So you want to bake some doughnuts? Excellent! I’m here for that. For years, folks have loved my recipe for baked gluten-free chocolate doughnuts. (I have to say, it’s a good one.) But what if you want a grain-free doughnut recipe? I got you!

This recipe makes twelve delicate doughnuts. And the ingredients couldn’t be simpler. 

Ingredients for Grain-Free Chocolate Doughnuts

• Coconut flour. Adds texture. And absorbs liquid like crazy. Don’t replace coconut flour with any other flour, the recipe won’t work. 
• Cocoa powder. For the best flavor, use a Dutch-processed cocoa powder. 
• Baking powder. This is what gives the doughnuts lift. You can use a commercial baking powder or make your own grain-free version. (Grain-free baking powder recipe.)
• Honey. Adds sweetness. Not too much. Not too little. Just the right amount. 
• Coconut oil. For tenderness. If you don’t want to use coconut oil, melted butter or any other neutral oil works.
• Eggs. This recipe uses four large eggs. They provide structure, fat, and tenderness. 
• Nutmeg. There’s a pinch of nutmeg in the doughnuts. Don’t stress about this. If you don’t have nutmeg in the house, omit it.
• Salt. Enhances the flavor of the doughnuts. 

How to Make Baked Chocolate Doughnuts

This is a “whisk and bake” recipe. Simply whisk the ingredients together in a bowl and then place the batter into a prepared doughnut pan. 

Getting the batter into the pan that can be tricky. 

Batters made with coconut flour thicken quickly. And because of this, it can prove a little challenging to spread the batter evenly into the doughnut pan. 

There’s two ways to do it. 

1. Use a spoon. Take your time and spoon the batter into a greased doughnut pan. Tap the pan as you go to evenly distribute the batter into the ring. 
2. Use a piping bag. This is probably the easiest way to fill the doughnut cavities but you do need a pastry bag. Fill the pastry bag with batter and squeeze the batter evenly into the cavities. 

No matter how you fill the mold, make sure it’s greased well. Coconut flour-based batters love to stick to pans. 

Once you’ve baked the doughnuts, you can leave them as-is, dust them with powdered sugar, or glaze them. I like a lemon glaze on chocolate doughnuts but if you want a chocolate glaze, I’ve included a recipe for that too. 

Grain-Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts FAQs

Are these paleo?

It depends on how you define paleo. They are grain-free but the recipe uses honey. 

Are these keto?

I don’t think so because the recipe uses honey. 

Can I use almond flour?

Not in this recipe, sorry. 

Can I use regular gluten-free flour?

No. If you want a traditional gluten-free baked chocolate doughnut, use my other recipe. 

Can I omit the eggs?

This recipe doesn’t work without eggs, sorry. 

Can I make these without a doughnut pan?

Yes! Use a muffin pan. 

Can I fry these?

I don’t think so. I haven’t tested the recipe fried.

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Grain-Free Chocolate Doughnuts (Paleo, Gluten-Free)

Grain-free baked chocolate doughnuts. (Gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo) Coconut flour-based, these doughnuts bake up soft and tender.

Prep Time 8 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Servings 12 doughnuts

Ingredients

Grain-free Chocolate Doughnuts

• 1/3 cup (36 grams) coconut flour
• 1/4 cup (28 grams) 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder*
• 1 teaspoon baking powder homemade or store-bought, grain-free
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup (113 grams) honey
• 1/4 cup (57 grams) 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 4 large eggs (200 grams out of shell)

Lemon Glaze

• 1/2 cup (50 grams) powdered sugar, grain-free
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice, more as needed

Chocolate Glaze

• 1/2 cup (50 grams) powdered sugar, grain-free
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon coconut milk, plus more as needed

Instructions

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two* six-cavity doughnut pans with nonstick cooking spray or brush with coconut oil.
• Whisk the coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Add honey and melted coconut oil. Whisk until smooth. Add the eggs and mix well.
• Spoon batter into prepared pan. Fill each cavity about half full. Lightly tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter.
• Bake until doughnuts are puffy and set, about 12 minutes. Allow doughnuts to cool in the pan and then turn out onto a wire rack.
• When doughnuts are cool, make the glaze.
• Lemon Glaze: Stir together the powdered sugar and lemon juice together in a small mixing bowl. The glaze should be thick but pourable. If it’s too thick, add a little extra lemon juice.
• Chocolate Glaze Stir together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and coconut milk together in a small mixing bowl. The glaze should be thick but pourable. If it’s too thick, add extra coconut milk, one teaspoon at a time.
• Dip the doughnuts, one at a time, into the glaze. Or you can place a piece of parchment paper under the cooling rack and pour the glaze over each doughnut.
• Doughnuts are best enjoyed the day they are made. Freeze leftovers for up to one month.

Notes

*If you only own one doughnut pan, no problem! Bake six doughnuts and allow them to cool in the pan as directed. Wipe out the pan and grease again with nonstick cooking spray or coconut oil. Repeat using the remaining batter.

The post Grain-Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts (Paleo, Grain-Free, Dairy-free) appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

Do you have a recipe for gluten-free beignets?

This question arrived by email a few days ago and…I felt bad. Because a recipe for gluten-free beignets has been sitting in my computer for, oh, several years now. No joke. Several years. 

It was one of those recipes I kept meaning to finish. And never did. 

I didn’t even have a good excuse. (Is there ever a good excuse for procrastination? Nope. There isn’t.)

This wasn’t even a recipe I started from a blank page, which is how I start all my recipes unless someone asks me to adapt a family favorite. 

Not this time.

A few years ago, Port Orleans at Walt Disney World in Florida introduced gluten-free beignets. They’re amazing. Not only are they gluten-free, but they’re also dairy-free and egg-free. And you’d never know. 

During one visit, the Chef gave me the recipe. It used several pounds of gluten-free flour. It was an excellent recipe but…for the home baker, it needed a little tweaking. So I tweaked and never got around to finishing it. 

Until now.

Gluten-Free Beignets: Important Ingredients

The Gluten-Free Mix

The original recipe called for Bob’s Red Mill Pizza Mix. Since gluten-free mixes vary from brand to brand, to get the right results, you need to use a specific mix. (Please note: I have no idea if this is still the mix Disney uses for their beignets.) The pizza mix does a great job giving these beignets the right texture. If you replace the mix with another brand or your own blend, I can’t say whether or not the recipe will work. 

The Egg-Replacement

Not only is this recipe gluten-free, but it’s also dairy-free and egg-free. Since I don’t routinely create egg-free recipes, this isn’t an ingredient that I keep in my pantry. So I tested it with the egg replacer and without. The beignets are better with. So, yes, you do need to buy a bag.  

The Apple Juice and Applesauce

This recipe uses both apple juice and applesauce. They add a subtle sweetness to the beignets. When the beignets are freshly fried, I think you can detect a slight apple flavor. However, these beignets don’t taste like apple doughnuts. Select unsweetened apple juice and applesauce.

The Tools You Need to Make Gluten-Free Beignets

In addition to the standard tools required for baking (mixing bowls, mixer), you’ll also need a few specific tools when making beignets.

1. A Fryer or Heavy Pot. These beignets require frying. They don’t work well when baked. (for more information on that, see below.) Use either a deep fat fryer or a heavy bottomed pot filled with two inches of oil. 
2. A Deep Fat Thermometer. It’s important to fry beignets, or any food for that matter, at the correct temperature. If the oil is too hot, the beignets can burn on the outside and be raw in the center. And if the oil is too cold, they’ll absorb cooking oil and turn out greasy and heavy. Maintain a temperature of 365 degrees F. Fry only 3-4 beignets at a time. Frying more than that causes the oil temperature to drop.
3. Parchment Paper. This dough needs to rise between two sheets of parchment paper. The parchment prevents a skin from forming on the dough. If the surface of the dough dries out while rising, the beignets won’t puff.
4. A Wire Skimmer. To safely remove the fried beignets from the hot oil, use a metal skimmer. It doesn’t hold on to hot oil the way a slotted spoon can. So you’re less likely to burn yourself.
5. Paper Towels. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set it next to your fryer. When you remove the beignets from the oil, place them onto the baking sheet. The paper towels absorb excess oil from the surface of the beignets.

How to Make Gluten-Free Beignets

Here’s the step-by-step for how to make beignets.

1. Prepare the Dough. This dough, like all my gluten-free bread doughs, is thick. But it’s a bit thicker than say, my gluten-free sandwich bread or soft dinner rolls. A stand mixer fitted with the flat paddle attachment is the best way to mix this dough. 
2. Roll and Cover. After mixing the dough, transfer it to a white rice floured counter. Knead the dough a few times. You want the dough firm enough to knead but soft enough where it doesn’t crumble or break apart. Pat the dough into a round and cut in half. Dust a piece of parchment paper with white rice flour. Dust the top of the dough. Cover with a second piece of parchment paper. Roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Do not roll the dough thinner than this or it won’t puff. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
3. Allow to Rise. This thin dough doesn’t rise too much but it does rise a bit. Place the dough in a warm spot. When the dough looks a bit puffy and feels slightly warm to the touch, it’s ready to fry.
4. Cut. The key for gluten-free beignets is to get the sizing right. Cut the dough with a sharp knife into 2×3 inch pieces. A sharp knife is key. If the edge is ragged, the beignets might not puff during frying.
5. Fry. Heat oil to 365 degrees F. Gently place three to four beignets into the oil. Fry until golden brown. Halfway during frying, carefully turn the beignets over.
6. Drain. No one wants a greasy beignet! As soon as they come out of the fryer, place the beignets on a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
7. Toss in Powdered Sugar. After the beignets have drained for a minute or two, toss with powdered sugar. 

FAQs

What’s the best oil to use for frying beignets?

I like vegetable oil for frying these. 

Can I Bake the Beignets?

Nope! Unless you want flat, sad beignets. Take a look at the baked beignets versus fried.

My beignets didn’t puff! What happened?

Urgh. This is frustrating. I’m sorry this happened. Here are some possible causes

1. The dough was too dry. If the dough is too dry, it won’t rise or puff during frying. You want the dough firm enough to knead but not so dry that it breaks apart or feels tough when you roll it. A good way to know if your dough was too dry is to look at it while it fries. You shouldn’t see bubbles of oil breaking through the frying beignet.
2. A skin formed on the beignet. It’s important to allow this dough to rise between two pieces of parchment paper. And while you’re frying, keep the dough covered. If it forms a skin, the beignets won’t puff.
3. The dough was rolled to thin or too thick. Beignets that have been rolled too thin don’t have enough dough to puff when fried. And…beignets that have been rolled too thick (over 1/4 inch) are often too dense to puff. Roll that dough out to 1/4 inch. Use a ruler to check the thickness. I always do!
4. The oil was too cold. Oil temperature is key. If the oil was too cold, the beignets won’t puff.
5. You baked them. See above.

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Gluten-Free Beignets

Perfect Gluten-Free Beignets. Just like the ones served at Walt Disney World. Perfect for Mardi Gras. 

Note: This beignet recipe is very specific. Replacing any of the ingredients--including the flour-- can alter the results.

recipe adapted from Port Orleans at Walt Disney World Resort

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Rise 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 24 beignets

Ingredients

• 1 bag Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Mix
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• White rice flour for dusting
• Oil for frying
• 1 pound Powdered sugar

Instructions

• Remove the yeast packet from the pizza mix. Whisk the yeast and warm water together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow to stand for five minutes.
• Whisk together the pizza mix, granulated sugar, egg replacer, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
• Add the whisked flour mixture, apple juice, applesauce, and vinegar to the yeast mixture. Fit the mixer with the flat paddle attachment. Mix dough until smooth, about three minutes. If dough is dry, add an additional tablespoon of water.
• Dust counter with white rice flour. Turn dough out onto the counter. Knead a few times. Pat dough into a disk. Cut in half. Dust a 12x18  piece of parchment paper with white rice flour. Place the dough in the center of the parchment paper. Dust the top of the dough with white rice flour. Cover the dough with a second piece of parchment paper. Roll dough out into 1/4 inch thickness. Do not roll the dough thinner than this or it won’t puff. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
• Allow dough to rise until puffy, about one hour. (Keep it covered between the parchment paper as it rises.)
• Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil to 365 degrees F. Place a rimmed baking sheet near the fryer. Line it with two layers of paper towels.
• Remove the top piece of parchment paper from one piece of dough. Cut the dough with a sharp knife into 2x3 inch pieces. (A sharp knife is key. If the edge is ragged, the beignets might not puff during frying.)
• Gently place 3-4 beignets into the oil. (Cover remaining dough while you fry.) Fry until golden brown. Halfway during frying, carefully turn the beignets over.
• Place the fried beignets on a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
• Toss in powdered sugar. After the beignets have drained for a minute or two, toss with powdered sugar.

The post Gluten-Free Beignets Recipe (Just Like Disney World!) appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

Gluten-Free Doughnut Holes

Inspired by Dunkin Donuts’ munchkins, these are irresistible!

Get the recipe for gluten-free doughnut holes here.

Gluten-Free Apple Fritter Bites

Apple fritter bites are so.easy.to.eat. SO EASY!

Get the recipe for gluten-free apple fritter bites here.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Doughnuts

Chocolate + Doughnut + Glaze = MY LIFE IS HAPPY!

Get the gluten-free chocolate doughnut recipe here. (These are baked, not fried. Easy Peasy!)

Old Fashioned Gluten-Free Doughnut

A classic cake doughnut coated in cinnamon-sugar? Someone, pass me a coffee. NOW.

Get the recipe for old fashioned gluten-free doughnuts here.

Paleo Doughnuts

Following a grain-free diet? Still want a doughnut? These paleo doughnuts are for you (yes, you!), my friend!

Get the recipe for paleo doughnuts here.

Vegan Apple Cider Doughnuts

Vegan recipes often work great for multiple food allergies. These tasty apple cider doughnuts are made without eggs, dairy, or gluten! But they are loaded with flavor. (Note: these are vegan, not paleo.)

Get the recipe for vegan apple cider doughnuts here.

Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts

I know. I know. It’s not fall. But…pumpkin is pretty awesome. And it’s sold in cans at the store. So, if you want a taste of pumpkin spice, do yourself a favor and make a batch of these pumpkin doughnuts. Your belly with thank you.

Get the recipe for gluten-free baked pumpkin doughnuts here.

The post 7 Gluten-Free Doughnut Recipes to Help You Celebrate National Doughnut Day appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

These paleo doughnuts were inspired by my grandparents, who, I’m sure lived their entire lives without ever trying a grain-free treat! But they did know they’re way around a bakery. See, each morning (at least it was each morning in my memory!), they’d go to a little bakery in Burlington, Vermont. They called it….“The Bakery” and to this day I don’t know what the place was actually called!  Along with their morning cups of coffee and conversations with the locals, they ate old-fashioned cake doughnuts—or, as the sign proclaimed, “donuts.” The doughnuts they enjoyed were dense, cake doughnuts. They weren’t coated in sugar or iced with pink icing. Nope. Those doughnuts were simple and perfect.

To mimic the texture and flavor of those doughnuts, this recipe combines coconut flour and tapioca starch. The batter comes together in one bowl and, I promise, is really easy to make.

Paleo Doughnuts: Mixing the Batter

Okay. Here’s the thing. I wrote the book on Easy Gluten-Free Baking. affiliate link So when I turned my attention to grain-free/paleo baking, I wanted it to be easy. Most of the recipes in the World’s Easiest Paleo Baking affiliate linkonly require one mixing bowl! And this is one of those recipes. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar (you can use evaporated cane sugar if you’d prefer), coconut flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Then melt some coconut oil. If you aren’t dairy-free, go ahead and use butter. Let the  melted coconut oil or melted butter cool a little, we’re talking a minute or so here, and then add it to the bowl along with the eggs, milk (I used coconut milk), and vanilla extract.

Stir everything together. Since the recipe contains coconut flour, it gets thick quick. You want to spoon the batter into doughnut pans. If you have a piping bag and a large pastry tip in the kitchen, go ahead and use that.

After you fill the pans, tap it on the counter–this helps get rid of any air bubbles and bake. That’s it!

Paleo Doughnuts: Baked not Fried

As you noticed the second I mentioned a doughnut pan, this recipe makes baked doughnuts. 🙂 I know. I know! Some people believe that unless it’s fried, it’s not a doughnut. To those folks I say…

Umm, a recipe for fried paleo doughnuts is on my list.  I also say, let me explain. (Because I get it. I love fried doughnuts too!)

When I created this doughnut recipe for my cookbook, I wanted the recipe to be really easy. To me, frying isn’t easy. It’s putzy. It takes time. And it stinks up the house. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes it’s totally worth! But not for this recipe. When baked, you end up with wonderful cake-style doughnuts. No having to pull out the fryer. And no lingering odor in the kitchen. Win-win!

To bake doughnuts, you do need a doughnut pan. affiliate link Which means that at least one person will ask me, “Do I really need a doughnut pan?!” For me, it’s totally worth it. Even if I only bake doughnuts a few times a year, I like them to look like, well, doughnuts. For some folks, it isn’t worth the investment. Only you can make this decision. 🙂

You can always bake doughnuts in a muffin pan. Since a muffin pan doesn’t have the center heating rod like a doughnut pan, the finished texture isn’t the same. Doughnuts baked in a muffin pan taste like…muffins. But they still taste good!

If you do decide to buy a doughnut pan and it only has six cavities, no problem! Bake six doughnuts. Allow them to cool in the pan as directed, then turn them out onto the rack. Wipe out the pan and grease it again. Repeat using the remaining batter.

That’s it! In about 25 minutes, you’ll have baked doughnuts. My goodness, it doesn’t get much better than that!

Paleo Doughnuts: Shopping List

Hello! (waves!) Starting with this post, I’m adding a “shopping list” to each recipe post. I don’t know about you but I like to know exactly what someone uses when they create something. The list you’ll find with each recipe are the ingredients and tools I used to make the recipe. (For example, in this recipe, I used Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour and Madhava’s coconut sugar.)  If you have any questions, let me know!

The following are are affiliate links. GlutenFreeBaking.com earns a commission if you use the links to make a purchase.

Here’s what I used to make this recipe:

The Ingredients

Coconut Flour
Coconut Sugar
Tapioca Starch
Coconut Oil

The Tools

Kitchen Scale
Mixing Bowls
Whisk
Doughnut Pan

And, of course, the book! This recipe comes from my latest book, “The World’s Easiest Paleo Baking.” I’d be thrilled if you picked up a copy!

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Paleo Doughnuts (Old Fashioned Cake Doughnuts)

This recipe makes classic bakery-style cake doughnuts. Paleo and grain-free, of course!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 12 doughnuts

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com Elizabeth Barbone

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup coconut sugar or evaporated cane juice (3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)
• 1/2 cup coconut flour (2 ounces; 57 grams)
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch (2 ounces; 57 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder, homemade or grain-free store-bought
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (2 ounces; 57 grams)
• 2 large eggs (about 4 ounces; 100 grams out of the shell)
• 3/4 cup milk, dairy-free or traditional (6 ounces; 170 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease two 6-cavity doughnut pans with nonstick cooking spray, melted coconut oil, or melted butter.
• Whisk the coconut sugar, coconut flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the melted coconut oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. The batter will be thick.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, filling the cavities about three-quarters full. (If you have a piping bag and large plain pastry tip kicking around the kitchen, use those instead.) Lightly tap the pans on the counter to settle the batter.
• Bake the doughnuts until they are golden brown and spring back to the touch, about 15 minutes.
• Allow the doughnuts to cool in the pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto the rack to cool completely.
• Doughnuts are best enjoyed the day they are baked. Freeze leftovers, wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer container, for up to one month.

The post Paleo Doughnuts (Grain-Free/Dairy-Free Recipe) appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

For a long time, a doughnut pan sat on my shelf gathering dust. Maybe I used it once, I don’t know. But I do know why I hesitated to use the pan: I thought baked doughnuts were simply doughnut-shaped muffins. And when I want a doughnut, I want a fried affair, not a masquerading muffin.

Then an enticing chocolate glazed doughnut recipe from “Buns in My Oven” appeared in my Facebook feed. I clicked on it. My mouth watered. I wanted that doughnut. Then I noticed the recipe made baked, not fried, doughnuts. My mouth and my mind were in opposition. Was it finally time to take the baked doughnut plunge? Yes, yes it was.

The recipe called for all-purpose flour. So it needed a gluten-free makeover to fit my diet. Since I’m baking more with whole grain flours and less with rice, I replaced the all-purpose flour with oat flour and potato starch. Why oat flour? Well, even though the cake doughnuts I bought in my pre-gluten-free days were probably made from white flour, they have a grain-like sweetness in my memory, and I wanted to chase that flavor.

The batter came together quickly. You simply whisk the dry ingredients together and add an egg, milk, and sour cream—no electric mixer required. At first, the batter seemed a little thin. I wondered what would happen if I let it sit on the counter for five minutes. Would it thicken? It did! The batter didn’t become really thick, but the flour seemed to hydrate a little, adding some body. Even after standing for five minutes, this still isn’t batter you could fry—it’s too thin. But it’s perfect for baking.

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Gluten-Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 12 doughnuts

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

For the Doughnuts

• 3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour (2 1/2 ounces; 70 grams)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)
• 1/4 cup potato starch or tapioca starch (1 ounce; 28 grams)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (3/4 ounce; 22 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg (about 1 3/4 ounces; 50 grams out of shell)
• 6 tablespoons sour cream (3 ounces; 85 grams)
• 1/4 cup milk (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (1 3/4 ounces; 50 grams)
• nonstick cooking spray

For the Glaze

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (6 ounces; 170 grams)
• 6 tablespoons whole milk (3 ounces; 85 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract, optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk together oat flour, granulated sugar, potato starch, cocoa powder, baking soda, and xanthan gum in a medium bowl. Add egg, sour cream, milk, and vegetable oil. Whisk until batter is smooth. Allow batter to stand for five minutes. Lightly coat pan with nonstick cooking spray. Fill cavities about halfway with batter.
• Bake until doughnuts spring back to the touch, about ten minutes. Turn doughnuts out onto a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining batter. Allow doughnuts to cool completely. Place a wire rack into a parchment-lined baking pan. Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and lemon extract in small bowl. Dip doughnuts, one at a time, into glaze. Shake off excess glaze. Place dipped doughnuts onto wire rack. Store doughnuts covered at room temperature for up to three days

The post Gluten-Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

I love reader recipe requests! The other day I opened my email to find a request for Hush Puppies! Oh! Hush Puppies! When was the last time you ate a Hush Puppy? For me it had been years! The email said,  “The recipe makes ‘plain jane’ hush puppies. Since they are so light and fluffy, they remind me of a savory doughnut hole!”

A savory doughnut hole? Sign me up! As promised, the recipe was indeed “plain jane.” The flour mixture was a simple blend of self-rising cornmeal and self-rising flour plus just a little onion and garlic powder. After combining with an egg and milk, the batter was dropped into a deep fryer. That’s it.

I replaced the self-rising flour with white rice flour and added a little baking powder to make up for the self-rising cornmeal and self-rising flour. (Pre-made gluten-free self-rising flours aren’t available.) I was disappointed to find that the hush puppies were dense and heavy. One teaspoon of baking powder wasn’t enough to leavening. During testing, I increased the baking powder to two teaspoons and added a little baking soda, both for lift and to aid the browning.

It worked! Almost as soon as the batter hit the oil, the hush puppies puffed up nicely and then fried a deep brown. Since I was having fun with the recipe, I wanted to tweak the flavor a little. For me, a hush puppy is all about the onion. For a variation, I replaced the onion and garlic powder with freshly chopped onion and minced garlic and added a little chipotle powder. These small changes add both flavor and texture to these puppies.

Whichever variation you chose, this recipe makes classic crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside hush puppies.

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Gluten-Free Hush Puppies

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes minutes

Total Time 46 minutes minutes

Servings 24 hushpuppies

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup gluten-free cornmeal (5 ounces; 141 grams)
• 3/4 cup finely ground white rice flour (3 ounces; 85 grams)
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (1 1/2 ounces; 42 grams)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt or regular salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder, optional
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg (about 1 3/4 ounces; 50 grams, out of shell)
• 2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

• In medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, white rice flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, chipotle powder (if using), and xanthan gum.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together onion, garlic, milk, and egg. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir together until smooth but some lumps remain. 
• Heat oil in a Dutch oven over high heat to 350°F and adjust flame to maintain temperature. Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels.
  
• Drop batter, about 2 teaspoons at a time into hot oil until you have a dozen hush puppies. Fry for two minutes and then turn the hush puppies. Fry until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Remove hush puppies from the oil with a skimmer. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm.

The post Gluten-Free Hush Puppies appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Doughnuts or Rethinking Fall Favorites

For me, the official doughnut of fall is the apple cider doughnut. But recently, a sign flapping outside my local Dunkin’ Donuts made me reconsider. It showed a pumpkin doughnut sitting next to a pumpkin latte. The pumpkin latte didn’t interest me; the doughnut did. Sadly, Dunkin’ Donuts doesn’t sell gluten-free pumpkin doughnuts. If they did, that doughnut would have been in my hand seconds after I turned into the parking lot.

Since I could’t buy a pumpkin doughnut, I headed home and decided to make a batch. Instead of pulling out the fryer, I decided to give my doughnut pan a workout and bake a batch of pumpkin doughnuts. Since I’d never made pumpkin doughnuts before, I headed over to King Arthur Flour’s site. Sure enough, they had a recipe for baked pumpkin doughnuts. The recipe wasn’t gluten-free, but it was dairy-free. And it looked good. Time to convert it to gluten-free!

Going from Gluten-Filled to Gluten-Free

First I replaced the all-purpose flour with gluten-free millet and oat flours. I left everything else in the recipe alone. The doughnuts tasted great, but they were a little too rich. The oil and eggs muted the delicate flavor of the pumpkin. For the next batch, I reduced the vegetable oil from a half cup to one-third of a cup. I also got rid of one of the eggs. These changes made the batter a little dry. On the third try, I borrowed an idea from my pumpkin bread recipe: I added a little orange juice to the batter.

All these little changes added up to a big improvement in texture and flavor. The doughnuts were moist and could taste the pumpkin and the spices.

Batch number two also taught me that tossing the doughnuts in sugar while they’re still warm isn’t the best idea. The doughnuts tended to break. However, if you bury the warm doughnuts in a bed of cinnamon-sugar, well, that’s a different story. The sugar sticks and the doughnuts don’t fall apart.

While I’m not giving up my beloved apple cider doughnuts this fall, they’ll need to share the title of the “official doughnut of fall” with these tasty gluten-free pumpkin doughnuts.

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Baked Gluten-Free Pumpkin Doughnuts

Baked, not fried, these gluten-free pumpkin doughnuts are easy to make and are a perfect fall treat!

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Total Time 43 minutes minutes

Servings 18 doughnuts

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

For the Doughnuts

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 1/4 cups millet flour (6 1/4 ounces; 177 grams)
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (8 3/4 ounces; 248 grams)
• 3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour (2 1/2 ounces; 70 grams)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs (about 3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil (2 1/3 ounces; 66 grams)
• 1/4 cup orange juice (2 ounces; 56 grams)

For the Cinnamon-Sugar

• 1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces; 198 grams)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a doughnut pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
• For the Doughnuts: In large bowl, whisk together millet flour, granulated sugar, oat flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. In small bowl, stir together pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil, and orange juice until smooth. Pour pumpkin mixture over dry ingredients and whisk until no lumps remain.
• Bake until doughnuts spring back to the touch, about eighteen minutes. Turn doughnuts out onto a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining batter. Place warm doughnuts in sugar mixture.
• For the Cinnamon-Sugar Topping: In a 9-inch square pan, stir together granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. Place doughnuts in sugar mixture. Carefully turn over. Allow doughnuts to cool in the sugar. When cool, shake off excess sugar. Store doughnuts, covered, on the counter for up to three days.

The post Baked Gluten-Free Pumpkin Doughnuts appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

This recipe is my mom’s fault. Okay, maybe not “fault” because who would want to blame someone for inspiring powdered sugar doughnut-muffins?

Anyway, she was watching “The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Snack Attack” on The Food Network and someone mentioned Doughnut-Muffins. That’s right. Muffins that taste like doughnuts. My mouth was already watering when she said, “You should make a gluten-free version.”

Since I try to be a good daughter, I listened to my mom. The doughnut-muffins from The Downtown Bakery (the bakery that serves the gluten-filled doughnut-muffins) are rolled in melted butter and then in cinnamon-sugar. While that sounds divine, I love powdered sugar doughnuts and wanted to try making a doughnut-muffin version.

Taking a cue from Mexican wedding cookies, I rolled the muffins in powdered sugar right after they came out of the oven. It worked! The sugar stuck to the warm muffins.

The muffins have a bit of crust that gives way to a tender interior. The next time I make them, I think I’ll fill them (after baking) with a little jam. Jelly Doughnut-Muffins, anyone?

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Gluten-Free Powdered Sugar Doughnut Muffins

These muffins really do taste like powdered sugar doughnuts. If you want, spoon a little jam on top or, if you have a pastry bag and tip, squeeze jam into the center of each muffin.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 48 muffins

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup white rice flour (3 ounces; 85 grams)
• 1/2 cup cornstarch (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• 1/4 cup sweet rice flour (1 ounce; 28 grams)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (5 1/4 ounces; 148 grams)
• 2 teaspoons baking power
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (1 3/4 ounces; 50 grams)
• 1 large egg (about 1 3/4 ounces; 50 grams, out of shell)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Topping

• 1 pound powdered sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a min-muffin pan (24 cavity) with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together white rice flour, cornstarch, sweet rice flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
• Add the milk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine. The batter will be very, very, very thin. I just use a large fork to whisk it together. There really is no need to dirty your electric mixer for this recipe. Fill muffin cups about 1/2 full.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden brown.
• While muffins are baking, fill a 8x8x2-inch cake pan with powdered sugar. Remove muffins from the oven and place directly into the powdered sugar. The steam from the hot muffins will make the sugar stick to the muffins.
• Cover the muffins in powdered sugar and allow to cool. Remove muffins from the sugar and tap off any excess sugar.

The post Gluten-Free Powdered Sugar Doughnut Muffins appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

Culinary confession: I love old fashioned doughnuts so much that I don’t even mind if they’re stale. In fact, a slightly stale doughnut dipped into coffee, in my opinion, is an under-appreciated delicacy.

These doughnuts are a classic cake doughnut. The outside is crisp and the interior is soft, tender, and just lightly scented with nutmeg.

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Old Fashioned Gluten-Free Doughnuts

Roll these doughnuts in cinnamon-sugar or leave them plain. They are great either way.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

For Cinnamon-Sugar

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the Doughnuts

• 2 1/2 cups white rice flour (10 ounces; 283 grams)
• 1/2 cup potato starch (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 large egg (about 1 3/4 ounces; 50 grams)
• 1 cup buttermilk (8 ounces; 226 grams)
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (about 1 ounce; 24 grams)
• Oil for frying

Instructions

• Prepare the Topping: In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon for rolling. Set aside.
• Make the Doughnuts: Whisk together white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, and nutmeg. 
• Add egg and buttermilk. Mix until a dough forms. (Use medium-high speed on a handheld mixer and medium speed on a stand mixer.) Dough will be thick and sticky.
• Generously white rice flour your counter. This dough is sticky. So, you need a good amount of white rice flour on the counter to prevent it from sticking.
• Turn half the dough out onto your floured countertop. Generously white rice flour the top of the dough. Pat the dough into a rectangle. Roll out, using a rolling pin, to about 1/2-inch thick using a doughnut cutter. (Or you can use two round cutters. First cut the large round, then cut the small center hole. This center hole, believe it or not, is important. It helps the doughnut to fry evenly.)
• Repeat with remaining dough.
• Place cut doughnuts on a lightly white rice floured baking sheet.
• Fill a fryer according to manufacturer's directions. Heat oil to 375 degrees.
• Depending on the size of your fryer, fry one to three doughnuts at a time. It is better to err on the side of frying fewer doughnuts. This will keep your oil hot and your doughnuts won't get greasy.
• After one minute, flip doughnuts over and fry until each side is golden brown.
• Using a heat-safe spatula, remove doughnuts from the hot oil. Drain on paper towels and toss into cinnamon sugar mixture.
• Repeat. And be sure to use the doughnut dough scrapes for doughnut holes! Don't let it go to waste.

The post Old Fashioned Gluten-Free Doughnuts appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

Who knew a funnel cake could make a person nervous? It’s not that I have a frying phobia, but I wondered how drizzling gluten-free batter into hot oil would work. Without gluten holding things together, would the cakes fry up into the classic lacy funnel cake shape? Or would I end up with solid disks of fried batter? Turns out, they work really well gluten-free. They key is to get the batter right.

Similar to a pancake batter, funnel cake batter needs to flow easily from a funnel. My first few attempts were far too thick. The batter plopped, rather than flowed. After thinning the batter, it drizzled easily into the hot oil. This is key to create the ribbons of fried batter that make up a funnel cake. It’s also what makes creating one a bit tricky.

With the batter running freely from the funnel, my first few cakes were funnel duds. Instead of cute, circular cakes, these were misshapen dough blobs. Funnel amoeba, if you will. Even after practice, I found making funnel cakes with a funnel to be a bit unwieldy. Don’t get me wrong, it works. But I wanted to play around with other tools to see if there was an easier way to make these treats.

Before attempting a funnel-less funnel cake, I swapped my large funnel for a small one. This helped a lot! The smaller funnel opening, about 3/8-inch, gave me more control over the batter as it ran into the pot. With more control, I created funnel cakes that were actually circular!

Since a small opening seemed key to a successful funnel cake, I wondered how a pastry bag would work. I popped a number eight (small) tip into a bag and heated up my oil. It worked well. However, when I handed the bag to a friend, who’d never used a pastry bag before or made a funnel cake, she found the bag troublesome to control, even after several attempts.

But the batter almost escaped from the top of her bag… Enter the squeeze bottle!

Most of my squeeze bottles have very small tip openings. One or two have a more generous opening, about 3/16-inch—an opening that’s still smaller than a funnel. I grabbed one, filled it with batter, and made a funnel cake. It was perfect. I handed it to my friend. She, too, made a perfect funnel cake! The squeeze bottles offered the control of a pastry bag while being much easier to handle—and refill.

Squeeze bottles turned out to be my favorite tool to make funnel cakes, yet all three tools did work to create funnel cakes. No matter which tool you use, keep these three things in mind:

1. Heat your oil to 375°F. Hotter oil fries the funnel cakes too quickly–the center is done before the edges. Cooler oil creates greasy funnel cakes.
2. Swirl. As soon as the batter hits the oil, begin swirling it in tight circles to make one cake. I found starting from the inside and going out was the best method.
3. Know when to stop. Big funnel cakes might be popular at the fair but at home, smaller is better. Keep your cakes about four to five inches across.

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The Best Gluten-Free Funnel Cakes

Crunchy and light, these are the perfect funnel cake.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 minutes minutes

Total Time 24 minutes minutes

Servings 12 funnel cakes

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely ground white rice flour* (4 ounces; 113 grams)
• ½ cup cornstarch or tapioca starch* (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• ¼ cup sweet rice flour* (1 ounce; 28 grams)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (1 ounce; 28 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum*
• 1 cup milk (8 ounces; 226 grams)
• 2 large eggs (3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Vegetable oil for frying about one quart
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

• In medium mixing bowl, whisk together white rice flour, sweet rice flour, cornstarch, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. Add milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Allow to stand for ten minutes. (Begin preheating oil while batter rests.)
• In either a deep fryer or deep, heavy pot with four-inch sides, heat oil to 375°F i. Pour batter into either funnel, pastry bag fitted with a #4 tip or plastic squeeze bottle with a large opening. Don't overfill. Cover funnel opening and place over deep fryer. Allow the batter to flow into the fryer. Starting in the center of the oil, swirl the batter to make a four-inch disk. Fry disk for about two minutes. Carefully turn and fry until golden brown.
• Remove funnel cakes and place on paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm.

Notes

*Using All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour

This recipe was tested with individual flours. If you want to try the recipe with a gluten-free flour blend, omit the rice flour, cornstarch, sweet rice flour, and xanthan gum. Replace it with 1 3/4 cups of your favorite gluten-free flour blend. 

If your gluten-free flour blend doesn't include xanthan gum, don't leave it out. Use the amount called for in the recipe.

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