Baked Gluten Free Donut Recipe

Originally posted April 9, 2020

This recipe is more reminiscent of an old fashioned or cake doughnut but don’t worry; you will love these gluten-free doughnuts. A glazed-style doughnut usually has yeast which can be intimidating and time consuming. This is more like a muffin in a doughnut shape. But at the end of the day, baked or fried, doughnuts or donuts, it’s a great recipe.

This recipe is from my cookbook, The Warm Kitchen. I’ve been making it for years. I have made a few minor adjustments but one thing to note; make sure you use a good flour blend. I like the one I created.

Why bake and not fry? I do like fried/raised doughnuts but I will have to admit, these are much easier, less messy, and really good. Make sure to use a wet spatula or spoon to spread out the batter. Don’t fill it too full either. Ok, let’s get started!

Gluten-Free Donuts

Yield: Makes 12 cake doughnuts

• 2 ¼ cups Amy’s Gluten-Free flour blend or a rice-tapioca-potato starch based blend
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend has gum already)
• Optional: ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (just for taste)
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup plain yogurt, buttermilk* or dairy-free substitute, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, or vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or other extract

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1. Preheat oven to 400°F for at least 15 minutes before; a hot oven is important.
2. Mix dry ingredients (flour blend, baking soda, baking powder, salt, gum if using, and nutmeg if using) in a medium bowl with a whisk. Set aside.
3. In a medium to large bowl, add the egg and beat for 1 minute. Add the sugar and mix for 30 seconds. Then add the yogurt or buttermilk, butter or oil, and vanilla. Mix until blended.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Give it one or two good mixes to “gel” the ingredients. Let the batter rest 10 minutes.
5. Grease 2 6-compartment doughnut pans really well with butter or shortening; this will help with the browning. Make sure the sides of the pan and middle are greased well. (If you only have one pan, repeat steps 6 and 7 after you have removed the donuts and regreased the pan.)
6. Using a spoon, place the batter into doughnut pan coming up about halfway. Spread lightly with a wet spatula or spoon to smooth out.
7. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes or until doughnut springs back when you touch it. Remove from oven and let rest in pan for 3 – 5 minutes. Remove and place on wire rack to cool.
8. If you’d like, once the donuts are cool, add a glaze and sprinkles!

*To make your own buttermilk, add 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice to a glass measuring cup. Add milk or milk substitute to the 1 cup measure.

Glazes

For all of the glazes below, optionally add sprinkles immediately after glazing, one donut at a time.

Vanilla Glaze: Combine ½ to ¾ cup of confectioners’ sugar, ¼ teaspoon of vanilla, and 1 to 2 teaspoons of milk or milk substitute to make glaze. Stir until all lumps are dissolved. Using a pastry brush or spoon, spread glaze over doughnuts or dip doughnuts in glaze.

Maple Glaze: Follow the recipe above except substitute maple syrup or extract for the vanilla.

Chocolate Glaze: In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, place 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter and 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate. Heat in the microwave in 30 second intervals until creamy and melted, stirring in between. You can also melt the chocolate in a small bowl placed over a pot of water on the stove on low heat. With a whisk, mix in ¾ to 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot water, one tablespoon at a time, until the glaze is thin enough to pour but not too watery. Either dip the tops of the doughnuts in the glaze or drizzle the glaze over the doughnuts.