradi, quindi si prende uno stampo per dolci, si unge con del burro e poi ci si versa il composto di cui sopra.

La cottura dovrà durare sui venticinque minuti. Fate la prova stuzzicadenti: in caso esca ancora umido, fate andare per ancora qualche minuto.

Quando la torta è cotta a puntino, si lascia freddare, si cosparge di zucchero a velo e poi si serve in tavola.