The path of our gluten free doughnuts has been rocky. When we first opened Curiosity Doughnuts I set out to make an exact replica of our yeasted doughnut. I made the doughnut but was not able to juggle the logistics to make it happen consistently. I adjusted to my circumstances and created a chemically leavened baked doughnut. I changed flavors from apple cider to pumpkin to devils food cake. The doughnuts were delicious, though technically they were doughnut shaped cakes. I played around with making a gluten free cruller. It was delicious but not functionally repeatable. I returned to the baked doughnut.
When we moved our shop into its new location I quietly shelved the gluten free doughnut, much to the dissatisfaction of some of our core doughnut fans. I knew that I wanted to return to making the gluten free doughnut--I just didn't have time to give it my full attention. In the meantime I've tweaked and fine tuned our other doughs. I made a vegan doughnut. At the shop it is "not quite vegan" because we have to fry it in the same oil as our other doughnuts. Once that was settled, I started mulling gluten free doughnuts once more. I reasoned that it might as well be vegan too, because many of our gluten free customers have other food sensitivities. And I like a challenge.
I set about tinkering. I created a new flour blend for the doughnuts. I integrated it into our existing vegan recipe. It behaved differently than I expected. I adjusted the dough and set about frying. The doughnuts are crisp and crackly on the outside. The crumb is moist, tender and chewy. The doughnuts are a success. I still need to figure out how to integrate these doughnuts into our high gluten environment. My biggest obstacle was creating a doughnut that was so good no one would guess it was vegan and gluten free. Now I have an incredible motivation to get it into our customers hands.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
