Glazed Chocolate Gluten Free Biscuit Donuts
Ingredients
For the biscuit donuts
1 3/4 cups (245 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter), plus more for sprinkling
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1/2 cup (40 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (Dutch-processed will work, too)
7 tablespoons (42 g) nonfat dry milk, ground into a finer powder
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, cut into large chunks and chilled
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (7 fluid ounces) buttermilk, chilled (not nonfat)
Oil, for frying (I used a combination of equal parts canola oil and Spectrum nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening)
For the glaze
2 cups (230 g) confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk (any kind), plus more by the 1/4 teaspoonful if necessary
Instructions
First, make the biscuit dough. In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, nonfat dry milk, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and whisk to combine well. Add the chopped butter, and toss to coat. Place each piece of butter between your floured thumb and forefinger to flatten. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Mix with a large spoon or spatula until the dough begins to come together.
Prepare the biscuit dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and dust the top of the dough with a bit more flour. Roll out with a rolling pin into a thick rectangle. Fold the rectangle in half lengthwise, dust again lightly with flour, and roll out again into a thick rectangle. Once more, fold the rectangle in half lengthwise, and fold again widthwise to create a much smaller, thicker rectangle. Dust lightly with flour, and one final time roll the dough into a rectangle that is about 3/4-inch thick.
Cut out shapes. Using a well-floured 2 1/2-inch round donut-cutter (or a combination well-floured 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter and a well-floured 1 1/4-inch cutter for the center), cut out 8 donut shapes from the biscuit dough. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Take the 8 small cut-outs from the center of each donut shape, and roll each lightly into a round between your palms. Using a 1 1/4-inch round cutter, cut out more small rounds from the remaining biscuit dough, and roll those each into a round between your palms. You don’t want to apply too much pressure or you’ll compress the layers. Place the small rounds on the baking sheet as well, and place the baking sheet in the freezer to chill while you prepare the frying oil.
Fry the donuts. In a medium-size, heavy-bottom pot or fryer, place about 3-inches of frying oil. Clip a deep-fry/candy thermometer to the side of the pot or fryer, and place the oil over medium heat. Bring the oil temperature to 325°F. Remove the biscuit dough shapes from the freezer, and fry in small batches until well-puffed and firm to the touch (3 to 5 minutes for the donuts and about 2 minutes for the holes). Do not crowd the oil at all. The dough will first turn lighter in color in the frying oil, and then darker. You must judge doneness by color and firmness as browning won’t be obvious. Remove each batch from the fryer and place on paper towel-lined plates to drain and cool completely.
Make the glaze while the donut holes are cooling. In a medium-size bowl, place the confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk. Mix well, until a thick paste forms. Add more milk by the 1/4-teaspoon, mixing to combine well, until the glaze falls off the spoon slowly, in a thick but pourable glaze. Add milk very slowly, as it is much easier to thin, than to thicken, the glaze. If you do thin the glaze too much, add more confectioners’ sugar a teaspoon at a time to thicken it. Immerse each cooled donut and donut hole in the glaze and lift out with the tines of a fork or chocolate dipping tool, allow excess glaze to drizzle off, and place on a wire rack to allow any excess glaze to drip off. Allow the glaze to set at room temperature before serving. The glaze will keep the donuts fresh, uncovered on the kitchen counter, for at least a day.
Adapted from my recipe for Extra-Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits on page 227 of GFOAS Bakes Bread; concept from Table for Two Blog.