How to make gluten free filled doughnuts, rolled in sugar with a cherry pie filling.
I woke up at 6am this morning, thanks to my adorable little Lilo ? scratching my back to death to get me to play fetch… so being up early with nothing to do (this is basically how anything on my blog gets done ?), I decided to make another batch of my → KRISPY KREME copycat doughnuts ←, but a little different this time. I had made doughnut holes and rings so far, but I hadn’t tried making proper filled doughnuts yet… but here they are!
You can fill them with anything you’d like, but cherry pie filling was absolutely perfect. And if you don’t want to faff around with piping some filling in, they’re great on their own as well just rolled in sugar
EDIT: BUT, if you eat these plain without a filling, EAT THEM FRESHLY MADE. The sugar coating just by itself really messes up the texture after a while for some reason (it sucks all the moisture out), even just a few hours later. If you want to make a big batch of non-filled plain doughnuts in advance, I recommend making them → glazed ← instead. The texture always stays perfect with my Krispy Kreme original glaze.
I brought my boyfriend a freshly cooked doughnut in bed, basically forcing him awake by shoving it in his face and this was his half asleep review: “Oh my god, it looks, feels and tastes like a real doughnut.” ??
Tips:
1. The GLUTINOUS RICE FLOUR is essential in this recipe and can’t be substituted! Otherwise the texture won’t be right.
2. Don’t skip the freezing time or the dough will be impossible to handle.
3. The doughnuts will have a slightly crispy outer layer when freshly cooked, but will turn soft after sitting at room temperature for some time.
4. Store the cooked doughnuts in an airtight container at room temperature.
5. Maintain the oil temperature at 165C (330F) throughout the cooking process.
6. Make sure the doughnuts don’t stick at the bottom of the pan. They will sink at first and then float back to the top, but unstick them with a metal spoon or strainer if necessary.
7. If using a plain flour blend as your second flour, add 1 extra teaspoon of baking powder.
8. Don’t use a single flour as your second flour. If you don’t have access to Doves Farm gluten free self-raising flour where you are, make sure you use a similar gluten free blend.
9. Don’t make your filled doughnuts too thick or too wide or you risk ending up with a raw uncooked centre.
Gluten Free Filled Doughnuts Recipe:
- 115 glutinous rice flour
- 115g self-raising flour blend (I used Doves Farm)
- 60g granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder (or 2 if using a plain flour blend)
- 35g unsalted butter
- 150g whole milk
- 1 large egg (50g)
- Vegetable oil (to deep fry)
- Granulated sugar
- Cherry pie filling (I used Princes)
COOKING TEMPERATURE: 165C (330F)
FRYING TIME (per batch): 6-7 minutes (until both sides are golden brown)
*If you're using a plain flour blend instead of self-raising, add 1 extra tsp of baking powder.
*Best eaten fresh
Directions
MAKE THE DOUGH:
- Combine all of the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.
- Add milk, butter (soften it in the microwave first) and egg and whisk until you reach a smooth lump free batter. Note: the consistency should be relatively thick, but too wet to handle with you hands (as seen in the pictures above).
SHAPE THE DOUGHNUTS:
- Spoon the batter into a piping bag with a large round nozzle.
- On a tray, lined with baking paper (to prevent sicking), pipe the dough out into flat circles about 1 cm thick max. Note: you don’t want them to be too thick, otherwise you risk ending up with a raw uncooked centre.
- Gently tap the top of each doughnut with your fingers (wet them slightly first to prevent sticking) to make them smooth/correct the shape.
FREEZE THE RAW DOUGHNUTS:
- Cover the tray with cling film and place in the freezer for 45 mins to 1 hours, until the doughnuts are solid enough to handle with your hands.
FRY THE DOUGHNUTS:
- Pour about 2 inches of oil into a pan and heat it up to 165C (330F), using a food thermometer to track the temperature. Once you reach the correct temperature, turn the heat down to the lowest setting.
- Add your first batch of doughnuts, start your timer and cook for 6-7 minutes (or until both sides turn a nice golden brown colour), flipping them over from time to time to make sure they cook evenly on both sides. Note: be careful not to overcrowd the pan and make sure the doughnuts don’t stick at the bottom of the pan when you first add them. If they do, quickly unstick them using a spoon or a metal strainer. They should float. Note #2: keep checking the temperature on and off and adjust if necessary. If the temperature keeps going up, turn the heat off. If it’s going down below 165C, turn it up slightly.
- Fish them out of the oil with a metal strainer, let any excess oil drip off and then place them on a plate or a cooling rack.
FILL & DECORATE THE DOUGHNUTS:
- Once the doughnuts are cool enough to handle with your hands, roll them in sugar until completely covered. Alternatively you can cover them in glaze. Note: as I mentioned above, if you eat these plain (just rolled in sugar), eat them freshly made. The sugar coating, by itself without a filling, ruins the texture pretty quickly after a while (it sucks all the moisture out). If you want a big batch of plain doughnuts made in advance, cover them in glaze instead {recipe here}. The texture always stays great with the glaze.
- Cut a hole into the doughnuts with a knife (or I like to use a chopstick for this – as seen in the pictures above) and move around to create some space for the filling in the middle.
- Add the filling of your choice into a piping bag with a small nozzle and fill the doughnuts. Note: if using cherry pie filling, mash the cherries first.
Enjoy!
Have you ever tried baking instead of frying them?
Hey, yes I’ve tried baking them out of curiosity and I wouldn’t recommend it as it didn’t work at all! This specific recipe really needs to be deep fried. 🙂