Gluten-free donuts

Gluten-free donuts

I swear, Finland is the mecca of donuts. Wherever you go, you can count on one thing - there will be donuts for sale. Really, every gas station at the outskirts of sheer existence sells donuts, or rather munkki as it is called in Finnish. 

The Finnish version usually is a round bun-like donut which is covered with sugar and sometimes filled with jam or custard cream. The garnish can also be pink or white sugar-water mixture, but then the munkki is called "Berliinin munkki" (Berlin donut) or "Piispan munkki" (bishop´s donut).

Growing up eating donuts, I sometimes miss the flavour so much. I remember being on maybe 3rd grade in school and how we had handicraft amongst us girls on Friday mornings for about 2 or 3 hours. Our teacher let us leave the school yard during the break to go to the nearby grocery store. Every Friday we would buy a Berliinin munkki and eat it before getting back to our needleworks. The store was called Vähänen, I think, and I doubt it exists anymore in its´s lovely, quirky appearance, at least.

Anyway, Yesterday I tried out the actual donut with the hole in the middle.

Ingredients:

5 dl milk

1 egg

1 dl sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cardamom

22 g dry yeast

about 9 dl of gluten-free flour mixture

75 g melted vegetable shortening

Coconut butter for frying.

Sugar for sprinkling and/or chocolate and sprinkles.

Heat the milk to about 40 degrees. Add the egg, sugar and cardamom. Mix.

Add the yeast to about 2 dl of the flour and add to the mixture.

With an electrical mixer, beat the ingredients until fully combined.

Add the salt and the remaining amount of flour. With the mixer, beat the mixture for a couple of minutes.

Add the melted shortening and mix well.

Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes before pouring it over gluten-free flour.

Roll the dough and cut it into about 18 pieces. With plenty of flour in hands, roll the pieces into balls and leave onto a baking sheet for about 20-30 minutes to rest. If you want to make donuts, make a hole in the middle and stretch it out carefully. Cover the donuts with a piece of cloth.

Place the coconut butter into a pan and heat it to 180 degrees.

Place the donuts into the hot oil and fry them on both sides.

If you want sugar-covered donuts, cover them with sugar immediately. Otherwise leave them to cool and cover as you like once room temperature.

Enjoy while still warm, crunchy and fresh!

Coconut butter heating up.

Frying.

 Frying the other side.