Mochi Doughnuts

Mochi. Doughnuts. Are so freaking delicious. I am a big old gluten fan- the opposite of the current gluten-free diet fad. Give me all the wheat flour in the world; I will eat it with wild abandon. All this is to say I do not make gluten-free doughnuts to avoid gluten in some big to lose weight or be hip. I make them because they are fan-fricking-tastic. Imagine the beautiful yeasted, raised-glazed doughnut that requires hours of rising, cutting, rising again, then finally frying. Imagine getting that wonderful, light fried goodness in 1 hour as opposed to 6. YUP.

Mochi flour yields a soft yet slightly chewy doughnut with structure and interior holes similar to heated doughnuts but dare I say- better? Plus, the exterior gets slightly crispy from the frying. The only caveat if you need to make a starter dough.

Starter doughs normally mean 24 hours of allowing yeast to ferment with flour… This starter dough involves 60 seconds in the microwaves and nothing more. If you simply try to mix the sticky rice flour with water, the twain will not combine. You need to make a cooked starter dough to help the rest of the mixture form a cohesive dough. That’s it. Nuke the starter dough in 20 second intervals to avoid overcooking and that is the hardest part of making these doughnuts. 

Actually, the hardest part is not devouring the whole dozen within an hour. As these doughnuts are their best within a few hours of being made, maybe it’s not such a bad problem. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Starter Dough:

1/4 cup sticky rice flour

2 1/2 tablespoons whole milk

Dough:

1 3/4 cup sticky rice flour

1/2 cup whole milk

2 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

Glaze:

2 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 to 3 tablespoons light cream

Method:

Starter Dough: Mix 1/4 cup rice flour with 2 1/2 tablespoons of whole milk. Microwave on high for 1 minute in 20 second intervals until the dough is cooked through. It will look opaque and feel bouncy. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the 1 3/4 cup sticky rice flour, 1/2 cup milk, melted butter, granulated sugar, egg and baking powder in a stand mixer fitted with  dough hook. Add the cooled starter and knead on low until the mixture comes together shaggily. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the starter has completely blended in with the mixture. The dough will be wet and sticky.

Generously dust the surface of your work station with more sticky rice flour. Scrap the dough out onto this work surface. Generously dust a rolling pin. Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness and cut with a 3 inch doughnut cutter. Regather the scraps and continue to cut out more. You ought to get 12 doughnuts and doughnut holes.

Fill your deep fryer with canola oil and turn to 350 degrees. If you do not have a deep fryer, put 1 1/2 inches of oil in a heavy bottomed stock pot affixed with a thermometer set over a burner on medium-high heat. Drop a few doughnuts at a time into the oil, cooking for about 2 minutes a side, until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to drain.

Meanwhile, whisk together the 2 1/2 tablespoons melted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and cream until you form a glaze. Dip one side then the other of each doughnut. Devour warm.