#24 Gluten Free Apple Cider Doughnuts

It’s my birthday week!  The VanDusen family has celebrated “birthday week” since my sister and I were young.  And since it’s pretty much the best tradition ever, both Travis and Aaron jumped right in for their fair share.  Birthday week has a few rules:

• It lasts an entire week.  It can culminate on your birthday, or your birthday can be right smack dab in the middle of the week.  It doesn’t matter.  If you’re the birthday person, you get to choose!
• You get a surprise each day of birthday week.  It’s preferably something that doesn’t cost much money, if nothing at all.  It can be your favorite meal one day, your favorite candy bar the next, a new book, etc.
• All week you pretty much get whatever you ask for.  If you want a glass of iced tea, somebody gets it for you.  If you want a foot rub, you get it.  Want breakfast in bed?  It’s yours.  Don’t feel like washing the dishes?  Somebody else jumps up with joy to do them for you. 🙂  It’s wonderful.
• All those things that you usually don’t let yourself enjoy…you get a free pass during this week!

My birthday week started on Friday because I like it to culminate on my actual birthday.  So today I pulled the deep fryer out of the basement, heated it on up, and fried up some gluten-free doughnuts as a birthday indulgence.  I haven’t consumed a doughnut in over 3 years, and please believe as I’ve said before…it made everything in life seem right. ♥  Enjoy.

Gluten Free Apple Cider Doughnuts (recipe courtesy of “Gluten-Free Baking Classics” by Annalise Roberts)

Makes 9-3inch doughnuts

1 3/4 cups plus 1 Tbsp Brown Rice Flour Mix (*see below)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4-1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

canola oil for frying

2 large eggs

7 Tbsp apple cider

2 Tbsp canola oil

Cinnamon sugar (1/3 cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon)

Rice flour (about 2 Tbsp used to flour boards)

• Mix brown rice flour mix, sugar, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl and set aside.
• In a large 5-quart saucepan heat two inches of canola oil to 350 degrees.  Use a candy thermometer to maintain temperature.  Temperatures higher than 350 degrees will brown doughnuts before they are fully cooked and prevent them from fully rising. (*I actually used a small deep fryer for mine instead of using the saucepan.  It just seemed easier to me since I had one)
• In large bowl of electric mixer, beat eggs until light and foamy (this will take several minutes).  Add brown rice flour mixture, apple cider, and 2 Tbsp of oil; mix one minute at medium-low speed.
• Liberally spread rice flour over surface of a wooden board and lightly flour hands.  Use a spatula to move dough onto the wooden board in a ball shape.  Dough will be sticky.  Roll dough around in the rice flour until it is lightly covered.  Gently press dough into a 1/2 inch round.  Use a 3-inch round doughnut cutter (or a 3-inch round cookie cutter and 1-inch round cookie cutter) to cut nine doughnuts and nine doughnut holes.
• Use a pancake turner to gently lift three doughnuts and three holes into the hot oil.  The doughnuts should rise slowly to the surface and puff.  Cook one minute; turn with a slotted spoon.  Cook other side for one minute (doughnuts should be golden brown in color); remove with slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate.  Blot any residual oil off doughnuts.  Cool slightly.
• Repeat with remaining doughnuts and holes, but make sure oil is heated to 350 degrees before proceeding.
• Gently coat warm doughnuts with cinnamon sugar (place cinnamon sugar in a flat bottom bowl and use a spoon to coat doughnuts).

*Brown Rice Flour Mix:

2 cups brown rice flour

2/3 cup potato starch

1/3 cup tapioca flour

What I love about these birthday week doughnuts:  I can eat them! Eeep!

What I hate about these birthday week doughnuts:  How rude.