Ingredients
Method
- In a small bowl, mix the flour, water and yeast. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Place wheat starch, xanthan gum, potato flakes, baking powder, lemon zest, nutmeg, salt and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle hook. Mix for 30 seconds to combine ingredients.
- Combine the rice milk, lemon juice, vanilla, melted butter, egg and starter together and with the mixer on low speed, add to the starch mixture. Mix on low for 2 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes to allow the liquids to be absorbed by the starches
- On medium speed, knead the dough until it is smooth and shiny, about 6 minutes.
- Place the dough on a heavily starched work space and knead 3 to 4 turns to form a ball. Place a teaspoon of oil in a gallon sized Ziploc bag and place the dough inside. Seal and put in the fridge overnight. This makes the dough much more manageable for shaping and also really develops the flavor. If you need to make the doughnuts the same day, then know you will need to heavily starch your work area and your round cutter.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature (30 minutes). Place the dough on a starched work surface and knead 8 times. Roll the dough out to a thickness of ½ inch. Cut the dough using a 1 inch round cutter, gathering the scraps and rerolling them as necessary. Place the doughnut the holes onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until slightly puffy, 30 to 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, fit a candy thermometer to the side of a large pot. Add the shortening to the pot and gradually heat the shortening over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Place the holes carefully into the hot fat 6 to 8 at a time. Fry until golden brown, about 30 seconds per side for the holes. Remove the doughnuts from the hot oil and drain on a paper towel–lined rimmed baking sheet or wire rack. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts, returning the fat to temperature between batches. Cool the doughnuts for about 10 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.
- Place 1 cup sugar in a brown paper bag and toss the doughnuts in to cover. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Variations: Cinnamon Sugar: add 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the sugar and toss. Glazed donuts: combine 3 cups powdered sugar, ½ cup rice milk and ¼ teaspoon vanilla together to make glaze. When the doughnuts have cooled, dip both sides of each doughnut into the glaze, shake off any excess glaze, and transfer to a wire rack to set the glaze.
Notes
Reader Q&A:
Q: if I cook these tonight will they still be good tomorrow afternoon? how long do they keep? should they be kept in the fridge or on the counter. thanks! A: Since they are donuts, I recommend frying the day you need them. Once fried, they will only keep for a day unless you glaze them -- then you might get 2 days out of them. I have not tried freezing them. The dough will keep in the fridge for 3 days in a ziplock bag lightly oiled with canola. Brenda
Q: Can I cook in a different oil - not a fan of canola oil. A: Yes, as long as it has a high smoke point.
Brenda
Q: We don't fry many foods, so, this may be a silly question. But, when you put the donuts into the "hot fat", you're referring to the shortening that I've gotten up to 375, right? I don't need to fry them again in something else after dipping them into the shortening, right? :) A: yes - referring to the shortening.
Q: When you're cutting out the donut holes, do they look more like flat buttons rather than a ball-shaped "munchkin like" donut hole? A: Yes, but when you fry they should poof up and become round like munchkins.
Q: If I don’t have potato flakes, could I used mashed potato? How much and would I need to reduce the liquid? Thanks! A: absolutely. Just add 40 gm of potato and reduce the liquid by 30 gm. Enjoy!
Q: Could you bake these instead of frying them or would that ruin the whole experience? Just curious. A: We use the dough to make bake cinnamon, hot cross and sticky buns, so it can be done -- but frying for a donut definitely tastier!
Q: How do I go about freezing? A: I have not frozen the dough or donuts. We tend to make a few donuts and leave the dough in a lightly oiled ziplock bag in fridge. Over the course of a few days, we make hot cross buns, cinnamon buns, etc. That being said, I imagine you could form the donut and freeze them. I would defrost overnight in fridge and then allow them to come to room temperature and then rise for 30 mins and deep fry. If I was freezing fried donuts, I would defrost overnight in fridge and pop in a hot oven or air fryer in the morning if unglazed. -- Brenda
Q: if I cook these tonight will they still be good tomorrow afternoon? how long do they keep? should they be kept in the fridge or on the counter. thanks! A: Since they are donuts, I recommend frying the day you need them. Once fried, they will only keep for a day unless you glaze them -- then you might get 2 days out of them. I have not tried freezing them. The dough will keep in the fridge for 3 days in a ziplock bag lightly oiled with canola. Brenda
Q: Can I cook in a different oil - not a fan of canola oil. A: Yes, as long as it has a high smoke point.
Brenda
Q: We don't fry many foods, so, this may be a silly question. But, when you put the donuts into the "hot fat", you're referring to the shortening that I've gotten up to 375, right? I don't need to fry them again in something else after dipping them into the shortening, right? :) A: yes - referring to the shortening.
Q: When you're cutting out the donut holes, do they look more like flat buttons rather than a ball-shaped "munchkin like" donut hole? A: Yes, but when you fry they should poof up and become round like munchkins.
Q: If I don’t have potato flakes, could I used mashed potato? How much and would I need to reduce the liquid? Thanks! A: absolutely. Just add 40 gm of potato and reduce the liquid by 30 gm. Enjoy!
Q: Could you bake these instead of frying them or would that ruin the whole experience? Just curious. A: We use the dough to make bake cinnamon, hot cross and sticky buns, so it can be done -- but frying for a donut definitely tastier!
Q: How do I go about freezing? A: I have not frozen the dough or donuts. We tend to make a few donuts and leave the dough in a lightly oiled ziplock bag in fridge. Over the course of a few days, we make hot cross buns, cinnamon buns, etc. That being said, I imagine you could form the donut and freeze them. I would defrost overnight in fridge and then allow them to come to room temperature and then rise for 30 mins and deep fry. If I was freezing fried donuts, I would defrost overnight in fridge and pop in a hot oven or air fryer in the morning if unglazed. -- Brenda
