Doughnuts. The mere mention of doughnuts and my knees grow weak; glazed, frittered, cream-filled, jelly-filled, cinnamon dusted, powder sugar dusted, nut-topped, plain, fried or baked, I’ll admit to being an equal opportunity eater of all things doughnuts.
My uncle Jimmy was a professional baker who worked long hours at a local grocery store chain for many years until his retirement; cookies, chocolate cupcakes, decorated cakes, pies and doughnuts were always available – and one free sugar cookie was always given to the littles – fat chubby hands greedily reaching for a perfectly round, sugar-sprinkled confection.
Quite often Uncle Jimmy would bring home a box of Maple Bars, also known in these parts as a Long John – why the difference in name, I don’t know. But as a kid, I remember opening that white or pink box and seeing a dozen long, fried rectangular bars that had been spread with maple or chocolate glaze. It was a real treat when we visited their house as doughnuts weren’t part of the usual treats while living in the little house on Ankeny Street.
The Professor and I have been working towards perfecting our baking this winter – doughnuts are great anytime but especially during the winter when it’s dreary and cold, don’t you agree? One Saturday we baked up a dozen cake doughnuts and topped them with cinnamon-sugar, coconut, powdered-sugar and, in a nod to Uncle Jimmy, these Maple-glazed, bacon doughnuts.
They’re gluten-free but no one will know the difference!
GLUTEN-FREE MAPLE GLAZED BACON DOUGHNUTS
Makes 12 doughnuts
NOTES: Use your own favorite gluten-free flour mix here; I also recommend King Arthur or Cup-for-Cup. You’ll need a doughnut pan, two pans are ideal but if you only have a single pan, you can bake one batch, cool and bake the second batch. And finally, the ¼ cup of vanilla extract listed is not a typo – it gives these doughnuts a nice vanilla flavor which pairs well with any glaze or topping you like.
INGREDIENTS:
- 250 grams GF flour mix
- 200 grams sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (can sub psyllium powder as well – omit if your mix already contains either)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup melted butter, unsalted
- ½ cup kefir (can sub milk or buttermilk)
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup pure vanilla extract (this is not a typo)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 5 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 3 strips of bacon, cut into lardons, cook until crisp, drain on a paper towel; cool, chop and set aside
METHOD:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Spritz two doughnut pans (6 doughnuts rings to each pan) with cooking spray and set aside
- In a large bowl, add flour mix, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum (or psyllium powder), and salt; whisk to blend and set aside
- Melt butter over low heat, cool
- In a medium bowl, add kefir, eggs, vanilla extract and cooled butter; whisk until well blended
- Add kefir mix to flour mix and whisk until well-blended
- Fill prepared pans about three-quarters full and bake for 8-minutes; rotate pans and bake an additional 7 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean
- Cool in pan for 10-minutes, then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely
TO MAKE THE GLAZE:
- In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar and maple syrup until smooth and glossy; add a little bit of milk if it’s too thick
- Drizzle the glaze on top of the doughnuts and top with chopped bacon
Is there a donut pan you would recommend?
Hi Sarah ~ this is the pan I use: http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-Nonstick-6-Cavity-Donut-Pan/dp/B004CYELOQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426607009&sr=8-1&keywords=doughnut+pan – hope that helps!
Perfect! Thank you!