Baked Glazed Vanila Donuts GF

By MaryEllen

Vanilla Bean Pods? So Expensive! But then I finally got wise and started ordering vanilla beans in bulk online. I make a single batch of vanilla extract with rum and pile every single vanilla bean I buy in bulk into the jar, and then the beans never go bad. And you simply can’t beat the vanilla flavor you get. And when I use the seeds from a pod, I usually just put the empty pod back into the extract. Gotta get my money’s worth out of every pod!

Ingredients

• For the Donuts
• 1 1/2 cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour
• 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
• 1/4 cup (36 g) cornstarch (or try potato starch or arrowroot)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 4 tablespoons (48 g) nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening, melted and cooled (can be replaced with an equal amount of unsalted butter, by weight)
• 2 eggs (100 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
• 3/4 cup (193 g) plain yogurt, at room temperature
• 1 vanilla bean (can replace with 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
• For the glaze
• 1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar
• 2 to 4 teaspoons milk or buttermilk

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from glutenfreeonashoestring.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350°F.* Grease a donut pan or muffin tin and set it aside.

In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, nutmeg, and sugar, and whisk to combine well. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the butter, shortening, eggs, and yogurt, mixing to combine after each addition. Using a sharp paring knife or kitchen shears, snip off the end of the vanilla bean and, starting at the uncut end and running your finger along the length, squeeze out the seeds from inside the vanilla bean into the donut batter, reserving some of the seeds for the glaze. Mix to combine.

Fill the prepared wells of the donut pan or muffin tin about three-quarters of the way full. For perfectly shaped donuts, place the donut batter into a piping bag fitted with a large, open tip, and pipe the batter into the wells. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the donuts are set and just lightly browned. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the donuts are cooling, make the glaze. In a small bowl, place the confectioners’ sugar, 2 teaspoons of milk and the reserved vanilla seeds, and mix well. Add more milk by the half-teaspoon until you have a smooth but thickly pourable glaze. Working quickly, dip the top of each cooled donut in the glaze, turn back and forth a bit to coat well, invert the donut so the glaze is facing upward, and place on a flat surface to set.

Adapted from the Yeast-Free Glazed Plain Doughnuts on page 42 of Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Quick & Easy.