Mmmmm...Donuts

I haven't made traditional doughnuts since we went gluten-free.  I've made beignets and churros which could be considered doughnuts since they're yummy bits of fried dough, but they aren't the traditional Homer Simpson "mmmm....donuts" Doughnuts.  So it was high time for me to make some.  All I needed was a push.  That push came in the form of a new cookbook.  Gena who writes A Bluebonnet in Beantown hosted a giveaway for Joanne Chang's new cookbook Flour.

You might ask why someone who cooks gluten-free would even want a cookbook named Flour, but I'm one of those people who just loves to read cookbooks.  I like the science and artistry that goes into cooking and baking, and I very rarely use a recipe as written, so making adjustments are a matter of course.  As soon as this cookbook arrived, I read it from front to back.  The 3 pages she devoted to her Vanilla Cream filled doughnuts were just the push I needed.  Here's my version of Joanne Chang's doughnuts.  I started with 2/3 cup of warm milk, 1/3 cup sugar and a packet of yeast in the bowl of my stand mixer.  She uses a dough hook, but I find that a paddle works fine for gf baking.

In a separate bowl I whisked together 1 cup sorghum flour, 1 cup potato starch, 1 sweet rice flour, 1/4 cup coconut flour, 1/4 cup brown rice flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder.  She uses 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour and no baking powder, but I find that baking powder will help to lighten up the gf flours as will the potato starch.

Add the flour to the mixing bowl along with 3 eggs, and beat for 2-3 minutes.

Add 7 tbsps room temp butter, a tablespoon at a time.

Continue to beat for 5 minutes.  The dough should be very light and sticky.

Wrap tightly in plastic,

and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, it will have puffed up.

Roll it out on a floured surface(I use sweet rice flour on my counter) to a 12 inch square.

Using a biscuit cutter, cut as many circles as you can.  She got 9, I cut 12.  I pulled together the scraps and added 1/4 cup cocoa powder for some chocolate doughnut holes.

Let these rise for another 2-3 hours.  They will be puffed up and pillowy.

Drop these in a saucepan of oil at 350.  Let them brown for a couple of minutes on one side before turning and letting them brown on the other side.

Remove to a paper towel lined rack.

After a minute when they're cool enough to handle, roll in a cup of sugar in a bowl or cake pan.

Let them cool completely before filling with pastry cream.  These were really good both filled and unfilled.

Thanks for popping in and cooking with me.  If you love food as much as I do, you should check out Gena's blog.  She has such an incredible appreciation for good food and terrific photography that it's hard not to run out and try her recipes immediately.  I'm linking this up to Home Stories A to Z's Tips and Tutorials Party, Gluten-Free Homemaker's Gluten-Free Wednesdays, and Lady Behind the Curtain's Cast Party as well as the parties below.