This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
When you need donuts and you need them now, grab that batch of gluten free biscuits you always have in the refrigerator or freezer (right??), and make gluten free biscuit donuts in minutes!
Table of Contents
Oh. my. goodness. Why hadn't I ever thought of this before? These Easy Gluten Free Biscuit Donuts are so light and flaky that it's, frankly, dangerous. And easy is a bit of an understatement, actually. Usually, when people claim that a recipe is “easy,” they're exaggerating—or work on a television set with a full kitchen staff. I do not work on a television set, and I do not have a kitchen staff of any size or shape. I do, however, have a batch of the perfect recipe for gluten free biscuits.
Did you roll your eyes at me when I said that I have a batch of gluten free biscuit dough in my refrigerator or freezer at all times? I have decided not to take it all personal and such. It's only because you don't know the power of biscuit dough. It's okay. That's why we're having this talk.
Oh, did I not mention that you make the flakiest gluten free donut holes with the cutouts?
There is no gathering and re-rolling of the scraps here, either. Just cut out 8 donut shapes, then roll the cut-outs into rounds, and cut out more small rounds from the remaining dough. The way I make all of my pastry dough (bit chunks of butter, not butter the size of “small peas,” not ever), you can handle the pastry dough like that, and the butter will firm right back up when you chill it after shaping the dough. Trust me.
Here's why I always have gluten free biscuit dough on hand: Not sure what to make for dinner? Make any protein at all into a complete meal by sautéing it with some aromatics (onions, garlic, root vegetables), piling it into a casserole dish, topping it with (frozen) biscuit rounds or squares, and baking it until the biscuits are golden brown. No need to defrost the biscuits (unless you have to shape them—so why not freeze them already shaped?). If it's beef, call it shepherd's pie. If it's chicken, call it chicken pot pie.
Easy Gluten Free Biscuit Donuts
Equipment
- Candy/deep fry thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 recipe gluten free biscuit dough, chilled
- Oil, for frying (I used a combination of equal parts canola oil and Spectrum nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Prepare the biscuit dough according to the recipe instructions.
- Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 3/4-inch thick. While rolling and folding the biscuit dough, sprinkle with enough additional gluten free flour that you end up with a smooth dough.
- 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 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.
- Place the small rounds on the baking sheet as well, and place the baking sheet in the freezer while you prepare the frying oil.
- 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-high heat. Bring the oil temperature to 350°F.
- Remove the biscuit dough shapes from the freezer, and fry in small batches until well-puffed and lightly golden brown all over (2 to 3 minutes for the donuts and 1 to 2 minutes for the holes). Do not crowd the oil at all.
- As soon as each batch is removed from the fryer, roll in granulated sugar right away and place on paper towels to drain.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
