Gluten-free doughnuts so yummy they raise expectations

Gluten-free Doughnuts

We all know that food baked gluten-free stales very quickly – so why not put your effort into make something that will be eaten so quickly it will never have a chance to dry and crumble. Gluten-free homemade doughnuts are easy to make and always best fresh from the pan.

INGREDIENTS

• Tapioca Starch [1 cup/135g]
• Potato Starch [½ cup/100g]
• Fine Rice Flour [½ cup/70g]
• Skim Milk Powder [¼ cup/40g]
• Gluten-free baking powder [4 tsp]
• Powdered Yeast [1 tsp]
• Salt [½ tsp]
• Sugar [2 tsp]
• Vegetable Oil [1 tsp]
• Warm water [160 mls]
• Ricebran or other flavourless vegetable oil for frying
• Dusting: Caster sugar [1 cup] and cinnamon [1 tsp]

METHOD

Roughly blend dry ingredients in electric mixer fitted with dough hook.  Add oil and slowly add the warm water.  Keep mixing for at least 5 mins.  The longer you mix the better.

Scrape down sides as required and keep mixing until dough easily comes away from the side of the bowl.  Place mixing bowl in warm corner of the house and leave to rise for 1 hour.  Then return bowl to mixer and beat for another 3-4 minutes.  Dust with a little extra flour to remove and kneed into smooth ball.

Scoop out portions of dough, dust with flour and roll into flat balls.  We tried holes and no-holes.  The kids liked the traditional shape, but I think that the texture was significantly better in the “jam” shaped ones.

I only raised the donuts once for about 30 minutes.  Then shallow fry in a refined vegetable oil on low heat. It is important not to cook them too quickly – so they will need about 3 minutes each side. Toss them into the dusting (1 cup caster sugar 1 tsp cinnamon) and serve.

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Gluten-free Shortbread

INGREDIENTS

• 300g Rice Flour (~2 cups)
• 120g White Sugar (~1/2 cup)
• 45g Roasted Sunflower Meal 
• 35g Amaranth Flour
• 1/4 tsp Citric Acid
• Large Pinch Salt
• 100g dairy-free margarine or butter

METHOD

Roast Sunflower Seeds on a baking tray at 120c for about 10 minutes.  Keep turning.  Once cool grind to a rough flour in a coffee grinder or food processer.

Place dry ingredients in a bowl.  Rub in softened dairy-free margarine or butter with fingertips or a fork.  It may seem crumbly at first but with rubbing and squeezing the mix will form a dough.

Shapes the dough any way you like but keep the shortbread between 5-8mm thick or they will burn.  Bake on non-stick tray at 165 C for 20 minutes.  Leave to cool on tray before removing.

Petticoats: Take 1/4 of the mix.  Roll into a ball and flatten on greaseproof paper with a rolling pin.  Score into 8 wedges and prick with a fork.

Rectangles: Roll out on grease-proof paper to 7mm thickness.  Cut with sharp knife into rectangles about the size of dominoes and prick with a fork.

Nutrition Information: per 100g

• Energy                           1493 kj
• Protein                          6.3 g
• Fat, total                       19.3 g
• -saturated                    5.3 g
• Carbohydrates             69.0 g
• -sugars                           27.1 g
• Sodium                          209 mg
• Dietary Fibre                3.0 g

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